One local description of Hawai‘i’s varied gastronomy, overheard not so long ago, went like this: “It overflows with Asiatic flavors, and we eat white rice with everything. It’s also Polynesian-centered, with hearty fare like baked pork and mashed taro root. We love standard Western dishes such as beef stew and macaroni salad. But we mix it all together—breadcrumb-fry local fish and sprinkle it with soy sauce, top fried eggs and rice with a hamburger patty and gravy, wrap Spam in seaweed.” This recalls what Mark Twain once said: “Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” In culturally diverse Hawai‘i, each part of the melting pot has brought distinct flavors to the table. The merge is mainly, though not always, harmonious, but one thing unites us all: the celebration of eating.

MAUI
OLD LAHAINA LU‘AU
Pork cooked to savory succulence in a traditional imu, or underground oven, is the cornerstone of an authentic Hawaiian lu¯‘au celebration for both residents and visitors.
Photo: Ann Cecil

Endless summer: Mouthwatering aromas of tangy, flame-grilled hulihuli chicken and teriyaki beef waft year-round from backyards, beach parks and parking lots across the Islands. Photo: Ann Cecil

O‘AHU
LILIHA BAKERY
Take a number to order a dozen of venerable Liliha Bakery’s famous, chantilly-topped “coco puffs,” or settle at the 24-hour counter to savor a stack of mile-high hotcakes, homemade beef stew and down-to-earth service.
Photo: Jimmy Forrest

O‘AHU
THE WILLOWS
Oldtimers get misty-eyed at mention of The Willows, first open for business in 1944. An open-air dining la¯nai nestled within a garden of natural springs, its Sunday Brunch draws generations of local families together for special celebrations and the all-you-can-eat lu¯‘au buffet. Photo: Olivier Koning

The Big Island’s mild climate, topographical diversity and rich volcanic soil yield an exotic cornucopia of fruits and other edibles like lychee, rambutan, avocado, guava, banana, vanilla, durian, macadamia nuts and coffee beans, generating more than $300 million in revenue each year. Photo: Franco Salmoiraghi / Photo Resource Hawai‘i

O‘AHU
KAPI‘OLANI COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S
CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM
The training ground for culinary luminaries such as Alan Wong and Sam Choy, both pioneers in the Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine movement, KCC’s Culinary Arts Program continues to define “good taste.” Its planned Culinary Institute of the Pacific aims to rival some of the world’s most notable cooking schools. Photo: Olivier Koning

Derived from the days when Hawai‘i’s ethnically diverse plantation workers shared meals in the field, the economical, boxed-to-go plate lunch usually includes two scoops of white rice, macaroni salad and a stick-to-the-ribs main meat dish. Variations on the theme pack Korean, Chinese and other ethnic dishes into the mix.
Photo: Darrell Ishii

KAUA‘I
HAMURA’S SAIMIN STAND
Aaah, saimin—steaming bowls of ramen noodles with green onion, fish cake, pork and hard-boiled egg—is an Island specialty. And there’s no better place to enjoy it than at the unassuming, generations-old Hamura’s in Lı¯hu‘e, recently recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation for “preserving America’s culinary heritage and diversity.”
Photo: Sue Boynton