Hawaiianology

The middle of the Pacific is a place that has a lot of water with not much land in sight, but the waters are blue, and they are beautiful from the beaches that bring sunsets like no other. The waves hit the ramps as they slowly hit the land to show that everything is a gift from the ocean from the mountains to the beaches to the catches of the sea. The guiding star of the gathering is fish (i’a) that is gently released into the ocean of oil to swim until gracefully crispy as long as it is a good size as bones are not man’s best friend. The fish are part of our consciousness of the ecosystem as are the food sources of sustenance that involve being of an island mindset. For that reason fish are part of our hearts as they are the provider and need to be provided for to make a delicious catch that makes the mouth water. The fish loves to travel the world and it goes on a busy route, but along the way it decides to take a vacation into a fish pond where it is pampered, serviced by humans, a...

The sound of rocks clinging against one another, The smell of smoke starts to be seen from a distance, and a fire is lit. Spam is turned over one by one as it appears there's both a dusting of seasonings and a sheen of a glaze. The fire grows hotter and the meat begins to be chopped with more salt added for a deeper flavor to contrast the rice. This sort of aroma is familiar of family gatherings and is at its most basic the smell of the flame. It is as ancient as it is modern a cooking method ever. To describe such a dish is to have a chunk of meat that is also easy to bite into, the most excellent savory rice, and a person with big hand serving it to make sure portions don't miss. The Musubi maker can add things to enhance the flavor such as caramelized onions, crunchy grilled green onion, mayonnaise. There's something addictive about it that eating one is simply not enough, so two is what many desire. It tastes like the farm, it tastes like home, it tastes like friends ge...

 A Time and a Place The Hawaiian ingredients taste best from what's in season, be it the Hawaiian Moon aligned Wet or the Dry season. But local families also mark their own four seasons if it suits them, with: Puna (sunny season, spring), Kau (dry season, summer), Makani (windy season, fall, autumn), Ho'oilo (wet season, winter). The water surrounding Hawaii can bring warrior of deep red fish in the fall season is aku (skipjack tuna) [Aku Cakes], while spam (cured terrine) is celebratory in spring [Pan-fried Spam], halalu (juvenile big eye scad) is abundant in summer [Deep-Fried], and leftover roasts are flavorful when thin cut in the winter. Luncheon meat (hormel brand) can be found in the supermarket throughout the year, people eat what's available to them and enjoy the idea of seasonal variety. The concept of embracing seasonal variety in musubi adds an element of excitement and anticipation to the dish, as the ingredients and flavors change month by month of the year. S...

Hawaii has a lot of different Spam and people come to the islands asking why there is so much. It wasn't something that was asked for, but there was a time that hormel believed it could boost the selection of spam to be more catered to what sorts of flavors people wanted. There was a large demand for spam in hawaii , but the tastes were all over the place with different families adding different things like kimchee, hot sauce, sweet teriyaki, sausage seasonings on the grill, garlic salt for some punch and even marinades. This would have Hormel developing its own selections connected to the brand name that people already have ingrained in them at their first experience of a Breakfast plate in Hawaii. Foodies would be quick to rank the different spam's that were available like: Teriyaki, Portuguese Sausage, Hot & Spicy, Cheese, Bacon, Chorizo, Hickory Smoke, Turkey, Black Pepper, Jalapeno, and Tocino. These would be known as "Da Spam Power Rankings", which was fun f...

 Listening to the crackles of a pan, browned pureed pork with a crust is near, a smell of something that is coming. The spouting steam that comes from the kitchen signals that the quality rice is ready with its stickiness. Beloved tastiness of the salty and savory, a balance, a dance of flavor, of all things unknown that is the luncheon meat that is spam. The sight of it is comfort in a rectangle that is a crew that will stay with you, because it is on the go by your side. An explorer on a exhibition the spam that is ready to go on the grind and make people say “Yessah” in their mouth. Mōʻiliʻili Area is one of the multiple birthplaces of spam musubi. The spam musubi is recognized across groups and reminds people what it means to grow up as a resident townside in Mōʻiliʻili. Everyone used to eat spam musubis, off the bus from the pharmacy, and people would grab some of them.  If Mōʻiliʻili had a dish to celebrate it would be a spam musubi as the symbol, because it was grown in...

Where are the Hawaii Hot Dogs? In between a steaming dish washing machine and employee’s from the front is the dish pit and right in the back where the kitchen is where the action is. Chris Steel would be handling casing at the Whole Ox Butchery in Kakaako and in the growing area of the Outskirts Downtown Honolulu South Side. The Sous Chef comes in after things have died down from the morning rush and a gift comes from Hank’s Haute Dogs: a tray of Pineapple Ice. A discussion ensues with talks about their Genuine Chicago Vienna all-beef dog and Lobster dog as some of the hot dogs to try that day. People in Hawaii really like their sausages, they like their choices of on the go food options, and they low-key have a soft spot for their hot dogs. The restaurant has been closed for years and those who were there for its years of operation will remember artisanal sausages, an old fashioned butchery, with some Hawaii only food, but that time has passed. Gone are those days and the same for Ha...

