Food

Spam: A weird Hawaii obsession

5:50:00 PM Unknown 0 Comments


After living in Missouri for two and a half years, there are still a lot of things here I catch myself wondering.

Like, why the Sperrys? What's up with casserole? And how can you all SERIOUSLY choose to put up with god-awful weather for over half of the calendar year when there are warmer, clearer skies just beyond the horizon a little west of here?

These are some things I don't know. But what I DO know - and have known - about the mainland since the move is the typical and widespread aversion to spam.



I said it, spam. The weird, slimy, mystery mincemeat. If there's anything I do know, it's that people here don't like it. They equate it to practically dogfood. If you're eating spam, you're struggling and you clearly need help - is the gist I pick up, anyway.

Well, what if I told you people in Hawaii LOVED it? So much so that's it's sort of a local staple?

It's true. Spam in Hawaii is so commonplace that if you move there and say you don't like it, it's likely you'll have a pretty hard time fitting in. It's everywhere. A favorite is a snack called spam musubi, which is a local twist on traditional Japanese musubis made with nori (dried seaweed), furikake (garnish) and rice - just with spam on top. It's a great example of how cultures truly converge on the islands to make new products unique to Hawaii and the people there.

Japanese musubi

Hawaii spam musubi
 They're so common, in fact, that they're sold in virtually every street-corner 7-11 I've ever seen on O'ahu. I used to pick them up for breakfast or lunch on my way to school in the mornings.

Spam musubis sold in 7-11
On top of that, spam is even on the local Mcdonald's menu, typically sold in a plate lunch with other island favorites: portuguese sausage, japanese white rice, scrambled eggs and shoyu (soy sauce).


And on a similar note, spam is just one of the many glorious things that makes Mcdonald's in Hawaii stand out. Since we're here, some of the other menu items worth highlighting are:


Mcdonald's saimin - chinese noodle soup served in a beef or chicken broth with dried seaweed and fishcake,


Mcdonald's haupia pie - just like the apple pies you have in the mainland, except filled with a light, creamy coconut custard, and last but not least,


Mcdonald's taro pie - same idea, just filled with all the glorious chunky, sweet, starchiness of taro, a common purple root found on the islands. I could eat one of these every single day, and when I visit home, I practically do!

SO next time you visit Hawaii, make sure you complete the local experience and not only drive by a Mcdonald's and pick up some saimin, but try a spam musubi at your nearest 7-11 too! They're great, I promise!


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