Master Lomi Scraper

Description: A Master Lomi Scraper or just "Master Scraper", is a seemingly unartistic approach with the gutting of fresh ingredients and the knowledge of it being so mechanical in nature, but there is nuance to it. What people don't think about is the shape of the basics of something organic like the shape of the fish, the size of the fish, and knowing what many parts of it taste like. The person doing these steps are out of the respect of the ingredient and that the one who prepares the dish knows about the entire body from the inside out. After dealing with an ingredient overtime there is a sense of what pairs the best with the sort of lomi they are serving behind the counter, which is the taste they are delivering. Where these ingredients are coming from and how they can be sustained are equally as important as its about displaying the value of "Maiau".

Masters: From the masters to the beginners there is something that brings people together in Hawaii and gets them started on their journey, often times its fishing. Going to the beach and catching fish is living from what the ocean provides and the limu that is needed is also part of that process, so those who really up their culinary talents learn a bit about how to revive limu in the islands. People who weren't thinking on mastering something had one day become the master as they studied how to eat what they had caught, raised, or bought, and wanted to figure it out. Meanwhile those talents and skills would add up and actually be something quite valuable in their food knowledge of the ingredients their consuming, so that passed down knowledge would be the start of how scraping and massaging turns from knowledge into a tool set.

The Art of Lomi Scraping: A select few may dedicate themselves to intense study of biology (land life) and marine biology (marine life) and start recording their journeys as a way to build the specialization into a list of culinary techniques involved. The responsibilities of a Lomi Master Scraper extend far beyond simply catching fish and mixing the seasonings into the dish with what is scraped. All sealife looks the same, but even for fish the bones aren't just the structure, but for some like the Awa "Giant Milk Fish" there are bones inside the muscle tissue in many layers with hundreds of bones that are not in the base bone structure (intermuscular bones). So, possessing an intimately intuitive understanding of the fish's internal structure is vital. Delicate bones to the placement of organs, fat, and sinew, shows understanding of flavor can sink in from less desirable tastes or worse it can contaminate the ingredient like in poisonous fish, or the worst case is that its wasted.

Maiau means "Embedded Wisdom"— Skillful, ingenious, careful, and thorough. In the culinary world a concept of Maiau for some Hawaiians that it is treated as a Lomi Scrapers value or lifestyle in some cases. For the passing of dishes on intuition, generational knowledge, and signature dishes. That means that Lomi Scrapers can serve something that is only served at their establishment if they choose the option of "Maiau" as it is passed down family dishes from family members or their own personal cookbook and it is a flavor of lineage. 

"While the Japanese who have came to the island of Hawai'i have Omakase in the trust of craftsmanship it has been passed down in my family to trust in generational wisdom. Dive in, eat what my family has eaten, and connect to history and the land." -Big Island, Master Scraper

Of course this is with the artistic view and can be made better with presentation, slight altering from the chefs view point of what tastes good, and it is then served. This value of Maiau can also insure a focus importance on ancestral ingredients, especially in the case for Master Lomi Scrapers who depend highly on the verities of Historically Consumed Fish, Hawaiian Limu, and Seasoned Salts from Hawaii are all important. It goes as far as placing importance on those growing, those who are raising, and those producing, and those who are bringing it back are interlinked to this value. When placed into this message it is transformed into an art form, a testament to their skill, carefulness, and awareness of family traditions.

“The legacy of excellence embedded in the ancient wisdom of our kupuna passed on to subsequent generations is seen today in the skills of our wayfinders, in the ingenious choreography of our hula masters, in the intricate work of our lei makers, in the carefully laid out fields of loʻi kalo (taro patch), and in the thorough execution of oratory among many. We impart this legacy to our students, ʻohana and communities with rigor and an abundance of generosity.” —Mom Kamahele, Leeward Community College

Whole-animal Philosophy: A Lomi Master Scraper demonstrates ultimate respect for the local seafood as they embody a whole animal concept, ensuring that not only the prime scraping meat is used, but also identifying opportunities to utilize bones (for stock), organs, sinew, and eggs for other culinary applications, thus honoring the entire fish. Lomi Scrapers aren't alone in their whole animal philosophy, since cooks of different specializations would bring out the best in different parts of the ingredient. A Palu master might be making the best of the left over's and innards with leftover meat, the Poke master could use the eggs with their meat, the Master Lomi Scraper would be using the a lot more seasonings and the meat. So all the roles would compliment one another.

Unusual for Scraping: They might have a friend that makes Oio Palu (head, loins, liver, eyes, intestines, stomach) .It is not uncommon for a Lomi Master to know someone who does poke in case there are some things that are not being used, for example there was one case where a Octopus-Egg Sack would be gifted with Aloha someone who makes poke and understood how to use it. The Lomi Scraper would know who could use it with their network and if they couldn't use it, they knew someone who could use it. Breaking the membrane and cutting off the part that's holding all the eggs together is important in its preparation as it releases the eggs that have a sea-urchin or egg-yolk like creamy-flavor. A fisherman in Kona in his later years would eat a variety of Poke that his family made that used these eggs as a flavoring and his version was to add actual Hawaiian salt, butter, egg yolks, and sea urchin (wana) for his particular taste. 

