Unique food in Hawaii comes from the many cultures that each contributed their favorites, resulting in the Mixed Plate Lunch.

In the early days of the sugar plantations, lunch was a simple affair. Plantation workers gathered in the fields for their mid-day meal.

The Japanese laborers would bring teriyaki beef with rice and pickled vegetables. Seated next to them might be their Filipino neighbors with the traditional dish adobo or perhaps a pork or chicken stew. The Koreans had their kalbi or marinated ribs and the Chinese offered a rice noodle and vegetable dish called chow fun. Hawaiians were known for their kalua pig, roasted in an underground oven called an imu. It wasn’t long before they began to share their foods with one another and the “mixed plate” was born.

“Two scoops rice” and “one scoop macaroni salad” always accompany the traditional plate lunch. The rice is an important part of the meal because it provides the “backdrop” for the distinctive flavors of the main courses which, local style, tend toward the savory. Macaroni salad also presents a counterpoint to the main courses while providing a small portion of vegetables such as finely chopped carrots and small diced celery – just the way the Locals like it.

The food in Hawaii reflects the contributions of the many cultures that have come to this paradise, each with unique ingredients and cooking methods.  The combination of chicken, pork and beef on the same plate with rice and macaroni salad is a metaphor for the varied tastes and backgrounds you’ll find on these islands and how they seem to mix perfectly together.

But, there’s so much more food in Hawaii to discover, that’s why it’s one of my favorite food destinations on earth.  Do you know how to open a coconut in Hawaii? 

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