Food Language

Recently, the wife and I were on Maui for a special family gathering. During our stay, we were reunited with our family and friends, and basically spent a lot of time eating and reminiscing about the good, old days. Almost every night after dinner, I’d go outside to stare at the sky, as I often did in the past. I’ve always been intrigued by the stars. I guess because they remind me of how vast the universe really is - something far beyond my understanding. No, I’m not into Astronomy or anything, but it's just nice to stare at that star-filled sky...which is really a treat when coming from a city like Los Angeles.

Perhaps the word Gastronomy has a little more appeal than Astronomy, in my case. Gastronomy is often defined as the art/ science of good eating or a style of cooking, as of a particular region, and is the study or discipline, if you will, of the relationship between food and culture.

Now, I must admit that my brain tends to shut down when I’m confronted with terms such as study or discipline, but nevertheless, I do find it interesting how food is related to our lives including the Arts (i.e. Entertainment) and Social, as well as, Natural Sciences (i.e. "Is it safe to eat", "How much does it cost", etc.).

Whether it’s a feast with dance and music, or the most famous painting done by da Vinci (The Last Supper), I suppose the Arts have a significant connection with food. I can also see how food is closely connected with History, Geology and Sociology, amongst other sciences such as Chemistry, Philosophy, etc.,.

But in terms of the relationship between food and culture, I find one, particular aspect of it quite interesting, indeed – the association between food and language. After all, we need to eat and in order to eat, being able to communicate with others, in one form or another, may be helpful.


With its multi-ethnic background, I believe the locality of Hawaii offers quite a unique case study, and would like to base this posting around this topic. What does this have to do with a Japanese food blog? Well, for starters, the Japanese ethnic group comprised about one-third of Hawaii’s population at one point (1940s) and remains as one of the largest ancestry groups in Hawaii today.

The embodiment of Japanese culture (which began in the 1800s, when Hawaii was still an independent Kingdom) in modern Hawaii has a significant imprint, not only in terms of the local social structure as a whole, but also in terms of the food and language scene.

To give you a better perspective of the topic of food and language, with emphasis on locality, let’s start with a word or phrase associated with food - What is a Spam Musubi? Although it has gained awareness outside of Hawaii in recent years, it’s still a mystery to some.

Some may think it’s some sort of an Anti-Spam Module. Others may have heard of it from watching the Monty Python skit Spamalot but don’t exactly know what it is. And then, there are those "Weird Al" Yankovic fans that may know the song entitled Spam, but never got around to trying that canned luncheon meat developed by Hormel.

Yes, Spam in this case, is that "Miracle Meat SPAM, an anytime meat that tastes fine, saves time, and cold or hot, SPAM hits the spot!" Sound familiar to some of you?


This moist, yet preserved meat officially made its debut in 1937 and even served as K-rations for the U.S. soldiers during World War II. As in the case of other food items, the soldiers returned home after the war and brought home the taste of Spam with them, contributing to its increase in popularity. Spam has become so popular, in Hawaii, that the average consumption per person, in a year, is said to be one of the highest in the world.

As for Musubi, this Japanese word basically refers to a rice ball, in this case. Also called Omusubi or Onigiri, it's essentially a chunk of rice shaped into an easy-to-eat, hand-held, portable foodstuff, similar in concept to a sandwich or a wrap. Whether you use your palms to bind (Musubu) or grasp (Nigiru), the idea behind the terms have to do with forming the steaming rice with ones hands.

From what I understand, in the old days, the shapes often differed from region-to-region – with the Tokyo area typically having a triangular or circular shape, where as the Western Japan region shaped its rice like a hay bale.

The rice ball can be stuffed/ filled with such ingredients as pickled plums (Umeboshi), or as shown in the photo below, with Tsukudani-Kombu (shoyu-boiled seaweed) and grilled salmon flakes, to name a few, and is typically covered with dried seaweed (nori).



