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America's Paté de Foie Gras

Ironically, Eisenhower and SPAM's manufacturer shared the same advertising agency, BBDO, when the former general began his political career.

"I must say," Eisenhower wrote in the letter, "I believe they [BBDO] had a tougher time with me than selling SPAM to ex-servicemen. Happily, we all succeeded together." According to Hormel, SPAM-and-bacon sandwiches have graced the menu at the congressional dining hall, giving new meaning to pork-barrel politics. And several biographies say Elvis Presley was (and still is, by some sightings) a SPAM eater.

After the war, as American influence spread on a global scale, so did SPAM. Though culinary revisionists might snub their noses at it, SPAM might be to the United States what paté de foie gras is to France. Americans purchase 3.6 cans of SPAM every second. That adds up to 216 cans a minute, 12,960 cans every hour.

The reality is stark: Either you or someone you love is hooked on the pink stuff. And that's not just a joke. That's lunch.

Buck Wolf is entertainment producer at ABCNEWS.com. The Wolf Files is published Tuesdays. If you want to receive weekly notice when a new column is published, join the e-mail list.