There is something about Spam that makes people, specifically Serbians named Slavko, shudder. “PASS!” He shouted obnoxiously, as if being weaned on roasted lamb made him superior to pre-cooked pork in a tin.At Hawaii BBQ Restaurant in the University District, they would beg to differ; ask any of the cooks or the countless college students that come in daily: Spam is awesome.Quick history lesson: Spam was introduced to the Pacific islands (Hawaii, Philippines, Okinawa, etc.) by American soldiers during World War II. The natives adopted it and made it more awesome by slapping it on rice and bread, and soaking in sodium-rich sauces.The spam musubi is staple in Hawaiian cuisine. It looks like an oversized nigiri; a big block of rice topped with grilled spam and wrapped in seaweed. Hawaii BBQ keeps dozens of its tasty meat treats in a heated container with a large sign that reads $1.75 by the cash register. It’s a great deal because their spam musibi are huge. Throw one at someone’s head, and they’re surely a goner.I decided the best way for me to feed Spam to Slavko was without his knowing he was eating spam. So I made an innocent-sounding offer to pick him up some lunch yesterday afternoon. He was too happy to take me up on it.”Brownies!” he said with delight when I pulled two dark squares out of the bag. I shook my head and handed them over for him to inspect.”What is this?” he asked suspiciously.”Think of it as really casual Japanese food, like teriyaki,” I suggested.He shrugged and began eating. “Not bad. I wish I had more than two, I could probably eat four,” he said. Then he added it was small and portable, something he wouldn’t mind taking with him to work.”What do you think of the meat?””Salty but sweet. I like it.””HA! IT’S SPAM!”I triumphantly crowed in his face for several minutes, but was also pleased that he didn’t spit out the spam or seem particularly disgusted.”So tell me more about why you like spam so much,” I said with a grin.It was my smugness that annoyed him most.”It’s a slice of spam on some rice, there’s nothing more to say,” he said crossly. Then he ate the second one, with both satisfaction and sullenness.