Omusubi or Onigiri is made with plain steamed rice, unlike vinegared Sushi rice. Salt, however, is typically used when making the rice ball, thus adding taste to it and can be eaten as is without any other ingredients. The convenience and the practicality of it made it a preferred, portable meal for many Japanese and local Hawaiians, who rely on rice as a main staple.

From field workers to travelers, Samurai Warriors and people on picnic outings - they all took advantage of this simple, anywhere meal throughout the years and it still remains popular today. For the Spam and the rice ball to join together was almost a natural process in Hawaii, and thus the Spam Musubi was born.


Now that we understand what the phrase Spam Musubi is, let us move on. Hawaii has two official languages – English and Hawaiian. And of course, you have the unofficial language of local talk, Pidgin. No, we’re not talking about the multi-platform-instant-messaging client, here.

Pidgin is typically defined as a form of language with a restricted vocabulary, yet often multi-lingual and with a simplified grammar, usually to enable communication between groups of people who do not share a common language.

The Pidgin spoken in Hawaii is English-based, so it shouldn’t be too hard to understand, right? Well...let's take a look at a food-related comment in typical Hawaiian Pidgin, in written form, and see how much you comprehend.


Reading Comprehension: Read the following sentence and choose the closest meaning.

Ho brah! Da tako and shoyu 'ahi poke you made, bo-da-dem so ono, brok’ da mout you know.

(A) Fabulous brassier! The texture and shape not only make my bust look bigger but they also feel so comfortable, I can’t believe it.

(B) My dear friend, may I compliment you on the octopus and soy sauce-flavored tuna hors d’oeuvre you have prepared. They were exceptionally exquisite and quite tasty, indeed.

(C) Breaking news! Department of Agriculture has made improvements in their measures to talk to and show the Water Dam authorities how to fix the broken irrigation system.

If you chose (B), you have a pretty good sense of the situation and you’ll be able to survive Local Hawaii. For those of you who chose (A) or (C), you aren't helpless, by any means, but I suggest you get some basic training, in Pidgin English, if you intend to experience the genuine local lifestyle. I don’t know if Rosetta Stone can help you here, so you can always go online or find a Hawaiian friend.

As you can see, the focus of this form of language is not on the proper usage of grammar or spelling, but to communicate effectively without using big words. Notice the second half of the sentence. It suggests: “both of them were so delicious, they broke my mouth.” Perhaps it takes more of the right brain to feel the meaning behind the comment and often, the creativity involved makes this manner of communication quite unique and effective.


What was so Delicious?

Now, the next step is to figure out “what was so delicious.” Some restaurant goers are already familiar with the word 'Ahi (tuna in Hawaiian) and of course, Shoyu means Soy Sauce in Japanese (for those who didn’t know that, please read my first posting Got Soy Sauce?)

Tako, not Tacos, is another Japanese word for Octopus. And what is Poke (Hawaiian)? Basically it’s a side dish consisting of bite-sized chunks of raw fish and other seafood, typically seasoned and mixed with seaweed, raw onion and other ingredients. The word Tako (as well as other Japanese words) has so immersed itself into the local Hawaiian culture, that it has become a part of the everyday food language - most locals (that I know, at least) don't say Octopus.

It goes without saying (for me, anyway) that Poke makes a great Pupu (not what you scoop up when walking the dog - it basically means appetizer in Hawaiian) and in my opinion, goes awesomely well with...what's my favorite beverage?...BEER!

Since Poke was one of the highly-prioritized food items to eat during my short stay, I immediately went out and concentrated on picking up some Shoyu 'Ahi Poke.


Much to my disappointment, I discovered that some of my favorite local markets had closed down, but fortunately, one still stood standing ...tall...to save my life! Takamiya Market. As I drove though the old town of Wailuku, I was relieved to find that no huge commercial development took place and that the scenery stayed pretty much the same.


As I leave the old town and head towards Happy Valley, I notice the familiar building. It almost felt like I went back in time and made me 20 plus years younger. This establishment has been around since the 1940s, but I'm not THAT old!


