You Get Beef with Hawaii? Taken literally the phrase “You Get Beef?” would be ridiculous in normal english as it means would you like some beef meat, however in Hawaii pidgin english that is normally spoken it means “do you want to fight because you oppose something?”. There might be stickers as well as shirts that say the phrase and it can be seen as a saying that is only found in Hawaii. It would be used when asking someone if they have a problem and if they “like scrap?” or in normal english to exchange blows with one another with one's fists.
You Form Your Experience of Hawaii Being in Hawaii has people with all sorts of experiences and those moments that give them their examples of how to judge the island is varied and the reason why is the experience will be formed based on a number of things. It depends on how you carry yourself, the way you act, and the level and understanding of local etiquette and a very basic level of respect. It can be common when a topic when people who are in Hawaii are visiting or temporarily living in Hawaii try to take away the culture of the state or insult it in a very disrespectful way. Interrupting the peace of the state can be an easy way to make a Local in Hawaii really mad. Going on the highway with high acceleration and hostility on the road in the summer mango season flipping off a driver while filling up the beaches would have local law enforcement sound their siren quickly as they spot the out-of-state behavior that doesn’t follow local etiquette. Where you go is important as well, since there are some places and some areas you don’t want to be at certain times that would be thought as dangerous and simply ignored from the “Travel High” of feeling like its vacation time and its all about exploring and having fun. When you go to places there are also all sorts of people as everywhere in the world and that includes: those who are polite and nice with a sense of Aloha, those who are bitter and respond, and the occasional asshole who is going out to stir trouble, but when traveling it doesn’t come to you that Hawaii just may have similar problems as every other place. Assume we’re all Hawaiians and Surf When telling someone they are Hawaiian when they are Local can be a huge no no and can make someone who lives in Hawaii pretty irritated. Mocking it is even worse as it automatically places you on the insulting foreigner who labels Locals as rural barbaric-like, uninformed as well as uncultured, and ignores the history and culture entirely. Asking things like if a Hawaiian or local rides a dolphin to school, lives in grass shacks, or only knows of a volcano goddess can be nothing less than insulting. Not everyone surfs or goes to the beach, not everyone works at a Luau and drinks mai tais, and not every person lives in Honolulu. Underestimate the ethnic diversity. The state has close to 25% multi-ethnic backgrounds - many with two or more in the mix that is far more than all the other states. In the Past there were plenty of Hawaiians, however many diseases brought by the colonists killed many through epidemic disease in Hawaii (Colonial Epidemic Disease). In the Plantation Days of Hawaii there were many different ethnic groups that added to the local culture as they survived the brutal working conditions. Whatever image that has been conjured up in travel magazines and ideas from movies to define “Hawaii” really does not do it justice as it is really inadequate. Say that the Best Island on the Planet is Maui While in America Maui is the must go vision of paradise that people invision when going for a trip somewhere exotic it has also has gone through the most changes to serve the tourist market over its local residence. When people from Hawaii travel to see their relatives in other states or overseas they will always be asked about Maui or have the claim that its the best in more ways than to mix some poke. Only concentrating on the Beaches, the Hikes, Molokini and Plentiful Wildlife, The Road to Hana, and Haleakala Sunrises, and only talking about a single place can make people feel dismissed who live in the state of Hawaii. Every year there are many tourists rising and the amount of locals remains the same as tourism out numbers the amount of people able to serve them and that impacts the local culture as well as the landscape that makes people want to visit in the first place. Locals that once lived with a diverse economy of many businesses have become not entrepreneur friendly and changed the jobs that locals would have to do. With such drastic changes, the way of life has changed very quickly to feed more into a marketed Hawaii vision rather than the actual experience of Hawaii that reflects its past. Move to Hawaii as a Mainland-Transplant and then Talk Stink about the State Moving from Japan and saying it was better? Go home. Moving from any of the mainland United States states and saying it was better? Go home. Coming from anywhere in the world that is not Hawaii and talking about a bunch of reasons the state sucks and show you hate it in Hawaii? Go home. Why come to a place so far away to get there only to talk a bunch of crap about it and continue to live there or continue to visit there and keep on going back? No, Hawaii doesn’t need the tourism money or additional people taking up real-estate through investment and it doesn’t need people staying without spending any money. You might ask why? because the government uses it as leverage to over-specialize in the tourism market. The money all being focused in tourism-related markets and allows politicians to ignore other industries that make Hawaii unique and that means not tending to business-diversity or small businesses. While those places make Hawaii unique the large investments come from large franchises, but whats Hawaii with franchises you can try outside of Hawaii? Why come to Hawaii? So, when people make the threat they don’t want to come to Hawaii? If that was done en masse it would actually help change the opinions of powerful figures to invest in other industries for business-diversity, instead of all investment going into a single basket of tourism with real-estate takeover through business properties. Ask why we don’t have a Local Accent Not everyone speaks with a Local Accent and there are many specific accents based on where someone is from, even from area to area on a single island. Is it the Central Oahu Mililani dialect? Is it a Oahu Townie Accent? Does