About 38 years ago I bought some spam to bring on a trip with me--not knowing what it was. It was awful tasting stuff, and I couldn't force myself to eat it. When I told my mom how bad it was she said, "That's what the soldiers carried along with them as rations in WW 2, and they always hated it."
Could this be what your dear mommy meant...
Bully Beef. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />
Drink Up Ye Cider. 