As soon as you walk inside - Hello!!! A showcase full of Sashimi and Poke are on display. From Salty to Spicy Poke, choose your flavor and the amount you like. At this point, I felt even younger and probably behaved like a little kid in a candy store. The wife had to keep me in line.


Another highly-prioritized food item that I needed to eat badly was Loco Moco. Ever since I briefly mentioned it in my previous posting (True Hollyfood Story), I've been craving this local favorite. Since some changes took place from the last time I lived on Maui, I consulted a local food authority - a young athletic, mega-eater, local boy named Bubba. After all, it’s been said that Loco Moco was created to feed the young hungry football players who hung around a café in Hilo, Hawaii back in the late 1940s.


Oral Listening Comprehension:

So, one morning as the sun rose above mount Haleakala, I asked the young man (actually our nephew) “Where's a good place to eat Loco Moco these days?”. In our next segment, we shall conduct an oral listening comprehension test.

In the following clip, you hear his voice while viewing mount Haleakala. You’ll also hear the sound of cars...recorded during HEAVY traffic hours on Maui.



Basically, in this case, in order to figure out where the restaurants are, you’d need to know the area and mostly, the local landmarks. The point was to demonstrate how local talk can sound in an actual situation and what to expect from it. You can always say “Young man, could you kindly draw us a map and instruct us on how to get there, please.” In my case, I just dragged the kids with us and managed to visit one of the restaurants Bubba was talking about – Fran’s Island Grill.


Since the restaurant mainly caters to the locals and is not exactly located in a resort area (which Maui is known for), I’m not sure that a 25th anniversary dinner with limousine transportation would be recommended (but hey, why not?), but it is definitely worth visiting if you ever want to try good, local Hawaiian food. The Loco Moco I had pleased my strict specifications. The doneness of the egg and hamburger went very well with their original gravy and the rice. Brok' da mout!


You can also order the Loco Moco with two hamburgers. They also have Fried Rice Loco Moco. One of the waitresses claimed that Fran's invented the Fried Rice Loco Moco.


Chicken Katsu (Japanese Chicken Cutlet, local style) with macaroni salad and two scoops of rice is also a must-try.


Speaking of Chicken Katsu, the word Katsu is used in Japanese when referring to fried beef, pork or chicken, and is a shortened term for Katsuretsu, which is said to have derived from the English word cutlet sometime around the 1870s, in Japan.

Perhaps it’s the common and universal nature of food, but once accepted into another culture, the language and practices associated with it spreads around and follows the people. And, as people adjust and adapt to the wave of space and time, so does food culture and language.

As food culture evolves, sometime in the near future, there may be a food item called Spicy Tako Poke in a Soft Taco Shell (try saying THAT, fast, 10 times).

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter to me what the food is called or where it’s from, gastronomy or not, and what the relationship is with culture, as long as it tastes good and is safe to eat. Oh, what did we have for dessert? Shaved Ice (Kakigori in Japanese)...that was sold at a coin Laundromat!

Local food scene on Maui...it just doesn’t get any better than this...


If you're planning a visit to Maui and are interested in getting some good local food, here are the addresses so you can look them up on an online map search (in case you can't quite get a grip on the local talk and landmarks).


Takamiya Market
359 Market Street, Wailuku
Phone: 808-244-3404
Located in Happy Valley and open everyday from 5:15am 0 6:30pm (closed on Sundays!)

Fran’s Island Grill
740 Lower Main Street, Wailuku
Phone: 808-242-8580
Open every day from 6:00am – 9:00pm (closing hours vary depending on the day), but the
owner was talking about renovating the restaurant sometime soon so give them a call and
check status.


Remember the photo at the beginning of this post?

SAIMIN: Hawaiian local-style soup noodle
OHANA: Hawaiian for Family
ONO: Hawaiian for Delicious
OBACHAN: Aunt(y) or Middle-aged Woman (Obaachan - stretch the first "a", is grandma)
LI HING MUI: Preserved Plum (Among other ethnic groups, the Chinese also have a deep influence in Hawaiian food culture)
NO-KA-OI: Hawaiian for The Best (a popular phrase is Maui No Ka Oi)