it have that Local North Shore dialect? Is it a non-local accent that is ethnic in nature? Or are you talking about the overly general “Local Accent” itself. Drive like a Tourist The fastest way a person identifies a tourist is on the road, because there are all sorts of license plates that are not from Hawaii. The style of driving leans much more freely without nervous consideration of whose turn it is to merge in, as well as when they choose to merge in at the front of the line rather than the back. Merging that is really quickly is not polite and seen as a mainland driving style technique or just as plain aggressive and is not the typical slow blinking merge that is practical of island life. Meanwhile, talking about driving etiquette in Hawaii, the “shaka” to the back driver that was expected has begun to disappear as disrespect has become more normalized on the roads, so those who don’t even check to see in the rearview mirror and send the symbol of thanks with the Hawaii hand signs are what hurt the driving etiquette of the Aloha state. Mix up the Schools teams In Hawaii the schools are part of how people analyze how someone was brought up, so Honolulu people think of the schools in that area, but the people in Waianae it’s the north shore schools, and in Kaneohe its the Windwardside schools. Are they public and have standard education or are they from privilege of Private school? Schools are not just schools, but part of the regional differences of a place with its mindset and vibe. Thinking Pineapple Pizza with Ham is Hawaiian The Popularized California Tiki Pizza or the Canadian Hawaii Pizza (1962, Chatham, Ontario Canada) that gets lots of marketing without any thought of what Pizza actually comes from Hawaii just makes a false image of the Pizza in Hawaii. While the popularity of the type of pizza has become parts of Hawaii’s Pizza menus it still is seen as part of mainland and Canadian food culture and is the foreign Pizza on the Hawaii Pizza selection menu. Order a California Poke Bowl Only thing that gets locals more angry is ordering a California Poke Bowl that is known as “Poke Salad” in Hawaii, in which the Poke portion of the name is really hard to defend. Traveling far far away to the middle of the ocean to an island and choosing Hawaii-influenced food known more in California and Ontario than Hawaii? While people may be angry at people who live in Hawaii the only disappointment is the possible experiences of what could have been that is part of the “only in Hawaii” experience of the traveler or foreigner who missed that chance. Its not only seemingly offensive, but also a missed opportunity.
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There are a few things that are true in Hawaii that are often times overlooked by those not from the islands and that is the the strength of identity people have in the states regionality. The reason for that as said are a few key things and that is that most locals don’t even see Hawaii as completely part of the United States and separate it with terms like “Mainland” that make it sound foreign. There isn’t a time or place to start saying how much Hawaii would have been or should have been with guesses on history when a person visiting isn’t engaged in other people interested in history. So, what’s a way to bring out the fire of a local? its bashing the islands that have had quite a tragic history. And if said to a Native Hawaiian, can result in severe physical consequences.
Telling a Local what Aloha means Rude tourists, entitled customers, and worst of all disrespectful transplants are sold that unconditional “Aloha” in the sense of hospitality of “Aloha Hospitality” is the norm, but in the culture Aloha can mean much more. It is something that is reciprocated and grows over time and it is given to another and not something to be taken or expected, so without it being given there is nothing to be received. The entitlement is not part of Aloha culture and is seen as a foreigner changing the culture to befit their own selfish lives instead of consideration of community that Aloha is all about. It is hard when you are not treated the same in return. Not expecting it but the manners which people have forgotten is a shame. Aloha community based as it is usually residents letting each other in with blinkers on through traffic, waving a shaka as a hello or goodbye, or even the kindness of treatment. As the connection of Aloha is lost along with the Culture that comes from the Hawaiians the core community members keeping it alive becomes harder and harder with more guests of the island telling locals how to live their lives with or without Aloha. Aloha in the end means hello, good bye, and even go away. Rejecting Hawaii was its own Country Native Hawaiians have lived on the islands for over a thousand years (Ancient Hawaiians), then recognized independence and sovereignty of the Hawaiian Nation in 1843 “La Ku’oko’a” Hawaii Independence Day by the UK and France. They also developed with globalization and modernization (Hawaiian Kingdom), but in 1893, the United States of America did the “Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom”, which is still seen today as a stolen nation, illegal military occupation, and unlawful fraudulent annexation that is recognized by the United Nations (2018). Saying that Huna is Authentic Regardless of popular New Age follower beliefs “Huna” is not Hawaiian. The origins of Huna is from 1936 from someone who was non-Hawaiian by race, uneducated of Hawaiian Language (Olelo), and did not involve the Native Hawaiian Communities. If people want to learn more about Hawaii and its religion it is best to look up “Ho’omana Kahiko” as a way of referring to old religion and customs of the past, but it is difficult with the existence of “Huna-ism” distracting from Hawaiian scholars who research and formally discuss such issues. Someone Would have Taken Over “you should be grateful the U.S.A took over Hawaii, or else someone else would have.” Would they really have? It assumes that the the occupations of other nations would have taken over, however the embassies were clear from the European powers at the time and Japan had interest in occupation and leaving in other places around the world, but only the United States had its sites on a takeover. In the 1900s Hawaii was under International Law and recognized as a Neutral Trading place as a Independent Nation as other places in the time