Too often, when people think of Hawaii, they think only of Waikiki. Waikiki is beautiful. Even the locals enjoy its energy and fun. Fascinating, I think, is that actual people live in locales that most of us consider exotic. They have a day to day existence there, they work there, grow old there, have families there…it is their home. Particularly fascinating, I think, is that those lives are supported by an infrastructure that is often exotic in its own right.
I had the opportunity to live in Hawaii for a while, recently. Through my sister, who lives there permanently, and other friends, and from my own residence there, I became familiar with a day-to-day world that most tourists miss. But, if you know it’s there, you can find it, and I guarantee you will enjoy it. One such place is Honolulu’s Maunakea Marketplace, 1120 Maunakea St., Honolulu, HI 96817, 808-524-3409 (map).
This place is not for “show.” It’s where the people who live here buy their groceries. It’s located on the edge of Chinatown, and explodes with motion, smells, and sound. It is an authentically Asian experience, with every Pacific rim cuisine represented in tiny stalls selling street food that you can eat standing or seated at long, extremely narrow communal tables. According to the 2000 Census Data, the racial profile of Hawaii of either one race alone or in combination with one or more other races (21.4% are of mixed race) is 39.3% white, 2.8% African American, 2.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 58% Asian, 23.3% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and 3.9% some other race. The Asian population is Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. This diversity is the thing I miss most about Hawaii, even more than the weather, which is unparalleled.
These tables and stalls are squeezed amidst a vast number of tables of produce, meats, and fish. Vegans best stay home. Those who’ve only ever bought food at sanitized mainland supermarkets will receive an intense lesson in just how many parts of an animal can be eaten. If you’re willing to try, you may be surprised that you, too, can learn to efficiently eat chicken or duck’s feet. Efficiently really is the operative word; although I enjoy them, I still haven’t developed the knack of reducing them to just a few bones as my Chinese friends can.
Above, fish—just a few of the many varieties available both gutted, as here, or still living, swimming in tanks. Below, mussels—again, just a few of the many types of shellfish available at the market, both alive and recently alive.
Nothing is pre-packaged of course. It’s bulk food heaven. Just as there are many new animal products to discover, there are many unfamiliar Asian vegetables that, on the mainland, you can only find in Asian grocery stores, but in Hawaii are in any market. Fortunately, large mainland American cities and certain parts of the South now have an abundance of such stores. If you see a–to you–peculiar plant food (you might not even know if it’s a fruit or a vegetable), ask what it is and how it’s prepared. The people in these markets are more than happy to share the secrets of their national cuisine. So much of our identity is tied up in the foods we, as a people, eat. When you seek to appreciate and duplicate those foods and ask for their help, you honor them and their heritage.
Quite near the market is the Chinese Cultural Plaza—to be covered in a different post—and the myriad markets and stores of Chinatown. One such market is the Ying Leong Look Funn Factory. Also spelled fen (pronounced like our “fun”) , fen is rice, or mung bean, noodles. I adore them (see Chinese noodles) and fix them far too often (not for restricted carbohydrate diets). A Hawaiian noodle dish I miss—and there are many—doesn’t seem to be found even in Asia, although it certainly is Asian inspired: Saimin (pronounced “sigh-MEN”)! It even beats out ramen in the late-night comfort food department on the islands. Of course, other local comfort foods, such as the plate lunch, will have to wait for a later post.
Regardless which ethnic cuisine you eat while in Hawaii, be sure to have “fun” (bad pun intended).
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
that is a beautiful place, thank you Hilton!
58% Asian? Really? How much percentage of Chimese? Are them all from Guangzhou? (south of China)
Great descriptions of a place we both love! You took good pictures there!