Hawaiianology

Many choices come to mind when it's food that is local Hawaii food, but people might not exactly know how it is. Hawaii Italian is a curious sort of food, since it is clearly American-Italian, but also Local Cuisine, with a sprinkle of exotic marriages of cuisines until it turned into something not all that authentic. It can be really hard to say that something is Italian without pausing for a bit, because it doesn’t really sound right, but it surely is delicious! There are al dente pastas that hit the spot, but there are also overcooked pastas that complete a plate lunch. The pizza that a person is ordering that people might think is Hawaii is one that has pineapples, but actually it is the one that makes use of delicious Kalua or other nicely toasty delicacies. While it is historically speaking part of the Haole food ladder it isn’t only that, because the people that cooked it had defined it in the middle of the Pacific.  Misunderstood Mainland, the mainland was often misundersto...

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...