  A Beautiful Meat Artform and Charcuterie is all about the way that people make the sausage by paying respect to the process, letting things to mix, the time that seasoning sits and strengthens. It's about knowing your sausage and knowing that it matters what is that certain temperature, the fats are a certain amount to, because the meat and the fat are being bound together as a meaty emulsion. It is really something practiced by people who have access to fresh meat and these days there is a lot of meat available out there to make all sorts of sausages.  Cold Ingredients and Tools, everything should be kept cold in the refrigerator so that things go smoothly and parts don't break down, because a mushy-grind tastes mushy and a clean grind makes the emulsion has texture while still combining well together. A note is to make sure the casings are not cold, and left in warm water, so it can be fitted later on on to the grinder. So everything else has to be cold, even the parts of ...

Hawaiian Hot Dogs The Hawaii-style Hot Dog, Hawaiian Hot Dog, or Red Hot Dog had originated from the area of Waipahu, Oahu, Hawaii at Redondo's and has become a state staple of Hawaii's affordable and comfortable taste of home Hawaii Hot Dog. The way Hawaiian Winners became the de facto hot dog was that it was preferred by Hawaii hot dog aficionados for its taste that was unique and the color of red, but to find out more Redondo's has the origin story in their locked away cabinets in their office. The Hawaiian-style Hot Dog called "Hawaiian Winners" would separate itself with its name and from how it was made: the Franks (1.6 oz), Dinner Franks (2 oz), and Wieners have one filler, but the Hawaiian Winners used Soy-Protein as a filler. While places around the world see Soy-Protein as a filler of cuisines that try to avoid meat, this was not the case for Redondo's as they were looking for a distinct taste.  "Hawaiian Winners is our best selling hot dog. So ...

Following the meat and following the boats there is the essence of things to come and how it will be found is how it is shared.  discover the art of sausage. While appreciating the ingredients in their natural form is where it is most beautiful the methods used for survival turn those into things that look much less desirable. As history stretches everything they can, mankind has, with deep wisdom and boundless creativity, crafted sausage as a means to transform every precious piece – the valuable off-cuts, the vital organs, even the remnants of other meals – into a new form that someone might say that it is delicious. It is about insuring nothing is wasted, because waste has to go somewhere, and as a responsibility the person who ended life must use that body to continue life. To make something like that taste good is the definition of good culinary expertise. The World of Hawaii Sausage, is a looking to the islands for what might remain from those who have tried to do things at h...

Ali'i Sausage Cruise Line offers an intoxicating mix of island sausage adventure with carefree munching with nine-sausage destinations  — starting with a full butcher house and full on meat market in Spain to see the designs and the experience of famed meat dealer marketlife. There is so much to do when looking out to the spread of meats like a endless ocean view of possibilities, plus its apart of the culinary education that is discovery. It can start a feeling of wanting more and explore other places around the world to see what they are doing for a larger expansion of sausage knowledge.   Hawaii Sausages have been looking for a place to present themselves to the world other than a on a bun, even if it does shine in the hands of hungry eaters the plate it seeks would be in the full meal. But where to start? it would be by understanding the Butcheries of many countries to get an idea of how something can be specialized, plated, and put together in a way that can com...

He Leo Mahalo no ka Naʻaukake (A Voice of Gratitude for the Sausage): Every path in life, no matter how winding, eventually brings us to what truly nourishes the soul. In this world of words, especially those penned about food, we often touch upon many subjects that say what's coming out from the inside– some can come from what we eat and it can spark the heart, others merely passing through like a cool breeze, but some have a resonance about them. There are moments, rare and precious, when a topic rises up, calling to you, and that call can be about something triggered from passion, maybe a love for, or even a urge for a food. It doesn't have to be loud, but it could be homely, a comforting essence of naʻaukake – sausage comes to mind.  Sausage Get Action:  A big tubular meat, a long lengthy sausage, a breakfast of confessions that you yearn for something bad for your health. No matter what the fat that goes inside the sausage can't be good for the body, but you are going...

Hawaii Butchers of the Good old Days Butcher is a very old occupation that has been around as long as their was a need for meat. A butcher is someone who "slaughters animals", dresses their flesh, suggests and sells their meat at retail, and more. It may seem simple, but their work is being in charge of handling multiple steps of treatment of the animal and its meat. They deal with: animal-incapacitation, offal-removal, skinning, draining, and meat-separation. The way the Hawaii Butchery had started was from peoples homes where people had to do all the work of a butcher without the title. Eating animals brought up in a pen or yard was essential to be a way of eating meat by feeding pigs slop. They were primarily raised for home consumption and were treated as important entities or special from their important meaning of being the greatest gift of sacrifice. In Ancient Hawaii After the Polynesian Voyagers had a strong settlement of starting out their homes they would rely on t...