Worcester Man

Joel Kaimakani Libed is an entertainer - singer, dancer, actor. And like a lot of entertainers - the ones who are plenty talented but we've never heard of - he pulls together a life in the arts by going on the road - touring with musicals, appearing in local dinner theaters, entertaining on cruises. (And, naturally, augmenting his living in the arts by working as a waiter.)

Although Joel Kaimakani Libed is a native of Hawaii, somewhere along his way, he made his way from the Island Paradise to the Heart of the Commonwealth, and now makes his home in Worcester, Massachusetts (a paradise in its own right, of course).

Recently, Libed was on tour with a troupe called A Taste of Ireland, which I take is akin to River Dance and/or Celtic Thunder. 

One of their stops was in Austin, Minnesota, home of Hormel Foods - makers, among other things, of SPAM.

As a kid, I loved SPAM. I'm embarrassed to admit that my sibs and I would clamor for it. Alas, my mother would only make it when my father wasn't around. As a WWII Navy vet, he'd had it with SPAM, thank you. But we all loved it, and I can still conjure up the burning, chemical tastes of SPAM on the tip of my tongue. And that's after decades, as it's been a good long time since I tasted SPAM, and I have zero interest in changing that.

But that's just me.

Joel Kaimakani Libed, on the other hand, is a big fan.

So when his Taste of Ireland tour landed in Austin, Minnesota and he figured out just where he was, he was all in on taking advantage:

When he looked up the area before the visit, Libed noted that the SPAM Museum — an institution fully devoted to the precooked meat products made by Hormel Foods — was near the venue where they would be performing. During a 30-minute break, he invited the dancers to join him.

“I’m from Hawaii, it’s a big deal,” he explained. (Source: Boston Globe)

And apparently SPAM is a big deal in Hawaii. When my father was gagging over Not SPAM Again meals in the WWII Navy chowline, Hawaiians were being introduced to this, ahem, delicacy, by the colossal military presence in the Pacific. And the islanders embraced SPAM, turning it into a pillar of their local cuisine. Lately, it's become quite on trend. 

Anyway, Libed loaded up on SPAM merch at the museum, and:

After the troupe returned, arms full of SPAM merchandise, Libed began talking about his love for the food with a woman who was working on their costumes. She briefly left the theater, and when she got back handed Libed a SPAM variety pack, including a couple of a limited Hawaiian Collectors Edition. He carried the hefty gift with him throughout the tour — in addition to the shirt, mug, and magnet he purchased — and it was only while packing to come home that he realized the cans would have to go in his carry-on.

Bacon? Teriyaki? Maple flavored SPAM. Be still my stomach. 

For some reason, the presence of all that SPAM - 15 pounds of canned goodness - triggered a TSA inspection when Libed got into the security line at the airport in Minneapolis. And when the TSA agent started pulling the cans out of his carryon bag, Libed (what else?) video'd the inspection. 

 “I instantly just started thinking of everything bad that could happen. How do I explain myself? This is going to look super suspicious. They’re going to probably think I’m really weird,” said Libed, 32...He later posted the video on TikTok [where else?], where it has now been viewed more than 5 million times — and even caught the attention of the SPAM brand.

SPAM representatives have "sent him clothes, a slicer, and other varieties as thanks for his high-profile support.

“Seeing Joel’s TikTok just shows how incredible of a fan base there is for the SPAM brand, or as Joel calls it, our ‘SPAM fam,’” Jennesa Kinscher, senior brand manager for the SPAM brand, said by email.

“We especially loved his dedication to getting our products home with him to Worcester!” she said. “He is a true fan, and we are so lucky to have him in the family.”

So Libed is not just an entertainer. He's not just a part time, when-not-on-tour waiter. He's now a SPAM influencer. And he may even be influencing the restaurant where he works to add a SPAM item to their menu. It will be a Joel-inspired hamburger that comes with pineapple and teriyaki aioli that was already on his restaurant's menu, but will now come with a slab o' SPAM larded on. It may not take off. After all, even Worcester's own Joel Libed acknowledges that SPAM is not so popular in Massachusetts, as folks around here understandably associate it with WWII peasant food. (C.f., me.)

Meanwhile, Joel Kaimakani Libed is hearing from folks back in Hawaii that's he's now something a a "hometown hero." But he's a Worcester Man now, and the Heart of the Commonwealth can always use another hometown hero. Aloha, Joel. Aloha, SPAM.