It’s Official: Hawaii has a Regional Cuisine
It had to happen. Today the NY Time’s Jennifer Steinhauer wrote a good article on the plate lunch in Hawaii. Of course it frets about grease and underplays the sheer wonder of the cultures that have produced this food. But this is not the time to defend the plate lunch.
It’s there in the NY Times because this is where Obama grew up. Here’s my friend Lori Wong on how Hawaii saw Obama’s victory. “Our re-elected mayor summed up Obama’s election in a foodie fashion by saying we will now have a prez in the White House who understands shaved ice, plate lunch, spam musubi, and poi.” One day we’ll have an account of Obama’s life that gives due attention to the difference that growing up in Hawaii made. It won’t come for a while because now is the moment when the nation is celebrating someone who embraced an American black heritage.
Meantime, I have to say, specially after my recent visit, that I am thrilled to have been in the vanguard of those who celebrated, instead of denigrated, Hawaii’s cuisine.
And just to give you a sense of the exuberance of Hawaii’s cuisine, I asked Lori if I could reproduce a recent letter. It’s all hers except for the commentary in square brackets. She calls it Pigcentricities. Of course, this is just one particular subset as she says (no Japanese, Korean, Portuguese dishes at this particular feast).
The obligatory goat skin found at Hawaiian-Filipino celebrations, ahi poke [raw cubes of tuna] along with sushi and fruit sat on the pupu table as the 350-700 guests awaited “the kitchen” to open. The groom’s father’s band rocked out “Mustang Sally” as the crowd answered back, “Ride, Sally, Ride”. The kitchen in the garage “opened” and the double line grew as guests piled their paper plates high.
As the line never seemed to shorten, I finally decided to join the line on the street under the stars of Waianae. Before the roast pig’s head greeted me, steamed white rice came first followed by gon lo mein [Chinese noodle casserole]. I resisted the pig’s heads taunting and moved on to the Hawaiian food–kalua pig [traditionally baked in an underground oven or imu, here probably in an oven using liquid smoke. CORRECTION FROM GRACE–THIS WAS COOKED IN THE TRADITIONAL IMU].
Dark green squid luau followed. The squid caught by the groom who free dives and fishes off of the Waianae coast is one of my most favorite dishes with creamy luau and a touch of coconut milk [luau are taro leaves]. Squid luau and rice. I can live on this food of the gods. Chicken long rice [Chinese rice noodles with chicken, I know, Chinese but now counted as Hawaiian given lots of intermarriage] completed the Hawaiian fare.
More pork dishes followed. Pork guisantes, the Filipino version of pork and peas; pork adobo with potatoes; lechon—Filipino roast pork; and Chinese roast pork with crispy skin. In between was the pan of “chocolate meat” cooked in blood [Filipino dinuguan with pork or pork innards and pork blood].
Long beans and a fiddle fern salad with fresh tomatoes added some green to all of the pig-centric delicacies. Deep fried lumpia and fried salt and pepper shrimps (the latter already off of the table by the time I hit the line) finished off the feast.
Lots of sticky rice desserts, orange, white, purple [yum and yum again], and my favorite halo halo [over the top shave ice with mixed fruits and condensed milk, unbelievably yummy] were the Filipino offerings. After the bride and groom cut the cake, the crowd enjoyed Waianae Bakery’s rainbow cake—all the colors of the rainbow. Two full sheet cakes and cuts double the size of a can of spam, and there was still cake left on the table.
There were four baboy or pua’a (carne de cerdo) that were gifted and slaughtered for this occasion. One pig WAS buried in an imu (underground oven), another huli-huli lechon (whole & roasted on a spic) with garlic, vinegar and spices, the other two were made into everything else… Everything is from local farms and were made in some “auntie’s kitchen” or “backyard”… except the cake. (There were 8 homes 12 families within a 2 block radius to “cook”) –
Hard to compare the homestyle comfort favorites to thank the voters and supporters for Jayne and Kahele Saturdaynight, to the “OC-16’s Surf and Japanese Wagyu Beef Turf” few nights before…
Isn’t it great being a “foodie”… =)
Grace, thanks for letting us share the feast at least at a distance. I’m going to put part of your comment up in the post so that everyone reads it.
Until I moved to Hawaii, I had no idea about the amazing array of local favorites. I have come to thoroughly enjoy all of the regional cuisine offerings!
Thank you for this posting.
Kim, good to get to know you at a distance. When I was back in Hawaii last month, I was just hit again by the incredible wealth of food experiences everyone there can have–actually has to have. I miss it.
Thanks for posting this! I love the memory of having all the families (and I think it was everyone on the Waianae Coast!) get together for this joyous occasion! Just wanted to say that the rainbow cake came from a good high school friend of mine whose family owns a bakery in Waianae called Mike’s Bakery… and I must say they have the BEST rainbow cake on the island… maybe even in Hawaii!
I’m just delighted that you didn’t mind me using Lori’s wonderful recounting of the wedding. And the rainbow cake is something I will search out next time I am in the islands! Thanks for writing.