I've defended Spam here before. I've worked at the Hormel plant in Austin, MN a number of times. There is nothing mysterious about what goes into Spam and it's all decent pork shoulder and pork ham - no other scraps. The stuff is prime rib compared to potted meat or baloney. I've seen that stuff made too.
After watching Spam being made I would eat it out of the can in the company parking lot. After watching potted meat being made I won't ever eat it again.
A bud used to work at Underwood. He said that potted meat was even better before it was canned. Said the hams it was made from were outstanding.
The definition of "potted meat" has to be stretched to include Underwood. The origins of potted meat was stuffing whatever was left over after slaughter into clay pots and adding a preservative. Different breeds and their various parts all went into the pot, or not, depending on what you had - kimchee for critters. As the pot filled you just kept smooshing it in. Modern canned meats from one breed, such as Spam or Underwood, might not qualify as potted meat, but there are definitely brands that do.
