OAHU’S MELTING POT

The diverse ethnicity & multi-cultured background of Oahu lays a considerable effect on the cuisine of Oahu. The ethnic foods of Oahu are lip smacking & at the same time it has boasts of rich historical & cultural background. The different types of foods of Oahu are described using terms such as plate lunch, bento & okazuya to assign the style & type of the dish, depending on the origin.

                    The local Hawaiian food is ‘plate lunch’, which includes two scoops of rice & one scoop of macaroni salad. Available at mom & pop lunch wagons & other lunch counters, plate lunch is more popular amongst students, laborers, and businesspersons & so on. You can spend simply five dollars to get an entree, which includes beef teriyaki, roast pork, shoyu chicken, hamburger steak, beef curry & mahi mahi along with rice & macaroni salad. The rich gravy is offered along with these items is very tasty indeed. The system of plate lunch was popularized by the plantation workers who carried lunch boxes prepared by their wives. Bento, on the other hand, was popularized by the Japanese immigrants. These lunch boxes had rice & pickles apart from samples of other dishes, all put together in a sectioned container. Okazuya, even though a Japanese term, is found all over Oahu. In case of this food, customers can choose from a wide variety ethnic dishes.

                        The diversity of Oahu’s culture also contributes to the fact that Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indian & various other migrants have brought along with them their cuisines as well. The local chefs have now formed a body called the Hawaii Regional Cuisine that offers excellent dining facilities. The different restaurants serve exotic foods that will leave you craving for more. Grace’s Inn, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, L & L Drive Inn, Masu’s Massive Plate Lunch & many more offer Plate Lunch. For Hawaiian Regional Cuisine Alan Wong’s Restaurant, Indigo Eurasian, Roy’s Restaurant, 3660 On the Rise, Padovani’s Bistro are worth trying. Fine dining is served at L’Uraku, Hoku’s signature restaurant & Don Ho’s Island & many others.