Counting the ballots…
Counting the ballots…
“Please choose something with actual Hawaiian tradition it wouldn’t be right for you to choose something else. Please be respectful. These are best homemade or made with your Ohana”
“It is not Native Hawaiian, it is what happens in Hawaii when people come together. Ahi from the waters around the island, and then add in ingredients from other cultures.”
“Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Spam musubi is pure nostalgia. Whether after surfing or on the go, 7-Eleven Hawaiʻi’s version is the one I always come back to.”
“Saimin originated back in the "plantation days" of Hawaii, combining Chinese and Japanese cuisines, providing workers an affordable meal. Best: Palace Saimin. Closed: Liliha Saimin”
“While nothing is more traditional than an Imu, Spam Musubi honors the Hawai’i of today, a melting pot of our heritage as Natives, Immigrants, Military, and Fusion food shows us all”
Hawaii's ballot is a plantation-camp roster. The Plate Lunch is the format itself, and Loco Moco, Saimin, and Spam Musubi are what working shifts and wartime rationing left behind. Malasada came with Portuguese labor. The imu supplies Kalua Pig and Lau Lau, steamed for hours in taro leaves. Poke Bowl went global. Dessert stays home: Shave Ice piled over azuki beans, and Haupia set firm into squares at every luau. Hawaii is famous for mixing everything, and this list is the proof. So what is Hawaii's official state dish? Ten dishes are on the ballot.