Eating in Hawai’i is very interesting to me. The breakfast buffet at the hotel offered miso soup, fried rice, white rice, along with the standard cereal / scrambled eggs / muffins / etc. that I’m used to.
It also had something like six different kinds of meat, mostly pork-based, I think. Pork seems pretty inexpensive here, which makes me wonder if there is a lot of pig-farming somewhere on the island.
My understanding is that one of the big challenges of Hawai’i is that the vast majority of its food is imported, currently, which seems like it must be both very expensive, and not great for long-term stability. I was trying to figure out what fish actually available locally; I think ahi tuna, but am not sure what else.
Part of the problem is that so much of the island’s food, like coconut palms, was removed to make way for profit-making ventures for mainland companies, like growing sugarcane and pineapple. Now they’re trying to re-forest the coconut palms. I *think*. That’s just from conversation; I don’t have sources to point you to right now. Coconut is kind of a super-food, I think — it’s certainly key to Sri Lankan cuisine.
It’s not a topic I know a lot about, but I was listening to a podcast episode I’d recommend if you want to start digging in — The Splendid Table: 774, dropped February 3, 2023 — “Hawaii with Chefs Sheldon Simeon, Ed Kenney, Robynne Maii and More!”