period were: Hawaii, Switzerland, Chile, Argentina, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Venezuela, and Sweden. Historical dismissal of History by dismissing conversations relating to: Hawaiian Government, Hawaiian Election system, Hawaiian Railroads, Hawaiian Public Transport, Hawaiian Public Education, Hawaiian Free Press, Hawaiian Civil Services and Civil Codes, Hawaiian Electricity, Hawaiian Global Embassies. What a local really sees when someone says such a statement it translates to “This person has no idea what the Hawaiian Kingdom was”. Tourist-splaining Travel Spending “your lucky we tourists spend money in hawaii!” is something said far too often and it isn’t the greatest way to introduce yourself to a local as it ignores the cost of living vs cost of vacation, real estate rentals for a stay vs real estate ownership to live, and expenses of monopolize daily necessities like electricity, water, and shipping. Exactly how far does a tourists dollar go? well one thing to know is that the: planes are mainland operated, the rental car corporations get you as you land, huge hotel chains litter the market, larger eateries and malls are out of state owned due to real estate investment in high-demand areas, and the gatekeeping tourism industry doesn’t have incentive to inform you about your island travel options with honesty, so tourism can be trapped in the bubble of places like “Waikiki”. Hawaii Tourism Authority had often told multiple markets of people that tourists are badly needed to desperately keep the economy afloat in the 1990s. Meanwhile they choose not to inform people the lack of Economic Diversification and toxic Entrepreneur atmosphere that is on the islands that creates a situation where tourism is in fact the only avenue to go to due to government decisions. If that will change nobody may know, but as a tourist it is important to not take advertisements literally and decide for yourself if its really that way. And if you didn’t know, now you know. Not All Tourists While its true not all people who visit or are in Hawaii temporarily are the same, some of the discussions tend to be, so in that regards its important to know some of these ahead of time. When things get memed about “Not All Tourists” its because it is a tourists take in a discussion of a local issue, such as “Rail Tax” and “Government figure wage raises”. In which is used to deflect attention away from the actual topics, however some do just make it the go to phrase without knowing it themselves. So, if someone is mentioning not all tourists it is more than likely that the conversation was not part of that particular “Group of Tourists” in the category of tourists. It is most like talking about the few bad apples ruining it for the rest of the tourists. There are somethings that really make people shake their head in Hawaii and you will know its a sign when they start to sound passive aggressive. Disrespectful comments will have a stare back in silence and maybe a explanation of “too bad this one” as the attitude that was displayed to a local would have made them decide the approach. Locals know there isn’t changing anyone's mind, locals know that if someone will act stupid and disrespectful they don’t regret it, so staying calm with a simple expression and statement of shame will be all that is needed.
Call Yourself a Hawaiian or Local Unlike any other state if you are born there you get a title of being certainly of the area, but if you are born in Hawaii you aren’t a Hawaiian, nor if you live there as a long time resident. By birth a person is born a Kama’aina, not self-identification, and it excludes geography. There is a racial part as well, but the race relationship is complex in its own right and it is debatable for everyone who is worthy of the title. The first way to out oneself as uninformed is by being a: seasonal resident, military resident, or temporary placed for a job is by claiming oneself as Hawaiian. Being “Hawaiian” isn’t like being “Californian” or a “Texan” its actually being ethnically Hawaiian. Even calling yourself a “Local” being part-time resident that is not born there, even being local has certain criteria to be reached. So, the safest thing is to state if you don’t know if your local or not its best to explain that you maybe: Part-time (Resident), Transplant (Resident), or Tourist (Guest). But having the local experience and socializing with Kama’aina will help you discover the mindset it takes to live local with the basics of: Aloha’aku (Give Aloha), Aloha’amai (Recieve Aloha), Niele (Nosy), Maha’oi (Imposing), Malama’aina (Land Care), Kanakapila (Pot Luck), Lokahi (Uniting), Kuleana (Responsibility). Expect us to be on hospitable, wearing aloha shirts, grass skirts, and straw hats. Hawaii has grown large with hundreds of thousands of people. Many of which have survived paycheck by paycheck and don’t have old money pushing them forward with the history of people being used for tourism exploitation and tagged workers on the fields in the plantations. There are going to be some people who worked in service industry and just have some genuine Aloha about them, but things don’t come easy in paradise, so many don’t work at luaus or at hotels and many more work corporate jobs and have never even had a change to enjoy a themed tourist marketed luau. Aloha shirts maybe formal attire, but not every single person will be wearing it daily unless they are trying to dress up appropriately for an event. Straw hats may be on the beaches or places with plenty of sun and most don’t even give grass skirts their attention as its almost disrespectful to give them acknowledgement in the islands. Much of the atmosphere that has been promised by ads is a theme park illusion that is sold to make people have certain travel expectations and isn’t the full Hawaii experience and certainly not an authentic one. What makes locals mad is that its not only a lie to the customers, but it never tells them the truth to make them sold on the idea of the “Paradise Get Away”, but where do locals escape to? Complain about the High Cost of a Stay Hawaii Resident’s really don’t like it when people mention the high cost of a stay when the hotel rooms are really large and the transportation system and food pathways simply can’t support so many people coming to the islands. There are so many tourists it is sometimes to hard to find a local around who isn’t so busy working two to three