Hawaii is an American state where Europeans are not the majority of residents and it is the home to the largest Asian-American community in America. The Asian-American population consists of Koreans, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese (Avila-Tapies and Dominguez-Mujica 56). Most of the Hawaii natives are descendants of Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Chinese migrant workers who arrived in the 19th and early 20th century to work in the sugarcane plantations. Since then, more Asians have continued to migrate to the United States.
The Hawaii state was the home of Polynesian Islander until European traders began to arrive in mid18th century alongside Chinese explorers who served as sailors and started settling in Hawaii from 1789. Since early Asians were all males, they married Polynesian women and got assimilated into the Hawaiian culture (Avila-Tapies and Dominguez-Mujica 60). With the arrival of European traders and wealthy merchants, they sought to control the state at the expense of the local communities. In 1887, King Kal Kaua I was forced to sign a discriminatory constitution which gave all voting rights to wealthy Europeans and native Hawaiians who had the financial muscle. The United States took over Hawaii as part of its territory in 1900 bringing to an end the king’s reign.
Sugar cane industry owners
Between 1870 and 1920, White farmers imported workers across the world to work in the sugarcane plantations. In the beginning, most of the workers were imported from China and Japan and by 1887; there were over 26,000 Chinese workers in American Plantations. Eventually, Japanese and Korean nationals were also recruited and taken to America to work in the sugarcane plantations (Avila-Tapies and Dominguez-Mujica 70). Later, white settlers started campaigns in the Philippines and urged people to travel to America and work in the plantations. Many Filipinos were excited with the idea and they become very popular within the white framers circles.
The rich multicultural mix of migrant population led to the birth of Hawaiian form of English language known as Pidgin. It was a unique mixture of Japanese, English, Chinese, Ilocano, Tagloh, Portuguese, and Hawaiian vocabulary and allowed plantation workers to communicate with each other.
Impact of multiculturism in Hawaii cuisine
Each of the migrant worker population brought different foods from their home country to Hawaii which affected the Hawaiian cuisine in a variety of ways. In this section, the paper will analyze how Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Filippo foods affected the Hawaiian cuisine.
Japanese influence in Hawaii cuisine.
Japanese workers brought the following foods to Hawaii; Ramen – Saimin, Mochi, Sashimi, Shoyu, and Bento.
Ramen (Saimin): Saimin is a traditional Chinese noodle soup that consists of white egg, green onions, and sliced spam. It was introduced to Hawaii by the Chinese sugarcane plantation workers in the late 18th century and has been developed through the addition of more ingredients from Japan, Philippians, and Korea to represent the multicultural identity of the Hawaiian people. Today, Saimin represents a combination of Chinese mein, Japanese ramen, and Filipino Pancit (Woodland 77). Due to its popularity, Saimin was added to the McDonald’s menu when the fast-food retailer opened its branches in Hawaii. Presently, Saimin is the traditional dish in Hawaii State.
Mochi is another Japanese cake that is made using rice as the main ingredient. The rice is ground to smooth texture then molded using water to the desired shape. Mochi was introduced to Hawaii by Japanese sugarcane workers in mid-18th century and slowly found its way to Hawaii cuisine. Today, Hawaiians have modified mocha through adding food colors and flavors and uses it as the main food in family celebrations.
Poke – Sashimi has its origin in Japanese empire in the late 18th century and introduced to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants (Woodland 77). Traditionally, it was served as a raw fish fillet which acted as a salad. In Hawaii, it has been modified to an appetizer and now consists of raw fish, green onions, sea salt, and limo. The availability of green onions and tuna fish in Hawaii inspired their inclusion in the Mochi.
Shoyu is a liquid made from soya beans which have undergone the fermentation process. It originated from Japan where it was originally made from soya beans only but after its introduction to Hawaii, it has become part of the state cuisine and included roasted grain, brine, and sojae molds (Foster 40). Bento was the last Japanese food to be introduced in Hawaii by the last bunch of Japanese sugarcane workers in the late 19th century. It is a take –out meal and is usually used as parked lunch by Hawaiians. It consists of fish, meat, and rice. Modern modifications have included molded rice balls and raw vegetables.
