6/13/2022 Sun, Sand...and Spam Musubi?In 2018, I was lucky enough to be heading to Hawaii for my third time. Everyone has dreamt of visiting Hawaii at one point or another in their life. People go for the bright, sunny days, the exotic resorts but most importantly, the picturesque and instagrammable beaches. I, however, enjoyed my days walking around Waikiki with my family, trying to find the next best place to eat and that's where I fell in love with food. Whether it was spam musubi from the ABC Store, or poké from the closest shop nearby, we made our whole trip about eating and trying new foods. When I got back from Hawaii, I sought out to recreate every dish I ate on that island and inevitably, took a passion for cooking. Not only tasting the final product, but the process of preparing every ingredient and putting it all together was so satisfying. Looking back, Hawaii truly changed my life and gave me a passion that I can take with me wherever I go; it encouraged me to start cooking a variety of different cuisines and made me appreciate good quality food. It all began in 2018, when my uncle announced his engagement to his Hawaiian-born fiancé. He and his boyfriend had chosen a destination wedding on Oahu and invited the whole family. As my family was busy planning, my cousin, who was my age, and I would text back and forth and all she would talk about was food. I thought, “wow, she's crazy… it's just food, why is she so excited about that,” but I would soon understand her excitement. After months of planning and finally booking our resort and flights it was time to leave. As my cousin and I boarded the plane and got to our seats, she immediately started talking about all the food she was going to try; spam musubi, poké and rice, and mochi donuts from the Liliha bakery were on the top of her list. Five hours later, we landed. We decided to book a larger room and share it with my cousin's family. Although most of us were tired and cranky, we willed ourselves out of the resort to go grab food. We decided on ramen and we took it to our room. Throughout the trip, we went to a lot of different iconic, Hawaiian restaurants and food trucks as well as a few asian-fusion spots. I remember tasting poké for the first time and falling in love with the umami flavour of the marinated fish. When we went to the infamous Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, the shrimp was practically glowing with garlic. The steamy rice mixed with the freshly cooked shrimp was comfortingly warm, despite it being 24 degrees out. It occured to me that when food is that good, it comforts you no matter where you are or in this case, how hot it is. A few days after our arrival came the wedding day. Our families got dressed up and we headed to the venue. Yes, the ceremony was beautiful, but all I could remember from that night was the delicious food. I can imagine myself now, trying each and every food at the buffet and being so in awe at how it must’ve been so hard to cook, especially the Kalua pork, which was an onerous and hours-long process in itself. After the wedding, we continued our food journey through the island and came across plenty of bakeries and street food stands. As we ate our way through Oahu, I made sure to capture all of our “good eats” on my phone, taking pictures of each dish we had. When our vacation came to an end, it was inevitably time to fly back home. Once we boarded our flights, I fell asleep, dreaming about the next time we’d visit The Aloha State. When I woke up, I couldn’t believe I had just been in Hawaii; while I was on Oahu, it felt like time had stopped. I realized I was no longer away in paradise and waves of emotions flooded over me. I started bawling to my mom, wishing that I could jump on a plane in that instant, and fly back to Hawaii. My mom suggested that I should write down all of my favourite things that I ate and recreate them. That same night, my mom and I fried up some spam and steamed some rice and we got to work. We stacked the spam and rice and rolled it tight with nori and in no time, we had enough spam musubi to have for dinner and lunch the next day. I remember eating it at the dinner table with my family and thinking, “this was so easy, it tastes just like the ones we had on the island.” Seeing how easy it was to make, not only did I get a great dinner, but I grew the confidence to start making other, more complex foods and exploring new cuisines. I never would’ve thought that flying out to a destination wedding would deeply influence the life I live today. Although a lot of time has passed since I've gone, most of my favourite foods are some of the ones I tried for the first time in Hawaii. Now, a lot of the meals I cook are shared with my family and friends and they tell me all the time how the dishes I cook remind them of their experience in Hawaii. I even posted pictures of the food I make on my social media and my friends would comment on how pretty they looked, begging me to make some for them. As I got older, I started to think of ways in which I could utilize these skills in a way that I can profit from. As of now, I’ve grown the courage to apply for a job which requires me to use my cooking and baking skills to teach others how to enjoy the process of making and eating food, the way I do. Not only did going to Hawaii inspire me to cook, but it opened up a lot of doors for me; I’m a less picky eater now, and I take my time to enjoy and appreciate food, whether it’s home-cooked or from a restaurant. It incited me to cook more and therefore, boosted my confidence in the kitchen. Some may tell me I’m too immersed or obsessed with food but in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to want good food; I continue to look at food as a way to express one's passion for their culture and identity. I’ve developed a more sophisticated palate than some of my other friends and I have a strong will to recognize smaller details in food, like the way it's plated. Even though I’m aware that my friends may not share this same passion with me, I still enjoy cooking for them and I love to share what I love with them. It is gratifying to know that something I made for someone else can make their day; to me, that’s the best way to use my passion for something bigger than just me. #hawaii #oahu #islandfood #food Images:
"Kalua Pig." Onolicious Hawai’i, 2021, https://onolicioushawaii.com/kalua-pork/, Accessed: June 13, 2022 "Hawaiian Poké." The New York Times, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/dining/poke-hawaii-review.html, Accessed: June 13, 2022 "Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck and Shrimp." Trip Advisor, 2017, https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60647-d806862-i294243871-Giovanni_s_Shrimp_Truck-Haleiwa_Oahu_Hawaii.html, Accessed: June 13, 2022 "Poi Mochi Donut." Pinterest, no date, https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/501799583474219770/, Accessed: June 13, 2022 “Hawaiian Inspired Poké Bowl.” Dish Out of Water, 2022, https://dishoutofwater.weebly.com/. “Matcha Macarons.” Dish Out of Water, 2022, https://dishoutofwater.weebly.com/. “Asian inspired Grain Bowl.” Dish Out of Water, 2022, https://dishoutofwater.weebly.com/. “Spicy Salmon on Crispy Rice.” Dish Out of Water, 2022, https://dishoutofwater.weebly.com/. |
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