jobs to put food on the table for their family that is directly related to the high cost of living in Hawaii that has several main reasons and one of those are tourism. Hawaii has the highest cost of living because of Soft Tourism where its high-numbers of people with low spending that ups consumption of limited items being stuck in the middle of the Pacific. The soft tourism is so interruptive and inconvenient to residents it has in response created an anti-tourism phrase "Hawai'i is not your playground". The problem with too many tourists on the island is because it directly connects to: fossil fuel consumption through electricity consumption and trash production, limited foods in markets and ups food consumption, tourist rental real estate for heightened real estate costs, car traffic takes hours away on commutes, and overcrowding of paradise makes it a paradise almost exclusively for tourists. In conclusion High costs are chasing away Locals and Hawaiians from living where they were born from. The either have to be: Working for a Government employer, Working a Tourist job, Working in Medical for lower wages then the mainland, Work for a Bank or Caretaking service, or be chased away from Hawaii and complain from overseas about soft tourism forcing them to leave from high prices. Plan a Hawaii road trip that doesn’t include Mom and Pop Stores Trips of peaceful middle of nowhere start in Waikiki for the Waves and the Tourist Walk, and Honolulu as well as the North Shore have some of the best attractions of urban life and country life. But, the mom and pop stores keep people coming back and feed the locals that keep the place alive as residential hubs — seriously there is a growing amount of homelessness, poverty, and wealth distribution inequality with government intervention that destroys opportunities for small businesses unique to Hawaii. There is nothing worse than having a plan that goes to chain-restaurants or national chains that could be eaten anywhere else. Many large business owners tend to have little interest in the community and its residents as well as the local economy as many locals will endlessly gripe of how most of the money goes off island or businesses gaining enough momentum get bought out by someone off island. Showing support for smaller tasty places that may not be the best in presentation, but the most delightful in flavor goes a long way. Say you “ I don’t know how anyone could ever want to leave Hawaii.” Sorry, but when you can’t even afford lower-rates in the place you live and can’t get the luxury of time and money to visit beaches, parks, and hikes without a massively large amount of people not from Hawaii it can be frustrating. Also, considering that residents are trapped on an island it can be nice to leave the island for a get away to either the U.S. Mainland or Japan, specifically Nevada or Tokyo. And with the growing number of families that become separated from the high-costs of living in Hawaii, many people have to spend their vacations visiting family they don’t normally get to see. A person who is in Hawaii part time or on a week trip to Kapolei or Waikiki doesn’t get to judge the states way of life is from the vacation perspective. It is not even close to the correct idea of what living in Hawaii is like, versus vacationing there, so a local will not feel anything when someone says the famous phrase. The head shaking gets even worse when a local travels to another part of the world and hears exactly the same thing. Claim you have had better life possibilities elsewhere Texas has better barbeque, go there!? Japan has better safety, stay there? California has better burritos, go there?? Florida has better beaches, well, go there? a local really doesn’t care about measuring where is better or where is being compared in the living condition of the islands, especially the vacation experience. If a person feels its been over hyped the airport isn’t too far away and can be a feeling of true freedom to go back to that better place, right? While not exclusive complaint it sure is a common one. But, maybe the things that are great elsewhere isn’t what is the best Hawaii has to offer, because the nice thing about different places is their unique characteristics of how its different rather than how they are the same. And if places open up with those better things, why would anyone want to visit Hawaii if they could just go to that other place trying to imitate the other? Sumo in Hawaii has been around since 1885 with the Japanese immigrants and brought 43 Sumotori from Tokyo in 1914. Edozakura who was one of the Sumotori from Tokyo decided to stay in Hawaii and start his own stable to mentor Local many of which were Hawaiian Sumotori, however many of the sumo clubs at the time would comprise of Japanese men and overtime slowly accommodate all the mixture of races in Hawaii who aspired to be sumotori. This would lead to events like the Goodwill Tournament with names like: Sunayama, Hirosegawa, Matsunobori where many Japanese who came to see the event from Japan would come across many very strong non-Japanese sumotori who convinced a few that it had become not only a Japanese thing, but also a Hawaii one.
Kitsuo Takizawa was an advisor to the Japan Sumo Association and took photos of Hawaiian Portuguese sumo wrestler Jesse Kuhaulua as a scout of sumo and the consensus in Japan was “I doubt foreigners can make it…”, even if Isamu Ogasawara showed him the art of sumo and Katsugo Miho of the 442nd would bring sumo wrestlers over with the Maui Sumo Association where people would donate prizes for the tournaments to motivate people into the sport. In Hawaii there were make-shift sumo pants that were worn under the Sumo belt “Mawashi”, but it wasn’t Japan traditional, but more local sort of thing until formal Japanese Sumo Matches were underway. Jesse Kuhaulua (aka. Takamiyama Daigori) was three-quarters Kanaka and a quarter Portuguese and grew up from Wailuku (Happy Valley) on Maui paved the way for foreign sumo wrestlers and of course help plant the seeds of some of Hawaii’s greatest sumotori. His first public match was in 1964 where he won, in 1967 he reached the rank of “Sekitori”, and in July 1972 he was the champion at the Nagoya Tournament and be the first non-Japanese to win the championship and was congratulated by President Richard Nixon. He would start his own sumo stable in Japan and as tradition goes have to take on a new Japanese name