Hawaiianology

There are so many comforting foods at home other than casseroles that were very American, but that didn't stop people from making their own home-baked casseroles. It was a mainland staple; as they were deeply rooted part of pop culture at the time for home cooks and what was the culinary heartbeat of home economics class that had a whole meal in a dish. There were all sorts of casseroles that are separated into two sections with one being from the land and the other half being from the ocean. It was made to feed crowds and it was a baked dish that may not have been the most popular localized food around, but it was still comforting as leftovers could be used as long as there was Japanese Short-grain rice, Potatoes, Chinese Egg Noodles, Macaroni Noodles, and other starches as a base.  It wouldn't be all that common to casseroles with Hawaii Potluck Culture, but for the right audience it would be a hit, but for most people looked forward to a typical stew instead. As a historical...

The carton of pog juice that is by the plantation iced tea (pineapple) and island grown coffee (kona) and Hawaii variation of tea are at many breakfast tables. When people see it they see the tropical feel of a sweet drink that sometimes has an unknown amount of actual juice is something of a treat to locals or a reminder of Hawaii to visitors who drink it elsewhere in a glass. It is not really something people give too much thought into, because it is recalled as the drink that welcomes you with a mixture of passion fruit, orange, and guava. With many people taking pog on the go with them the Pog Juice that was most commercially available was a processed drink available in small cartons or cans that were easy to drink on the go in a cooler or served as a single serving. While it serves as a daily drink the less processed no colorings, preservatives, and little sugar added is late to the party. When people went to restaurants or stayed at a hotel they would taste the really sugary proc...

Description:  Hawaii Hekka is a Hot Pot dish that is eaten all over Hawaii with different variations being: Kauai Hekka, Oahu Hekka, Maui Hekka, Lanai Hekka, Molokai Hekka, and Big Island Hekka. Each islands Hekka group has its subregions of Hekka dishes as well, because the character of the dish is based on the families that made them as much as the food.   Kama'aina  (Hawaii Residents) will be reminded of the saltiness in the dish with a strong flavor that lasts in a hekka. The must haves is the shoyu sauce mixture that flavors the broth with its meat flavoring. This is combined with a variety of ingredients, but the classic is: chicken breast, light shoyu, sugar cane sugar, sesame seed oil, ginger, carrots, sweet onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, watercress, and long rice noodles. Many people who cooked the dish in Hawaii never measured the ingredients and always tasted the dish till it was perfect for their family. If anyone looks for Hekka in Japan they will not...

Devon "D-vonero" Lafoga is the architect of the next wave of Hawaii’s modern sound. A multi-genre producer and music executive—spanning R&B, Trap-Pop, and Game Composition—Lafoga is the "back-of-the-room ear" behind the islands' rising stars. With credits alongside Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominated and winner Aolani Silva and Soluxe, he is known for a disarming, ice-breaking approach. More than a musician, he uses production to navigate, using his own hard-won experience to guide artists through the creative woods, providing the tools and vision they didn't know they were missing to build something truly special. Founder of Puremau: In 2025, Devon Lafoga and Ron Swex founded Puremau, a collaborative archive turned industry engine for Hawaii’s music history. Built by the community for the Pacific, it aims to ensure local victories are authentically heard by the world. Puremau operates on an Aloha structure, adding value to existing artist efforts by requiring ac...

Description: Jaslyn Loftin, aka "J.Lyn", Jasilyn, Jasalyn, Josalyn, Jazzy (born 1996) on Oahu, is a Hawaii singer, songwriter, musician, music publishing, music teacher, producer, and talent developer. Her style is R&B, Pop, Acoustic, Lo-fi, Hip-Hop, Indie-Pop, and EDM. She is regarded as one of Hawaii's upcoming hit makers who is developing the R&B scene with many others. She has been an inspiration of passing down music knowledge to her students. She is known for her live performances and vocal range.  Founding Member of soLUXE:  Family of Music: She would be listening to what the family enjoyed would be songs coming out of the speakers, most notably Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, which the whole household just loved. The family would play a key role in introducing music the the kids with people talking about music and the traditional music playing get together in Hawaii called "Kanikapila". The family always had music playing on the weekends when ...

Lourdes Ann Kananimanu Estores (1958-????), a young woman from Haleiwa, Hawai‘i. She was a "Mixed Plate" that had: Filipino, Spanish, Tahitian, and Hawaiian descent. Lourdes Estores was known as the pretty north shore girl next door who always would wave and say Aloha on Waikanahele St, Haleiwa. She lived all the way at one of the last house at the curve and the family rented from Gladys Awai, next to the Kalo Taro patches, across from the old flower shop on Kam across from where Breakers would later be. All the housing in the area were old Hawaiian houses, full of island character.  She graduated from Kamehameha schools in 1976. She had a love for music as it ran in her family with her father being a band director. She was talented at playing the piano. She had a brother named Ninyo Estores who was a bass player named "Ehukai" with Thomas Shirai Jr, and Kingo Ariyacos. The family was huge though with twenty plus people living under one roof. She later would marry M...

Robert Kekaula (1965-2021)was a prominent Hawaiian sports media legend and broadcaster. He was widely known for calling University of Hawai'i (UH) football games on television and radio for over 25 years, serving as a play-by-play announcer and color analyst. He was one of the voices of Hawai'i sports who really wanted to promote the local teams with love, especially the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors, with all his heart. He was always wearing bright aloha shirts to show people that he was going out there on that camera, being big and friendly, while expressing himself in his cool and collected deep voice that made him a good storyteller for sports recaps. He was sort of like the captain of the UH Fandom where he Coached everyone who was watching TV while he was reporting on games on how to support local sports, becoming a local super fan, and how to tell other people about it.  Aloha for Hawaii Sports: Even though he looked like a big, strong guy, he had some out b...