Specifically, what's the deal with the macaroni salad included in every Hawaiian plate lunches? Is there any reason for it's inclusion?

The plate lunch goes back to the days of the multi-racial makeup of the field workers on the sugar plantations. The workers shared their lunches so one would end up with 2 or 3 small portions of different dishes like terikyaki beef, roast pig, fish, etc....and for the energy needed to finish up the afternoon in the fields, the carbs came from all the rice. I am not sure about the origins of the macaroni salad, but it sure is good :)

There are some excellent places for plate lunches that cater more to the locals...

Big Island - Kona Mixed Plate (the mac salad here is my fav)

Kauai - Hamura Saimin (not for plate lunch, but you have to eat here at least once and try the lilikoi pie too)

Kauai - I can't remember the name, but on the highway leading back into Lihue from Poipu, I believe a right turn at the Shell station leads onto Nani St, which goes into an industrial area and the spot is the first or second right turn with a good size paved and gravel lot out back...should be a busy lot and big crowd there during weekday lunch

Maui - Aloha Mixed Plate (tourist oriented)

Maui - Sam Sato (locals oriented, no service after 2pm)

Here's a couple of interesting articles about plate lunches:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_v173/ai_3453894

Macaroni salad-specifically:

http://starbulletin.com/1999/03/17/features/story1.html

Personally, I think it's sort of the sweet-sour thing. You have rice, which is a bland backdrop. You have the main course(s), which usually consists of a highly flavored meat with sauce (teriyaki beef/chicken). Then you have the somewhat sweet, somewhat neutral creamy goodness of macaroni salad. Mmm! ^

Rainbow Drive Inn is close to Waikiki so it's a good place to see what locals actually eat as far as plate lunches go. And you can wash it down with a slush float :)

You know, I used to think Hawaiian food was unique.....then I realized, it's just a combination of all kinds of Asian food.

The combo plate? Well, that's just the way many Asian countries (Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea) serve food. I mean, think about it, Panda Express--2, 3 entress ? Japanese Bento boxes (teriyaki stuff) ? Korean BBQ (Hawaiian BBQ minus the pinneaple), then there's poi, the taro stuff, which totally exists in Chinese cusine. They are just a mixture of asian food with polynesian/Hawaiian/American touch. Kind of like Spaghetti with meatballs is considered "Italian" although it really isn't. It's American, but the idea is Italian.

There are tons of places that sell those "combo plates" at Asian places in California, especially Southern California. I think the ones in California are way better than the ones in Hawai'i

There are tons of places that sell those "combo plates" at Asian places in California, especially Southern California. I think the ones in California are way better than the ones in Hawai'i
Could you please back up this assertion with examples? I've tried many different "combo" plates in California and plate lunches in Hawaii and find that there are some great places to grab one of these in both states.

Eight years of field research has led me to believe that SoCal is certainly not lacking in quality places for ono grindz. That being said, nobody makes chicken katsu like Grace's. Nobody. :)

The combo plate? Well, that's just the way many Asian countries (Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea) serve food. I mean, think about it, Panda Express--2, 3 entress ? Japanese Bento boxes (teriyaki stuff) ? Korean BBQ (Hawaiian BBQ minus the pinneaple), then there's poi, the taro stuff, which totally exists in Chinese cusine.

No, that's the way you think Asian countries serve its food. I consider Panda Express American fast food - as American as Taco Bell is to Mexican cuisine and Pizza Hut to Italian cuisine. Japanese bento has a complex history that goes back nearly 1000 years far and exists in a dozen structured forms that go beyond just "teriyaki stuff". Korean BBQ is so different than Hawaiian BBQ I cannot even start to imagine how you can compare the two.

Furthermore, poi does not exist in Chinese cuisine. I live in Pasadena and I challenge you to show me a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel valley or Chinatown that serves poi.

Brush up on your food knowledge before painting with such a broad stoke!

Furthermore, poi does not exist in Chinese cuisine. I live in Pasadena and I challenge you to show me a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel valley or Chinatown that serves poi.


While I agree that BlissWorld is way off the mark about how authentic Asian cuisines are served, I wouldn't be shocked to see poi in certain parts of China. There was such a strong cross-tradition with Chinese contract workers on the plantations from 1870-1920 that surely some of the Hawaiian foods made it back to certain regions of China. I'm not saying it's common, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's occasionally seen.