to signify the beginnings of a sumo stable, which would be the name “Azumazeki”. The Azumazeki stable (Azumazeki-beya) was founded in 1986, it was nicknamed by some on Maui as the Hawaiian Kahaulua Stable. Its notable former members include: Akebono, Takamisakari, Ushiomaru, Takamishu, Daiki, and Hidenokuni. In Hawaii, there would be people of all backgrounds who would wait for Jesse’s matches to come on television on the Japanese channels. When the camera would show the sumo on the floot they would look so intimidating and large with focus that could accomplish anything. There would be whacking of huge pillars, flying sweat from the wring, and clashes of body strength in the ring, but at the end when the local boys threw up their Shakkah sign in the back the local vibes would go from Japan to Hawaii. The sumos from Hawaii became Hawaii Legends and made Hawaiians proud and their families proud, especially since it was watched before television existed by the Royal highness Queen Kapi’olani who would be entertained by such battles. Many have fond memories of those days of Sumo in Hawaii and one of the songs that really captures that is Israel Kamakawiwo’olo who wrote “Sumotori”. He made a song about some of the most famous champion sumos that made Hawaii proud, but somehow left out Jesse, but many oral stories would be passed on to preserve the Kuhaulua Ohana’s legacy. Elders would recount the early days A Kupuna who missed those days of sumo said “As a Hawaiian I felt this show of strength of the warrior come from these big bodied men. When my grandpa lived with us, we would look for the station way late in the evening, we’d as a family stay up late to watch sumo and cheer for the warriors and cheer for the people of Hawaii. It may have been a tradition to Japan, but Hawaii made it its own tradition, with its own sumo, with its own rings, and its own stories. When they came back people knew, they had conquered those overseas and had become special to the people and the families as it was something they did with people like my grandpa. Today, the fascination of watching every tournament on NHK, me and my hubby wonder the future of Hawaii Sumotori who were… once… heroes in Hawaii and Foreign land of Japan.” -Anonymous Chi Chi Dango is a type of Mochi that uses milk to be a sort of creamy glutinous rice cake. The shape is a rectangular shape and has been made in various forms on many islands, but Oahu is known for them. The origins are said to have come from Kalihi area near Iwilei in Hawaii where it started with the flavor of Milk Chi Chi Dango and later on was sprinkled with a flavoring powder.
Asataro Hirao, had visited Hiroshima Shobara after World War II where at the time there were donations of powdered milk in Japan and when returning to Hawaii there was mochi and later on chi chi dango. The powdered milk would be iconic to Hawaii Mochi and be one of the main ingredients that would make it taste really creamy in flavor. It would be made from Nisshodo Candy Store (1918) in Iwilei that would begin making it popular around the islands and lead to many more flavors in the future. The Powder started with a dusting of rice flour and later on would change to other sorts of powder like kinako powder and cocoa powder. Later on there were variations that would add malted milk powder, or/ powdered sugar. The flavor would be used to enhance the texture of being slightly textured on the outside and have a nice smooth chew on the following layer and sometimes a filling would be added for a third flavor experience. There are a variety of Chi Chi Dango that are made throughout the islands of Hawaii, such as: Strawberry Chi Chi Dango, Mango Chi Chi Dango, Pineapple Chi Chi Dango, Blueberry Chi Chi Dango, Mandarin Chi Chi Dango, Lilikoi Orange Chi Chi Dango, Passion Orange Guava Chi Chi Dango, Honeydew Chi Chi Dango, Coffee Chi Chi Dango, Green Tea Chi Chi Dango. No matter where in the country you go or place in general everyone around the world has their own take on what they eat for breakfast. Breakfast fills you up as a meal that gets you ready for the day ahead which in many cases was to work in agriculture or quickly in a ever growing city atmosphere. With taro (kalo), rice, and bread being the staple food starches in Hawaii there are a variety of dishes that are available and many takes on a authentic Hawaii breakfast menu. But as time went on there were saimin noodles, Hawaii pancakes, sweet bread, and cereal that became other popular options for breakfast as there were changing tastes of people who lived in Hawaii.
So, what do people in modern Hawaii eat for breakfast? When asking people on the street there were responses like: sausage with scrambled eggs and rice, fish with sweet bread and poi, spam musubis, a warm bowl of saimin, and another said a breakfast plate like loco moco. At home rice, bread, noodles, and poi were apart of the peoples meals. As many people become more busy for a desire to sleep in there are many who will grab a small bowl of left overs or not eat breakfast at all in growing number due to modern lifes demands. In the olden days people would eat breakfast with their family in the morning, but as people became more busy there had been a growing number of people eating out. As there were more roads built and more highways and more people the islands became quite busy and people would spend hours in traffic. This created a sort of rush in the morning for people to get ready for work, drop off their kids, and get through traffic all the while thinking of something to eat as they wake up or while they are on the road making their way to their workplace. The Hawaiian diet is one of the healthiest diets in the world with originally being simply fish and poi with some seaweed as a sort of example ideal. There are still people who include such dishes in their breakfasts more in the country side rather then large urban areas of Hawaii and it is those who eat traditionally that keep those practices alive. Lets look at some of the more common dishes eaten in the traditional hawaiian breakfast. Traditional Hawaiian Breakfast A Traditional Hawaiian Breakfast, pounded taro poi, grilled fish or grilled meat, limu seaweed with pickled onion and garlic, salted lomi i'a, and pipikaula which is a sort of dried meat. A traditional Hawaiian breakfast often times features taro because of its importance in dietary fiber for improved digestion and weight loss with high