Chinese Influence on Hawaii’s Cuisine
Like their Japanese counterparts, Chinese workers introduced their traditional foods in Hawaii and hence affected Hawaii cuisine through the use the addition of local vegetables to produce new dishes from their traditional meals. Chinese influence in cuisine is seen through two foods; Manapua and crack seed.
Crack seed is a snack which originated from china in the early 18th century and very popular among Hawaiians. It consists of cracked fruits which have their seeds split and a flavor added to them (Woodland 63). Depending on the preference, it can be made with a sweet or salty flavor; other flavors include rock salt, licorice peach, and a combination of fruits. Its effect in Hawaii cuisine has seen it transform from a preserved fruit to a traditional meal and a cultural dish with sea salty added to the ingredients. The increased popularity of crack seed has seen stores opened in Hawaii exclusively selling crack seed. Manapua is a Chinese styled-dish which uses small bite portions of food that were traditionally served as a compliment to the main dish. In Hawaii, it has not been modified and still consists of the traditional ingredients; chicken, prawns, fish, and vegetables.
Korean influence in Hawaii cuisine
Korean influence in Hawaii cuisine is felt in two traditional foods; Kalbi and Kimchi. The two foods were used in their traditional forms in the early 18th century but were later modified through the integration of local vegetables which were largely available in Hawaii. Kalbi is a grilled dish consisting of pork ribs, soy sauce, and marinated pork. The pork is marinated using a Korean sauce made from soya sauce and garlic. Due to the availability of sugar in Hawaii, present sauce includes sugar in its ingredients. The marinated pork is cut into thin sizes to allow it to cook faster. The Hawaii cuisine now composes of Kalba which is known locally as Galbi with stores trading in the name of Galbi opened in the streets of Hawaii in the name dealing exclusively with Galbi (Foster 79). The second Korean native dish to influence the Kimchi which is a Hawaii dish consisting fermented vegetables with seasoning. It was originally made from cabbages, cucumber, and scallion. In Hawaii, it has included more vegetables like Kales, spinach, and the green onions. Most of the sugarcane workers realized that cabbages do not do well in Hawaii and started using the available vegetables and butterfish to create a variety of seasonings.
Filipino influence in Hawaii cuisine
Filipino workers were the least to arrive in Hawaii in the early 19th century and hence their influence in the Hawaii cuisine is limited. The two main foods of Philippines origin in Hawaii are lechón and longganisa (Foster 102). Longanisa is a sweet sausage similar to the Spanish sausage but marinated busing traditional Hawaii sauce. In Hawaii, Longanisa can be made using beef, tuna, and pork. On the other hand, Lechon, is a whole roasted pig dish cooked over charcoal and it is prepared in national and cultural ceremonies in Hawaii.
Conclusion
Hawaii cuisine has been influenced greatly by multiculturism present on the state. It is fair to state that most of the influence comes from Japan and china with few distinct features from Korea and Philippians. Foods plants brought to Ancient Hawaii by the Polynesians around 300AD-1778 have been incorporated to imported dishes to produce a unique and inclusive cuisine which represents and tells a story of the Hawaii state. Interestingly, despite the pineapple plantations sp[routing up in every part of the state, Pineapples rarely from part of Hawaii dishes. the absence of pineapples in most dishes can be attributed to the lack of fruits in most of Asian dishes. Asians prefer more vegetables in their dishes compared to fruits.
Works cited
Avila-Tapies, R., and J. Dominguez-Mujica. "Postcolonial Migrations And Diasporic Linkages Between Latin America And Japan And Spain". Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 24.4 (2015): 487-511. Web.
Foster, Jeanette. Frommer's Hawaii 2012. Hoboken N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
Woodland, Rebecca. Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Honolulu: Island Heritage Publishing, 2011. Print.
