Call it quick eats, a mixed plate, or tasty snacks, but the case for places like these are that its selection is great and getting food is fast. Some of the best musubis are from such places and separate itself from other dining categories with its delicious fried foods. This would definately be about the Hawaii eatery known as an Okazuya.
The title and establishment of Okazuya came from the Plantation days. A family run friendly place, the atmosphere is like an old plantation home, and the decor is simple, and the customers are on the go to either a beach, work, or their homes. It was common that there would be a neighborhood Okazuya and it was usually named after some Japanese owner's last name. The Okazuya is made up of two Japanese words, “okazu” which means snack or food on rice, and “ya” which is the standard way of saying shop. While the name might not be familiar to a Japanese person living in Japan it is absolutely recognizable in Hawaii. The name speaks volumes of home grown cooking of the olden days and a nodd to the times before to those who grew up with it in their neighborhoods. In some cases the term “Deli” or “Delicatessen” was attached to the title of the restaurant which offered the heritage mish mash of its time. Even though it was all mixed up it was surely delicious. In the United States a delicatessen is inside a grocery store or restaurant and usually serves up cold cuts in a tray, but in the case for Hawaii it was surely a different story. The okazuya which took on the the deli in their names would be adopting a broader definition of foreign prepared foods instead of the classic case of cold cuts and artisanal meat. Many stories are that are familiar are the ones shared from the owners of okazuya, which gives you an idea of what it was like back in the day to own an Okazuya. Some people wanted a Okazuya as a dream job and worked hard for it to happen, or some slowly worked by starting off small with as little as two people to serve hungry workers, and after places became established they would move on to catering home parties and funerals. The Okazuya was always about the customers and the families with a variety of choices and affordable pricing for the possibility of frequent visits. While many Okazuya stay in their neighborhoods the area around them changes, but the food, not so much. It is seen as the old neighborhood time capsule of culinary time. If someone wants food from the Hawaii plantation days, a feeling of a home cooked local dish, or tasty treat to eat when getting home from work, they would be told to head over to experience the neighborhood okazuya. The Okazuya classics on the menu would be the variety of chicken: Fried Karaage Chicken, Local Garlic Chicken, and Sweet Shoyu Chicken. . The tempura offerings of: Shrimp Tempura, Sweet Potato Tempura, Mixed Vegetable Tempura. Or the Musubi counter that usually featured sushi: Spam Musubi, Cone Sushi, and Futomaki Rolls. And other dishes, like: Meats, Patties, and Noodles. Sometimes Okazuya’s are misunderstood as Japanese Cuisine for its name being a Japanese word. Or for the many dishes originating from plantation roots which had Japanese roots. But what people sometimes overlook is the mixed up ideas from all the contributing races of what they thought back then was good food. What it really is would be “Hawaii Local Cuisine” that celebrates the mixture of dishes of Hawaii residents, which Japanese cuisine happens to be apart of. It also involved: American, Chinese, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Korean, Okinawan, Polynesian, and Filipino. Change is not big with Okazuya’s with staff staying in the family, recipes being from the owners, and menu items staying to cater to their most loyal clientele, which is usually the oldest as well. This usually meant sticking with the traditional local dishes in the old way that people back then use to like it, unwavering hardship of hours of prep work for the overload of menu choices, and sticking to flavors that have since went out of fashion. While it wasn’t the best strategy for business it was the way many Okazuya lived the extent of their business life before closure.
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