levels of vitamins while being accompanied by fish that has healthy omega-3 fatty acids or other health benefits. Some of fish eaten for breakfast are: Mahimahi Dolphin Fish, Kawakawa Mackeral Tuna, Akule Big Eye Scad, and 'Opelu Mackeral Scad. These days it is common to have the fish fried and salted, and while it isn't healthy it tastes even better when dipped into the poi. The Pickled Onions may not be what the ancient Hawaiians had eaten it has become apart of the traditional breakfast due to its preservative nature like salted meats, dried meats. Those who live near the sea or have the ocean closer to them tend to take care of seaweed and pickle the seaweed for preservation as well, so they eat that as well with the onions if it is available. The ingredients used in the traditional Hawaiian breakfast take a long time to prepare ingredients that have a long shelf life can take a lot of time that people who live closer to the city rather spend the same energy on something else, but luckily those who live in the country sides still eat these sorts of meals. Breakfast Plate Breakfast Plate, there are lots of locals who enjoy a big breakfast that comes in the form of a plate lunch in its plate form called a "breakfast plate". Breakfast plates come traditionally with two scoops of rice and when it comes to eating rice for breakfast it is commonly preferred as two scoops of fried rice. Along with the scoops of rice there are usually a sausage of some sorts that accompany them like: Portuguese Sausage, Vienna Sausage, Longanisa Sausage, Link Sausage, and often times this will be served with spam or bacon or even both which is sometimes called a "Deluxe Breakfast Plate". The Eggs also play an important role with being the symbol of a breakfast plate as it is common to the western breakfast it is equally as important to the Hawaii breakfast plate. Eggs were eaten for a long time from even the first westerns and probably even before then, but what really got people eating cooked eggs was from those who had them regularly available to them on the farm or near an egg farm. Eggs are eaten with the rice to give it a stronger savory type flavor and often times have shoyu on top of them for more saltiness that is typical of many Hawaii dishes. Variations are: poached egg, hard boiled egg, scrambled egg, overeasy egg, and sunnyside egg. The selection of meats and sides vary with the most common breakfast plate being Portuguese Sausage Eggs Rice accompanied with Spam. Other breakfast plates are: Link Sausage Bacon with over easy eggs and Fried Rice with luncheon meat, and people who want a hearty meal have fried garlic chicken that has scrambled egg and portuguese sausage along with bacon and fried rice. Loco Moco Hawaii cuisine is pretty laid back and high volume due to it being a quality of life sort of volume as a filling food and that also goes for breakfast. The Loco Moco is a pretty humble yet fatty dish that doesn't bring much attention to itself being brown gravy, a burger patty, and a egg, but if someone takes the time to look into this dish the amount of knowledge in this rarely talked about in detail dish goes farther then at first glance. Loco Moco that is a burger on top of rice that has gravy poured all over it and its topped with a sunnyside eggs and is a local favorite that is served all day long. With gravy being the standard sauce in Hawaii the flavor can vary and when its mixed with the egg and type of cooking style it changes once again and that doesn't even include the choice of meat to go with it. With different sorts of rice as well there are so many variations on this dish to try for breakfast or lunch and sometimes even as breakfast for dinner. Hawaii Chili
A long walk from the school courtyard in the tropical sun of a island in the middle of the Pacific is the usual for children waiting for their parents in Hawaii. Waiting through the long traffic is also typical of what many residents in general have to do, so whats not so typical? A detour to a Zippys for some donuts and creamy Hawaii Chili is not so typical and very delicious. The pick up back in the 90s was quick and convenient for the working family and brought a nice old atmosphere of open seating and quick pick up. I remember when my mother use to take me to Zippys she would always have a craving for some sweets and I would want some Chili and Rice. We would get some Chili and Rice for the whole family and if I was lucky or not mis behaved for a bit I would get a chance at getting a Chocolate Milkshake while waiting in more traffic to get home. Most of the time we finished off the sweets and the Milkshakes before my father could find out, but he was usually happy to see some food coming home anyway. Which brings us to the topic of the brought home food of Hawaii Chili and where it started, for this we look at the Higa Family. In 1920s, Yeiko Higa & Kameko Higa who were Issei (first-gen) from Okinawa came to Hawaii for the better living of promise of the plantations. With them they brought traditions as many who came from the Okinawan Archipelago of Zodiac cycle, Buddhism, Shinto, and Taoism which formed to the practices of "The Okinawan Way". Apart of this was a spiritual respect bordering on worship of ancestral families with sacred prayers of respect that are done in nature groves similar to that of respect the Hawaiians have for their own. This would mark the family succession as an ongoing respect to their ancestors to pass on information of the bloodline. As Issei, this practice of spiritual respect and family succession would create a teaching atmosphere and importance of community specialty. The children were taught everything about all sorts of subjects. Most notable would be the running of a business where the Higa family would learn about business and then teach business, take over the original Aala Meat Market (Higa Meat & Poultry) and teach about the Hawaii meat industry and so on. Surviving meant plenty of soups like: Pig's Feet Soup, Chicken Feet Soup, and Oxtail Soup. In the plantation era of Hawaii this would bring many Japanese, Chinese, Okinawan, and Hawaiians to a understanding of one anthers common cultural practices and show a sign of the beginnings of "Local Culture". This intermingling with even more cultures at the community center would instill the practices with Filipinos, Koreans, Portuguese, and eventually Caucasian groups called (Local Haole). Where the plantation way of