It’s unlikely that many people know the link between the much-maligned tinned ham product Spam and the small Pacific island of Guam. After the US Army ‘liberated’ Guam from Japanese occupation, the one thing they brought with them was Spam. After these ‘liberators’ built copious military bases on Guam’s arable land in order to combat the ‘red scare’, Spam became increasingly ubiquitous in Guamanian households. The processed pork product reminds Chamoru/Filipina writer and performer Sierra Sevilla of home, and all the comfort and familiarity associated with it. 

The show traverses Sevilla’s life, from moving away from Guam to Boston for her studies, then finally ending up in London. At every turn she’s been made to feel like an outsider, especially for eating her beloved Spam. The show is educational, powerful and at times very funny, although there are a few slightly clichéd aspects to Sevilla’s performance. The message truly hits home during the last 14 minutes of the show: this is the exact amount of time it would take a missile to hit Guam if an opposing nation wanted to provoke America.

During this time, Sevilla makes a dish using Spam and shares it with an audience member, while discussing what she would do during her last 14 minutes. It really hits home that her beloved country is just a pawn in larger nations’ geopolitical wargaming. There aren’t too many laugh-out-loud moments in Sevilla’s set, but there’s some excellent emotional storytelling about a fascinating subject.

For The Love Of Spam, Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 August, 2.10pm; main picture: Peijia Hu.