Hmmm... my mom was a Navy nurse stationed in Hawaii for most of WWII. She was sent over in early 1942. My dad went over later on in the war, also in the Navy. He was younger and a pharmacist's mate. She was an LT.
I don't remember my dad eating it very often. She mostly fixed it for me, when it was just the two of us. Maybe he ate it more often than she did...
I know we never had lamb/mutton, and it was rare to have mashed potatoes. Potatoes were baked, scalloped, or small red ones in with beef roast. Mashed was with turkey at Thanksgiving or when we went to my maternal grandmother's and she made fried chicken.
Debk, I a few years ago asked my SIL ( Hubby's youngest sister] about old family recipe's that I could cook for Hubby.
Her reply was with 7 kids in the family at one time the family had to take turns eating. She was serious as Hubby did not contradict her I have to believe her.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday the girls ate a regular meal and the males ate--oat meal and P& J sandwiches. Tuesday Thursday and Sat the men ate and the girls got the oatmeal and p&j meals. Sunday they all went to grandmas for a huge Italian dinner.
Favorite home meal was a concoxion made of Spam like the shit on a shingle or chipped beef on toast.
With males, a 13 year old, a 15 year old, a 19 year old + the Dad, they went through this like pigs at a troth.
The roue was made of flour butter and milk, a dozen or so pepper corns added in some dried spice and salt. Mom must have been darn good with a knife as she used 1/2 can of spam and sliced it paper thin.
Spam has been one of the life saving graces not just in America but all over the world for YEARS.
AS a kid I remember when on the bottom of the can there was a key to use to open the can. Same with the canned hams----especially the Polish imported canned hams from corn fed hogs.
Mom then boiled up 4 pounds of potatoes, mashed them up with milk and butter, added a few spoons of flour to the mix, if time were good she would mince up a big onion and have enough to feed the boy-men in the family.
The Spam mixture was served in a Big bowl as were the potatoes in another, and as always there was Spaghetti butter and cheese on the table. Sort of like in my family there was always bread and butter on the table.
The girls got any leftovers the next day, with the rest of the Spam.
This in no way harmed anyone of the 7 kids, all still alive and kicking after 70 years for the oldest.