life would continue to evolve with that particular generation. Most familys would slowly adopt the passing down of skills to the entire family as apart of plantation life and respect to their ancestors. The Nissei, Charlie Higa & Francis Higa were equipped with this family knowledge and looked for a way to build a business that could change with Hawaii's ever changing business landscape at the time. They had started by making strict guidelines, so they they could use rules as a way of guidance, precision, efficiency, measuring, prepping, packaging, and ordering for consistency and ensure a future for their company. Later on they would pass this information to other local families who were running their own mom-and-pop stores while running their own establishment "Zippy's Restaurant". Zippy's McCully started with the idea of drive-ins and had a rough start with banks not offering the Higa brothers a loan (1966), because the banks at the time didn't think the idea would work and there was no trust from the banks back then in the old ways. The family lawyer would help the Higa's get started and they just saved for their idea of a menu that Francis's Wife concocted with: local style beef style, beef curry, chili. They started selling out of a 13-gallon pot and in modern day its over 250,000 lbs a month. Kama'aina (Hawaii Residents) already know that Hawaii Chili is a absolute part of island food that must have a side of white rice and even better with the mac salad that has extra mayo for a even creamier taste with each bite. Locals really love Hawaii Chili and it reminds them of home with a really regional flavor that only can be found in the state of Hawaii. However there is the no beans versus with beans debate that rages on... locals can't deny the bowl of chili that is so good it makes you come back for more. The Chili in Hawaii recipe itself was seen as a sort of secret for a very long time, however with a old newspaper recipe, workers talking story, and the myth and legend staying alive the recipe was uncovered and kept as secret as the original recipe. Additional toppings that are must haves for the chil experience are: Grilled Bellpeppers with melted Cheddar and garlic bread, Red Hot Dog with corn and Potato Salad, fried chicken paired with sweet onions and macaroni salad garnished with green onions. Don't be surprised to see an entire bucket of Hawaii Chili at sporting events with a pot of white steamed rice! Hawaii Milkshakes are a regional ice cream milkshake in Hawaii that started out as a popular item from the U.S cuisine that made its way on menus due to the interest in ice cream. Families would treat milkshakes as a treat and could find them at diners, fast-food restaurants, and ice cream parlors. Milkshakes in Hawaii were made as many other establishments would make them with Milkshake mixers that would have a commercial-grade spindle with two stirring agitators. What would bring the uniqueness of a Hawaii milkshake would be the choice of flavoring syrups that would feature particular flavors that were popular in the islands residents and were popularized through Hawaii's fast-food restaurants.
The drink has changed overtime with specific Made in Hawaii Ice Creams and Hawaii Milkshake development with varieties like: Softserve Shakes, Ice Cream Shakes, Ono Shakes, and Mauna Shakes. This is due to people consuming shakes from fast food places that use soft serve ice cream machines and some using ice cream shake mixer machines and a few that dare to make large mountains of other sweet offerings or mix other sorts of things inside like fruits and/or creamy nutbutters. Ice Cream variations are made from popular Hawaii Ice Cream flavors: Macadamia Nut, Kona Coffee, Peanut Butter, Cookie Wafer, Island Mango, Pineapple. As well as classics liked by many, such as: Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Strawberry, Orange Cream, and Mint. Other flavors that have become popular are: Blue Hawaii, Green Tea, Lava Flow, Pog, Banana, and Halohalo. A ice cream shake often times has an option of being a Malt Ice Cream Shake, which has malted milk powder mixed in or placed on top for a bit of nuttiness to the mixture. Hula pie is a pie made up of ice cream with a thick cookie wafers that are crumbled into a cookie crust. It is topped with cooled chocolate on top to make a sort of shell that covers the ice cream. Whipped cream is at the bottom and looks similar to the white water of the waves and represents a hula skirt bottom. Toasted macadamia nuts are placed on top and scattered over hot fudge poured over the pie slice. It was popularized by "Dukes Restaurant" and originated from Maui before becoming popular on other islands.
Visitors who are swimming at the pools or the beaches in the warm weather and sun burning brightly can come ashore to taste something cold and delightful. Many memories are found in Hula Pie from its shape to coolness it brings from its cold temperature and its history that is connected to the tourist industry growth in the islands. Locals would be reminded of it for the connection it has to the history itself of Duke Kahanamoku as well as well has have cravings for the flavor and portions of the dish. Legend has it that Kimo’s on Maui, Old Lahaina town, the first Hula Pie was made and coined as what the sailors swam ashore for in Old Lahaina Town after their surf session out in the sun. A Relative of the Mud Pie When in appearance and presentation Hula Pie might be different, but there is a similar pie, so similar that those from the United States South may take a second look at Hula Pie. The dessert that is similar and thought to be the cousin of Hula Pie is Mud Pie which also has a gooey sauce with crumbly crust, but unlike Hula pie the ice cream is made to look like a wave to resemble the waves of Lahaina. Making Macadamia Nut Ice Cream the Star As the tourist industry was moving in there were plenty who would see Macadamia nut Ice Cream as a flavor that was found at Ice Cream shops and as a dessert flavor. It would be a guilty pleasure as it was touristy to eat with its local flavor shining of the ice cream and the topping of a Hula Pie would take it very high on the dessert menu. The roasted or toasted macadamia nuts are placed right before serving as they drip down with the syrup that is placed on top the Hula Pie. Ice Cream was an art that at one time was easy to make, but now it became a specialty. Only a a few that had the time