Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage
It was Hawaii that got me started in food history. The extraordinary explosion of “Local Food” that followed from the three diasporas (South Pacific, Asian, and American/European) that ended up the islands was just too fascinating to pass up. Almost by accident I ended up writing The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage published by the University of Hawaii Press in 1996. The warm reception of this book was a gratifying surprise.
Here’s a taster. The chapter on Spam since everyone always asks about Spam. No recipes in this chapter but you can imagine them easily enough.
One of my native Hawaiian students wrote a lovely essay on luaus and we were able to publish in in Petits Propos Culinaires.
And if you are interested in that iconic Hawaiian meal, the luau, check out this great article by Kaori O’Connor. Kaori grew up in Waikiki before most of the hotels grew up there. She’s an anthropologist and now lives in London. Well check it out soon once I have figured how to get the huge file to upload.
Posts
I would like to know more on hawaiian culinary heritage. I have the food of paradise book. but I am looking for more to do an assignment for school.
April,
I’m glad you have the b ook. But I really can’t answer such an open-ended question. What precisely do you want to know?
Best wishes,
Rachel
April,
Let me try again. Hawaii’s culinary heritage consists of the cuisines of three diasporas–from the Pacific Islands to the south, from Asia, and from the West (the United States and Europe). What it’s done with them is create Local Food, a fusion of the three.
Does that help?
Rachel
doing a story on hawaii’s food culture for hawaii public radio’s 50th anniversary of statehood series. following the story of kaukau tins to bentos to plate lunches. interested in a cultural and political perspective on these and/or transitions in hawai’i’s food culture. would you care to comment? might a recorded interview be possible? mahalo,
noe tanigawa, art and culture, HPR
i hope this message does go through and i do not have to repeat it again.
Noe, still haven’t heard back from you after I replied to your contact. Did you get it? Of course, I’d love to participate and I have new political perspectives since I wrote my book.