TnT's Aloha Cafe in Torrance
Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop in Gardena
Bob's Okazuya in Gardena

One of my fave Chicken Katsu plates is from Mama San's in Pukalani, Maui and also from Ichiban in Wailuku. Can't beat the Teri Beef plate from Cupie's in Kahului.

While I agree that BlissWorld is way off the mark about how authentic Asian cuisines are served, I wouldn't be shocked to see poi in certain parts of China. There was such a strong cross-tradition with Chinese contract workers on the plantations from 1870-1920 that surely some of the Hawaiian foods made it back to certain regions of China. I'm not saying it's common, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's occasionally seen.

I believe the taro that is grown in China is not the same as the taro that is found in Polynesia, so making poi in China might not be possible.

Time for clarification

I never said that authentic Asian food is served "combo plate style." CASUAL Asian food is. If you want to get technical, thoudsands of years ago, there was no Japan or Korea. There was one big China. Although there were different dialects throughout China (and still are today), there were 2 agreed forms of the Chinese language in writing--traditional and simplified (No, not today's tradtional and simplified to distinguish between Chinese from China and Taiwan). A group of peole in Northeast region of China took the simplified version and evolved it into Japanese (and thus Japan was born--this is written in Chinese history books). That's why the Chinese and Japanese language today share many characters with the same meaning. That's also why they share many similarities in cusine as well. One such simliarity is that rice is the major component of the meal. A simple reason for that was because rice was afforable and available while meat/poultry was extremely expensive. People were able to get through by eating salty side vegetable dishes accompanied by a lot of rice to get full. Therefore, pickled/fermented food is especially popular in Asian cusine (also to preserve the food and keep it edible longer, of course). The Chinese have fermented tofu, thoudsand year old eggs, and salty pickled duck eggs to eat with porridge (rice in wet form). The koreans have kimchi and pickled clams. The japanese have fermented soy beans (miso), pickled ginger, and fish. Those were created to go with rice---the same idea of a "combo plate"---different side dishes with rice (much like the Japanese Bento box---that's why i brought it up. I never denied its history but rather mentioned its similarity with combo plates.

I also brought up Panda Express (Yes, fast food but that's precisely the point) because that is the way many Chinese casual restaurants serve food in Taiwan and China. There are many restaurants much like buffets where you can choose your entrees while you walk down this long line of food. You put them on this plate simliar to the combo plate and they weight the food at the end to determine the price. As a matter of fact, almost all schools and military in Taiwan and China still use these "plates" much like the combo plate (the plates they serve food in school cafeteria and military here in US too) to serve food. It's a fast way to serve up food.

That's why I said many Asian cusine is served much like the combo plate.

As for poi, the dish itself may not exist in Chinese cusine, but Taro certain does. Taro and red beans are generally used for desserts in Chinese cusine--especially in pastry. They mash taro (or red beans) with sugar and milk (which looks just like poi) and make it into a dough form to stuff in bread and pastries (like Chinese moon cake--although red bean/lotus seeds/prunes are preferred as fillings). They also put taro in rice to make rice cakes and those jelly squared jello-ish cake they serve at dim sum places. Since China has been around for thoudsands of years longer than Hawaii, I'll let you decide which originated first.

All I was saying was that Hawaiian food was a derivation/mixture of all kinds of Asian food. Since there are a large population of Asian/Hawaiian Americans in Hawaii, Asians have undoubted influenced if not created some of Hawaiian cusine (with a polynesian touch).

BlissWorld

Your post of Far East Asian cuisine is nice and I am glad you did the research. Having grown up eating all of the food that you have mentioned and more, I am quite familiar with Asian cuisine but I think it may be an interesting read from some folks.

Still. Saying many Asian cuisine are served much like combo plate is like saying that school and military cafeterias are also served like combo plates. The statement is partly right, partly wrong, but definitely misleading. I don't have the time to waste to argue with you on that.

Second, I did not say that taro did not exist in Chinese cuisine. It does, in the form of 芋泥 and many other forms you probably have not thought of. But rather I am arguing that that poi, which is a specific term that refers to how Hawaiian prepares mashed taro, does not exist in Chinese cuisine.

