Rice is a staple in the Asian countries, much like potatoes in the US. Rice isn't too much fun to eat, however, without something like corned beef to eat with it. In the Philippines, we call that ulam ("dish" in English, but not quite the correct translation).

My Original Dislike of Corned Beef

Perhaps it was the way it looked, the way it smelled or the way it tasted, but I'll never know why I didn't like corned beef. The earliest experience I can remember is trying to eat a Reuben sandwich and spitting it out after one bite.

Perhaps it was the way it was prepared, but I'm still not sure. I always saw corned beef prepared deli-style (sliced). It kind of looked like a reddened version of bacon, if you can picture that.

My Reintroduction to Corned Beef

Shortly after I married my wife in 1985, she bought some corned beef in a can at local grocery store. I'd never seen it in a can, but then I avoided corned beef like the plague after my initial experience with it. I think it was the Hormel brand.

She fried it with 2 eggs (mixed with the corned beef before cooking), crushed garlic and onions until it was brown, mixed it with rice on a plate, and then served it to me like I was going to dig into it without a second thought. After I explained that I didn't like corned beef and why, she convinced me to try it anyway.

I was hooked! This stuff was delicious, unlike what I'd tasted before. Perhaps I'll add a picture to this post later on, when I make it again.

Local Brands of Corned Beef

I buy at least 10 cans per month of corned beef at the Royal Subic store at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone every month. A third of an isle has nothing but various brands of corned beef, the majority being the Libby's brand, which is also the most expensive. It's about the same price, however, as it is in the US right now.

I made the mistake of buying a local brand, "Argentina" I think. That stuff was nasty! I believe both the Hormel and Libby's brands are produced in Brazil. My son tried a couple of other brands while I was out of the country and he told me they were as nasty as the "Argentina" brand.

Recommendations

You don't have to add anything to the canned corned beef to make it taste better. It tastes great as it is, but not right out of the can. It should be cooked in some way — it seems to taste better that way.

I've seen some other people, who also eat it with rice, slice it up like they would with Hormel's SPAM (not spam) product, fry it and eat it. I'm never seen a sliced corned beef sandwich, but it would have to be better than any Reuben sandwich I'd ever try.

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