or knowledge of how to make it along with the whipped cream would be able to make the dish as it was intended. The ice cream would be even harder to find on the mainland, so many would have to make their own versions at home when they went back. Even the kama'aina would have to make their own variations, which were: Vanilla Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Strawberry Macadamia Nut, Pineapple Macadamia Nut, Coffee Macadamia Nut, and Haupia Macadamia Nut (Coconut). All in the Cookie Crust and Fudge Cookie Crust is just as much of the experience as the macadamia nut ice cream in the Hula Pie for the entire texture of the experience. Each bite that is eaten has a bit of the fudge and a bit of the ice cream and a nice crunchiness of the cookie crust that really brings together the combination of flavors almost like tasting ice cream and cookies with fudge in a complex creamy flavor of its own. There are different Hula Pies depending on which island you go that have different crusts that locals would try to replicate in order to please the desert palettes of their Haole family members or tourists from out of town. The Hula pie is a bit touristy, but no one says no to its pleasant presentation of melting ice cream on a plate facing towards the eater. There are different sorts of cookies used depending on the style of the Hula Pie that can be: (1) peanut cookie crust, (2) oreo cookie crust, (3) guava shortbread cookie crust, (4) lemon shortbread cookie crust, (5) chocolate chip kona cookie crust (mrs barry's cookies). Hula Pie Varieties This is a list of Hula Pies that have been collected from various home cooks, restaurateurs, and age old establishments that are gone. Macadamia Hula Pie (Maui) Vanilla Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, Diced Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Syrup, Cooled Milk Chocolate Shell, Whipped Cream, Oreo Cookie Crust Kona Hula Mudd Pie (Big Island) Coffee Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, Diced Macadamia Nut, Cooled Milk Chocolate Shell, Whipped Cream, Oreo Cookie Crust Taro Hula Pie (Kauai) Kulolo Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, Diced Macadamia Nut, Coconut Syrup, Cooled Milk Chocolate Shell, Whipped Cream, Taro Shortbread Cookie Crust Chocolate Hula Pie Chocolate Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, Diced Macadamia Nut, Guava Syrup, Cooled Milk Chocolate Shell, Whipped Cream, Oreo Cookie Crust Strawberry Guava Hula Pie Strawberry Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, Diced Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Syrup, Whipped Cream, Guava Shortbread Cookie Crust Pineapple Hula Pie (Oahu) Pineapple Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, Diced Macadamia Nut, Lilikoi Syrup, Cooled Milk Chocolate Shell, Whipped Cream, Lemon Shortbread Cookie Crust. photo from Dukes Waikiki The pomai-sumotori (Good Luck Sumo) sometimes referred to simply as “Da Sumo Statue” is a Hawaii figurine which has stories that have people believe in strength and longevity to the owner. The Word Pomai is the Hawaiian word for good fortune or a blessing of profit and prosperity while the word Sumotori is Japanese for Sumo Wrestler. In the appearance of the statue it is round and fat with a look of being ready or prepared for something, and in the case of restaurants its for a meal made for a hungry person.
The figure depicts a Hawaiian sumo, traditionally a local-born Hawaii Sumo, in a Japanese Sankyo Stance. The figurines are known to be displayed in the center of a restaurant and if there are food challenges a Chinese Pasi Gong accompanies the figure. Pomai Sumotori could come in different colors, styles, and varying degrees of detail. There were a few who use to call it “Buddha” for its large size and similar sized stomach as a statue of the buddha. Many businesses would find the pomai-sumotori attractive as a good luck charm and many had one in the entrance for customers to rub the statues stomach if they too wanted some good luck. Origins Sumo is the national sport of Japan, but its connection is Hawaiian-American with champions being from Hawaii and known around the world as super strong wrestlers. This had started with Takamiyama (Jesse Kuhaulua) in 1964, then with Konishiki (Salevaa Atisanoe), followed by Akebono (Chad Rowan) and Musashimaru (Fiamalu Penitani). The Sumo Statue was said to be made from the enthusiasm that locals had for the sport of Sumo when cheering on their legendary sumotori, some of which reached the top rank of “Yokozuna”. Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo Town These Hungry sumo wrestlers were known for their gigantic appetites for food and portions important to them, so they would scope out places that gave great portions that would fulfill the needs of a sumo wrestler. These would be known as sumo portions: Sumo Stacker Pancakes, Sumo Loco, Sumo Saimin, Sumo Slam, and more. Back in the day there would be sumo wrestlers who would come to Hawaii back in the day when Hawaii sumotori were active along with other celebrities from overseas who would visit as well. It is commonly believed that the Pomai-Sumotori originated in Big Island, Hawaii as the mascot of Ken’s House of Pancakes. Story There are many Stories about the meaning of the Pomai-Sumotori, of which are mostly of the good ol days. One such story is about a young boy who lived near Ken’s House of Pancakes in Hilo where he would go and eat loco moco after sports practice and he would be eating alone with his walkman cassette radio looking up at the Sumo Statue. After practice one time the fat brown local boy came into the restaurant and only had a few dollars which wasn’t enough for his loco moco. Sitting there, the boy noticed the sumo statue, strong and dignified in silence; he felt he heard a whisper that sounded like “dreams are possible” and to his surprise the usual order of loco moco was served up to him and a Japanese family nearby waved at him. Years later the boy moved to the mainland and was visiting the islands to his favorite restaurant and the boy saw the family that played for his meal years ago when he was a young boy. The Gong was hit and the staff said “Sumo!” and the family was shocked to see all their orders had been upgraded to Sumo sized portions and the boy waved back and said “hoʻomaikaʻi au i kou kōkua mai” (I am grateful for your help). |
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