Can't believe I am even debating this on FT! Blissworld - you have to accept that I know more about Asian cuisine than you. In fact, it is one of the few things I know extremely well! Maybe we will have to settle it over a meal. :p

This discussion is making me hungry (just came back from Maui last Friday and yes, we ate at Aloha Mixed Plate). But getting back to topic, here is the Wikipedia entry on Hawaiian plate lunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_lunch).

This discussion is making me hungry (just came back from Maui last Friday and yes, we ate at Aloha Mixed Plate). But getting back to topic, here is the Wikipedia entry on Hawaiian plate lunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_lunch).


MMMM, I'm jealous.

I'll have the mahi-mahi sauteed jumbo plate please (and then place liberal amounts of Sriracha hot sauce). :D

(and then place liberal amounts of Sriracha hot sauce). :D

Sounds good and good for you too! Keeps the Prostate cancer away. ;) But back on topic, what's the anecdotal reason for the macaroni salad?

Two scoops of mac salad--yummy. Even when they put in a few chunks of potatoes, too. I'll take Hawaiian macaroni salad any day at all, almost any way at all. I'm getting hungry for Kona Mixed Plate right now...

Two scoops of mac salad--yummy. Even when they put in a few chunks of potatoes, too. I'll take Hawaiian macaroni salad any day at all, almost any way at all. I'm getting hungry for Kona Mixed Plate right now...

Ahhh good :) Another admirer of Kona Mixed Plate's version of Macaroni Salad. For me, nothing compares to their interpretation - mixed plate or not. Flavorful, full of texture, and not smothered in mayo.

When ordering lunch there, we always get an extra side of Mac salad to share - carbs be damned! It can get worked off easily with a couple hours of snorkeling or hiking.

I love the plate lunch. But I don't like mac salad, so always get extra rice instead. Next time I'll get the mac salad and save it for you :p

The plate lunch goes back to the days of the multi-racial makeup of the field workers on the sugar plantations. The workers shared their lunches so one would end up with 2 or 3 small portions of different dishes like terikyaki beef, roast pig, fish, etc....and for the energy needed to finish up the afternoon in the fields, the carbs came from all the rice. I am not sure about the origins of the macaroni salad, but it sure is good :)

There are some excellent places for plate lunches that cater more to the locals...


Kauai - I can't remember the name, but on the highway leading back into Lihue from Poipu, I believe a right turn at the Shell station leads onto Nani St, which goes into an industrial area and the spot is the first or second right turn with a good size paved and gravel lot out back...should be a busy lot and big crowd there during weekday lunch



Koloa Fish Market!!

Koloa Fish Market!!

I could be wrong...I don't think it was Koloa. It was a small place, no tables, just take-out...seems like it was run by a Korean family. Lots of musubi on display, a big old-fashioned plastic snap-on-letter menu suspended from the ceiling in the corner, some coolers for drinks, etc. Most people were doing pick-up and taking it back to their work, while some (like us), took the food out to the parking lot and ate in our cars.

I could be wrong...I don't think it was Koloa. It was a small place, no tables, just take-out...seems like it was run by a Korean family. Lots of musubi on display, a big old-fashioned plastic snap-on-letter menu suspended from the ceiling in the corner, some coolers for drinks, etc. Most people were doing pick-up and taking it back to their work, while some (like us), took the food out to the parking lot and ate in our cars.

Perhaps not, but it sounded like this. Hard to believe that there could be two such places in Koloa. I found it in a magazine article of the top 25 things to do in Kauai and they are definitely Asian (and not native English speakers):

To fill up like a local, find a "plate lunch," an only-in-Hawaii experience that matches a hefty portion of protein (maybe teriyaki chicken or barbecue ribs) with two sides (usually giant scoops of rice, potato salad, or macaroni salad), for under $10. The plate lunch at the Koloa Fish Market is a gourmet experience hidden inside a Styrofoam container: roasted kalua pig with sides of ahi poke--raw ahi tuna tossed in soy sauce and spices--and salt-cured lomi salmon salad (5482 Koloa Rd., Koloa, 808/742-6199).

http://www.budgettravelonline.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2005/10/12/AR2005101201153.html