photo from star advertiser archives Hawaii entrepreneurship in the days of plantation time were hard, yet many people opted to make a living with restaurants as one of the many choices of making a dollar. In the beginning it was a break from the hard labor of the fields that involved planting, hoeing, carrying, and living in a village of segregated races. It is to no surprise that many would save their money to make their own businesses to get out of the difficult hard labor lifestyle. As time went on the “big chain” stores moved in and “mom and pop” stores closed down.
The eateries that were once a necessary need slowly faded from the food frontline and have taken a backseat to more relevant and popular trends of younger generation eateries. The Okazuya ages with its clientele until reaching the end its life as a business catered to the old timers. Existing for years and having word of mouth of how good foods were back then were not enough to maintain and grow the okazuya, so they continued to close. Many Hawaii residents have fond memories of Okazuyas that have closed, like: Sagara Store Okazuya, Naka’s Okazuya, Hisago’s Okazuya, Ebisu’s Okazuya, and George’s Delicatessen. A article in the paper or a story on the television would feature stories of closures, retirements, and stopping business with no one to take the helm of the long lasting shops. It seemed like the right time of okazuya closure, or a message of a changing time, but whatever it was the old equation of favorite menu items and unkept architecture wasn’t working. People's tastes had changed, the competition has changed, and comparisons are done by so many it's staggering from the format of online reviews. Back then it was about feeding the workers and feeding the families. It was a different time and wasn’t only about the money, but to attract whole ohana families, but things are simply not the same as they were so many years ago. Those would be considered the good old days. These days, times where money wasn’t the only thing that mattered, survival of the plantation… it’s likely that times like this would never be seen again. Focusing back on the the competition that has come in the current dining landscape is to see what other places have made brick and mortar establishments of comparison. These would happen to be mainland chains from the United States, Japan chains, and trending local stores that have carved their own niches and are defined by not just locals, but by visitors, and the military stationed in Hawaii. These tastes would compete with Okazuya’s notable dishes and would have to win people over of which one they would prefer. Difficulties with convincing the younger generations to take over is also apart of the equation. The Family's younger generation see the grueling work, the tight schedules, and small cramped working environment of blood sweat and tears. It simply wasn’t attractive in its work, nor appealing with the hours, and only caused a feeling of guilt when the older generation speak of their hardships of the past and obligations to the customers who supported them through thick and thin. The sacrifice of self for others to enjoy food seemed forced without consideration of the voice of those chosen to take charge of the okazuya’s future. For these are some of the reasons that a few of them have just chose to close down. Generations of families have enjoyed that old time experience and passed it on without any regrets of how it was done or how it was received, passing it on to their children, and their children’s children. This made many generations of people know how the old school Okazuya’s taste, so it is important that each part of the process and taste are carefully thought about at each take out. There are people out there who really are passionate about their okazuya dishes and continue to support such eateries by buying from them. With each part considered the dishes have room to evolve, relate to modern day tastes, and fight to make a place for the okazuya amongst all the modern day competition. It is important to do with while taking in the spirit of the old dishes and answer the call of the okazuya and bring it to new heights of delicious variety. Through this fight the dishes will slightly lean towards some change, but not too much, while showing people that okazuya dishes still have their place in hungry peoples hearts. While some things may change there are certain things that absolutely have to stay the same. Some parts of Okazuya will always be traditional. The convenient bite sized foods that are great for being on the go. The plate wrapped with butcher paper bound by rubber band and sent with chopsticks and napkins. Giving enough food to make people full without breaking the bank as someone's mother or father who is trying to feed their starving children after a full day of school with no lunch.
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