Hawaiian cookware is kitchenware and scraper cookware is particularly used for scraping. These tools have originated in Hawaii and are known for their exceptional specialty, craftsmanship, and creative ideas on how to process the daily catch. The Unahikala Scale Remover and "Kahilomi Spoon are examples of Hawaiian scraper tools that are more than just a general "scaler" or "scraper". More than simple tools, these are extensions of a culture's deep respect for its natural resources and the art of transformation that can be made from a single ingredient like the "Oio". There is still a lot that is unknown about this particular topic as people are slowly revealing their tools and their importance to Hawaii Local Cuisine in the age of the internet, but it is a slow process. In some cases sold off storage units are unveiling some of the old tools that people use to use over 80 years ago.

Unahikala Scale Remover A Hawaiian fish scale remover tool is called a"Unahikala" and is used to remove fish scales. For culinary the fish scale is a "Unahi" or unahinahi. To scale a fish the process is called "Unaunahi". The word "Kala" in reference to free, release, and remove, or take off the fish scales. Hawaiian scale removers are interesting because they are part of generations of dealing with the ocean and have a craftsmanship rooted in modern time survival, and their designs are specifically tailored to the demands of Hawaiian cuisine. Due to the various amounts of fish scale types in Hawaii there are so many improvisions and also that means designs of unique scale removers that have emerged with similar variations from other Pacific Island places. Unahikala Scale removers are very interesting and in a class of their own.

It is used by scraping the scales off the fish using a metal protrusion, moving from the tail to the head. It is important to have the correct scale remover as some scales are harder than others and some are larger than others like the giant-scales found on parrot fish (Uhu). They are generally made with stainless steel or with a wooden handle, but many of them in the past have been made with bottle caps, left over grill parts and welded together. A creative way to not have scales was using a polished coconut shell that was enclosed hatch was attached to the top of the scale remover to collect the scales of fish. There are "electric scale removers" (scale scrapers) used in fish processing plants and at Fish Markets, also there are “hydraulic automatic scale removers” for food factories. 

Hawaii Scraper Cookware

Kahilomi Spoon (local), hwn. Kahi Kīʻoʻe (scoop scraper fish spoon) is a strong and wide spoon used in Hawaiian cuisine. It is the typical example of the scraper spoon used to scrape the bones of fish for "kahilomi" (scraped lomi) and other dishes. The first two parts of the name "Kahi" comes from the stroke and scraping characteristics that lead to a "Lomi" massage. The word "Kīʻoʻe" means to skim; to ladle, scoop and used in reference to the dish "Kīʻoʻe Palau" a Sweet Potato Pudding. 

Many of the other characteristics are shared by all spoons in Hawaiian cuisine. When preparing scraped lomi (kahilomi) the goal is to have the surface thoroughly extracted, meatless bones, and create an even texture. The construction of a spoon made for bone scraping is designed with purpose and understanding how its used. There were many improvisations to fit the users needs based on what sort of fish they were scraping. 

The length would be made to fit them and avoid breaking of the spoon, the thickness would vary as some parts might be thicker for a stronger grip while still being able to extract the meat with a nice weight of the spoon. The scraping would be able to have the ability to prevent discoloration in the flesh. While people would often just purchase a basic-spoon there were those who would go on to make a improvisation of a fish spoon with their own techniques; hopefully being able to adapt to modern requirements and construct spoons with the right material in order to give it a ease of use and hardness to it. It would be designed for right-hand use for those who made their own, a bevel on the right side and concave on the left for a more acute angle for nonstick properties.  

Brad Mira "Godfather of Oio"

Bradford Jason Mira Jr is a Hawaii chef, restaurateur, and online personality known as the "godfather of oio" and a founder of the "Lomi Scraper Revival Movement" which got people cooking in the underground scene. Brad grew up in Waipahu, Oahu, and was elevating his cooking while working full time Hawaii Construction by doing both his job as well as what he enjoyed. With the support of his family like his father Brad Mira Sr and his own way of navigating the culinary world with a project management approach helped make the revival grow with feeling that it was on overdrive. His father supports his onolicious endeavors to elevate scrape oio and to enjoy fishing for ideas with a beer in hand and eating his way to new ideas.

Master Lomi Scraper, Mira is a man of his craft and known for his approach that of mastering the art of the lomi scraping that he does. It involves dedication and years of meticulous practice of the hand movements of the knife and spoon. It takes intimate knowledge of the fish's anatomy, from organs to bones, just so that the flavor of each part doesn't contaminate one another. The precise angle and pressure needed to extract every morsel of meat from the seafood while leaving no trace of bone and reserving the sinew, the organs, the eggs, and to have a project for whatever bones are left. It is transforming a repetitive motion into an art form that maximizes yield and preserves the natural integrity of the Hawaiian fish dish. His well seasoned innovations make it relevant and even more tasty.

