Hawaiian Food Culture Analysis

In order to accurately analyze how Hawaiian food culture has changed, it’s important to know exactly what its origins are. The Hawaiian islands were first settled as early as 400 C.E, when Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands. The Kingdom was Hawaii was established by King Kamehameha I in 1810 (Hopkins 35). In his book, Ku Kanaka, Stand Tall, George Kanahele discusses the simplicity of the ancient Hawaiian diet. He writes, “Ancient Hawaiian’s main diet consisted of poi (pounded taro root), fish, birds, breadfruit, pigs, yams, shellfish, and seaweed.” (Kanahele 18) The main meal of the day was called lu’au. These feasts were a celebration with copious amounts of food laid out for everyone to share, much like the “Pot Blessings,” I attended.

Their menu consists of plate lunch, which typically includes rice, macaroni salad, and an entree (fish, chicken, beef, pork, or spam). While in Hawaii L&L advertises most of its menu as Hawaiian BBQ, an L&L I visited recently in California advertised its products as Korean BBQ. The menus are identical, but the food is tied to a different culture. This is the type “local” food I referred to earlier. Other fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and Carls Jr. have integrated this type of cuisine into their menus, serving spam taro pies. Certain McDonalds in the continental United States once served what was called a “Hula Burger.” This burger was smothered in teriyaki sauce and served with lettuce, tomato, and a slice of pineapple. To the consumer, what makes this burger Hawaiian is the pineapple, which granted was a part of the traditional diet, but also the teriyaki sauce, which originates from Japanese cuisine. Hawaiian food culture as a whole is now known as a combination of Asian

These farming practices are passed down from generation to generation. As I referenced before, these staple foods have been a part of the Hawaiian diet since the islands were first settled. The USDA says that taro, or kalo as it is also called, “is grown in the lowlands. The cormels or keiki (children) are planted in man-made trenches (lo’i) that are irrigated by diverted mountain streams.” Wet kalo must have cold running water running through it’s lo’i, because warm, standing water will cause the kalo to rot (USDA). Fresh running water is an essential part of not only the growing and farming of taro but also