Google Gmail Is Serving Spam

Am I just being paranoid is Google's Gmail deliberately trying to feed me spam? I've been noticing for some time now recipes involving spam appearing in the ad/news/spam-pushing area above my messages.

I know that I am in my "spam" filter, but I thought that they were better than that. I attended conferences where it was explained that Google uses behavioral information to differentiate the contextual meanings. The classic example is "Java"; it's coffee, a small island in the Pacific and I think it also has something to do with computers (oh yeah, it's scripting for web pages¹). Anyway, it is amazing to me that, while browsing the mail caught by a google spam filter, their marketing department is telling me to eat it. And it's like it is Bubba of Bubba Gump² : spam kabobs, spam quiche, spam primavera, ginger spam salad .... tremendous.

¹: This is sarcasm and a weak attempt at humor brought on by flashbacks of my active days at comp.lang.javascript.

²: Nothing against Bubba Gump as I enjoyed a really good meal there at the Mall of America falling CF.Objective 2008 and also at City Walk in Orlando

[UPDATE 22FEB09]
Today's recipe is Spam Fajitas and it is served in my inbox, not the spam filter. What gives?