"We ready! Oou, Dah big scoop, get right in...Oouuu is dah best!" -Kelly Boy De Lima

Scraping Technique to Scrape Lomi as a Term: The "scrape" defines the texture and ensures the taste of the ingredient by respecting the local ingredient with a commitment to it. It also is part of understanding what is waste or to push forward with a zero waste concept. It is nothing to overlook as it requires a profound understanding of their core ingredient, and an unyielding commitment to precision of getting out all the bones. The technique of scraping wasn't really something talked about too much in the modern times until the business popped up and people started to distinguish a difference between "Scrape Lomi" and "Lomi": Scrape Lomi is the massaged lomi that was always being served up on Big Island as simply "Lomi", meanwhile on many other islands "Lomi" would refer to Lomi Salmon, so a word thrown around for a bit was scrape lomi.

Scrape Lomi Spicy Krab Nachos: Unkoholics Pupus served up four scoops of scrape lomi, a scoop of imitation crab mayo in the middle, and sauced with dark sweet sauce and spicy sauce. When it was first made it had the oio spread out and the sauce sorta puddled, but overtime the dish got refined and changed with the scoop look.

Smokah Scrape Lomi: There was a limited run where the seasonings tasted of smoke in the scraped meat and it has had other smoked goodies inside. Smoked Tako, Smoked Cuttlefish, and it started having people exploring the textures of what else could be added. While it started as a limited-run, the smokah scrape lomi would start from a special to something people were starting to invest time in to make a subset of lomi concoctions for themselves and their families. The beginnings of this dishes popularity is often allocated to Unkoholics Pupus.

Lomi Bar Specialization: There have been a variety of ways people have been enjoying scrape lomi from the variety of chewy shell fish that around the island. That means fresh tasting chewy things that are on land like Snails, Beef Tripe, Beef Tendon, Dried and Smoked sorts of things, and assortment of other chewy things like Opae Ho'i that is pickled. Or things that come from the ocean like: Octopus, Snails, Sea Snails, Squid, Cuttlefish, Mussels, Clams, Opihi, Scallops, and more. This is due to the commercialization of adding Scrape Lomi to the Poke Case and gets people really wanting a full on Lomi Case instead.

Sides with Scrape Lomi: While many prefer to eat typical Poi and Rice with their Poke when it comes to pairing with Oio its a bit different as it concentrates on "Mollusks" or other chewy options. The poi of choice happens to be "Pa'i'ai Poi" that makes for a thick texture that compliments the other dishes that accompany scrape lomi. Sides that people have been posting have been: Spicy Kamaboko, Unkos Remix,

Project Management: It might not immediately seem to connect with culinary fame, but project management is what some people say is responsible for "Uncles" overdrive in growth. Many of the skills he had learned from project management, those skills are actually highly transferable, and incredibly valuable in the kitchen and in running a successful food business. Project Management and Coordination translates to manage the day-to-day activities of subcontractors and expedite material delivery. Running a kitchen is essentially managing a complex project by coordinating multiple dishes being prepared simultaneously, managing staff or yourself, ordering ingredients, ensuring timely delivery, and handling multiple stations. A chef who can "shift resources in support of corrective quality control activities, responsible for complying with all quality control and food safety directives, and verifies contract requirements with food distributors regarding ingredient types and seasonings. Ultimately this makes for: Consistency, precision in measurements, adherence to recipes, and ensuring food safety are all forms of quality control.

Once you try, always goin buy: When something tastes good with the taste test it lets people sit on it for a few seconds and then bam it hits them. They when try and then after they tasted it they are going to be reminded of the product. If they really like it they going to buy on the spot and then if they liked it they going have feelings that they should have bought some more. The taste test isn't just a marketing gimmick, but a direct pathway to consumer hearts and because of that the wallets. The saying caught on from a taste test from the Lomi Oio taste test that Unkoholics Pupus has become known for online on social media.

"Braddah is the godfather of Oio man. He brought it back to life. Sam choy is the god faddah of poke, but he dah god faddah of oio brah." -Ry's poke shack

Lomi Scraper Revitalization movement: was started from the many fans that have encountered a love for the taste of food made by master Lomi Scrapers. There were many out there already, but with the Hawaii etiquette to remain humble there wasn't much of a spotlight on them. With the business of Unkoholics Pupus and many other stores starting to serve the same lomi scraped dishes the popularity of the dish and the movement grew together. The one who people credit to this appreciation of "Scrape Lomi" is Brad Mira who continues to make some of the best tasting Lomi Oio according to his followers online.This is why many people believe that there are so many people copying Unkoholics as it sparked a movement of reviving scraped Oio that has ultimately brought local food back into the spotlight as well as the sides that can accompany this dish for an even better pairing to it.