Hawaiianology

Pai which a bundle of package, and ai which refers to kalo.  Kanaka Kalo Taros, Kanaka Kalo Taros are a variety marked from "Kanaka" as the indigenously respected historic lines of taro. Kanaka Pa’i’ai  (Freshly Mashed Taro):  Moa Pa’i’ai (Chicken Mashed Taro): Chicken Broth (vs. Skinny Mashed Potatoes) Caramelized Onion Pa’i’ai  (Caramelized Onion Mashed Taro. Maui):  Caramelized Onions (Oil), Granulated Onions, Garlic Cloves, Rendered Beef Fat, Unsalted Butter, Dried Parsley, Crumbled Pipikaula, Onion Soup Mix & White Pepper. Ōlena Pa’i’ai  (Turmeric Mashed Taro): Unsalted Butter, Turmeric Puree, Milk, Paprika, Dried Parsley, Roasted Garlic, Kiawe Salt & White Pepper. Hoʻopiha Pa’i’ai (Loaded Gun Mashed Taro): Hoʻopiha means to fill or make full, implying "loaded" or "stuffed"). The ingredients are: Kalo Taro Mashed, smoked pork, mushroom cream, pork belly fat cuts, Roasted Garlic, Kiawe Salt & White Pepper. (vs. Loaded Mashed Potat...

All About the Poi: Recently I was talking with a few people about poi and its different variations that I have been studying. I still have not yet placed any article, because there is actually so many Hawaii cuisine variations that are argued from many different angles. It can be the pronunciation, or the legalities involving lawyers, or even the idea from a tutu. There are a million ways to argue poi, so what are some questions we could take into account? Some may say their generational belief from Pre-contact Hawaii and change the discussion to political belief? but, is that the same as the food belief when people eat the dish without knowing it through the introduction? Does it discount certain areas of history for a perceived more important time in history? or is it just history as a whole? These are important to think about when people are discussing the food, but it tends to take away about the basics of what food is. Is Hawaiian cuisine stuck to a specific time? A few people sta...

Chickens first arrived in Hawaii with the Polynesian settlers bringing Red Junglefowl (RJF. East Asian Breed) or the “Hawaiian Moa”, are the domesticated ancestor of modern chickens, were the start of people searching out for eggs to eat. Over time the Hawaiian Moa or Hawaiian Chicken became part of Hawaiian culture and folklore as a symbol of resilience and adaptation as told through ceremonies and rituals. In 1939, there were mostly wild populations of the Hawaiian Moa with the European settlers bringing in their own breeds that are closer to the modern domestic breeds for food production. There are Hawaiian Breeds that tend to have a Hawaiian name and the chickens would be developed for their distinct aesthetics, or a unique sort of crowing, or their warrior spirit in a fight (scrapping chickens) that can be seen heading off to the entertainment of Hawaii Cock Fight. The challenges of preserving such breeds would have many tasty chickens and their eggs vanish from existence. Local C...

The working mans egg dish is a “Rolled Omelet” that is based on Tamagoyaki with dishes the specialize in it as well as it being found regularly as a dish of Hawaii Okazuya establishments, they are used to flavor rice raw or even fried, but the world of Hawaii Eggs are something that is a taste of the island. During the plantation times most cultures had the last night leftovers for breakfast and Hawaii Fried Rice would grow to have so many variations that would involve the use of eggs and a variety of rices that would go with it. People would cook these eggs in a special way because eggs were expensive at the Plantation General Store, so they would be in fried rice dishes. Eggs were essential to adding color to a dish after frying it up in a wok where many people would learn to do the whole process of hydration, steaming, and frying all in a wok in the rural areas of Hawaii that made it a sort of specialty if someone could make an assortment of fried rice. Eggs would be juicy with a su...

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...