What's missing on the produce shelves?

[skchai]

This is about as polemical as I'm going to get. . .

Given that we are a tropical island nation enriched by the culinary traditions of dozens of world cultures, the lineup of produce on the shelves of Hawai`i's supermarkets and even farmers' markets is surprisingly similar to that in, let's say, Topeka or Milwaukee. This emptiness is more noticeable when you compare it to the wide range of Asian and local dry goods and packaged items that you can find on the shelves everywhere on the islands. Yes, we have ready access to daikon, bok choy, etc. but that's hardly anything to write home about. What's really noticeable is the kind of produce that isn't available.

Except in Chinatown and a few unexpected places (like Daiei!), it's not that easy to get access to the numerous tropical fruits that can easily be found in the tropical markets of Southeast Asia - mangosteen, rambutan, jackfruit, and the durian, fruits that could presumably be grown here as well. Even within familiar fruit families such as the banana and mango, only a couple of the most common varieties are available at best, far fewer varieties than for apples or pears, which are obviously not tropical fruits. Even the lychee, one of the most common garden fruits on the islands, is only available sporatically.

What's even more disturbing, in my mind, the two primary staples of native Hawaiian cuisine, and cuisines across much of the Pacific, fresh kalo and breadfruit, are unavailable on the shelves of most Hawai`i supermarkets. You can get packaged poi and taro chips, but fresh kalo on the other hand is harder to get. . .

What types of produce would you like to see more of?

And why do you think there isn't more available already?

[robyn]

I've only been to Hawaii once - so I'm hardly an expert - but perhaps the answer to your question is "what crops does it make sense to produce in Hawaii?". And if it doesn't make sense to produce a large commercial crop for export and domestic use - does it make sense to produce a small boutique crop? I suspect that the answer to the second question is no for almost all crops.

And - obviously - if something can't be grown locally - it's very expensive to import it.

By the way - I think there are numerous reasons why the local crops are very limited. To mention one that probably isn't that controversial - well it's environmental concerns. Hawaii is very proactive when it comes to keeping out all manner of exotic plants and animals - and the pests that exotic plants and animals can bring with them. So if you're dealing with a non-native fruit - I doubt anyone is going to welcome an economically insignificant boutique farm that attempts to grow it. Robyn

[Jason Perlow]

Oh hell, stop complaining. You get cheap pineapples. We gotta pay anywheres between $3.99-$5.99 apeice for them, and most of them arent properly ripened.

[skchai]

Jason, you'd be surprised. I don't think the prices for pineapples here are that much cheaper. Yes, we don't have to pay for transport across the Pacific, but the cost of land is so high - at least in Honolulu - that stores tend to keep prices high to pay for their rents.

However, you're right that at least we can get ripe pineapples instead of the evil green ones!

[stinkinbadges]

If I saw breadfruit and kalo on menus locally (other than as poi), I think there would be more requests for those items in markets. I think even in Chinatown and at Daiei, if the produce folks would offer samples of the fruits as they do with samples of meats, cheeses, etc. we would buy and demand more. It is assumed that the folks who buy them now know all about them and the rest of us aren't interested.

Closely related to this, I wish Daiei had a "guide" for us non-Asian folks to walk us down the aisle and explain those fascinating packages with the great pictures but no translations in English. I'd love to know what to make with all those goodies.

[skchai]

I think you make a great suggestion, stinkinbadges. I think there is a large group of people in Hawai`i who are quite curious about kalo (i.e. taro) - we're all aware that it's part of the heritage of Hawaiian culture. Yet most people on the island don't know how to make use of it except in a few minor ways. I think if local producers and retailers made a concerted effort to market kalo, they could greatly expand local demand.

I also believe the HRC people could do more in this regard. Yes, they do promote the use of locally-grown produce, but it is usually consists of fruits and vegetables that is have no indigenous roots in the cuisine of Hawai`i or the wider Pacific area (e.g. lettuce, tomatoes). Nothing wrong with lettuce and tomatoes, obviously, but why can't they try to promote local kalo to the same extent?

[skchai]

Another thing we need on all the shelves: Kukui nuts. Kukui nuts, not Macadamia nuts (an Aussie import from the late 19th century) were a mainstay of the traditional Hawaiian diet, forming the basis for a number of popular relishes. It's easier to find dried Kukui nuts imported from Indonesia (kemiri) than it is to find locally produced kukui nuts. . .

[kaukaulesa]

Great topic. I went to work in a kalo lo‘i for a day with my Hawaiian class. Our kumu took some kalo home then brought it to class simply steamed and cut up into little squares. We were blown away by the sweetness (due to the type and place...Kahaluu, later, another kalo from Wai‘anae wasn't as tasty). And I wondered the same thing: Why isn't kalo on the supermarket shelves and flying into our shopping carts?

It might be because production hardly fulfills poi manufacturing needs. Kalo is humbug to grow, and it's humbug to prepare too. I was just reading an article about how in a remote Marshall Island hardly anyone eats a traditional diet cause it's so much easier to open a can of Spam. And the result is the population is one of the fattest in the world.

One thing I miss from New York is the wealth of tomato types. I miss heirloom tomatoes, all sweet with summer's sun.

[skchai]

You're right about the fact that there's not enough kalo grown locally to even fulfill the demand for poi. According to an article in the Star-Bulletin this year's crop has shown a slight improvement over last year's which was an all-time recorded low, but there is often a shortage of poi at this time of the year. I read elsewhere that the number acres under cultivation for kalo has dropped precipitously over the past half-century. . .

[robyn]

I was just reading an article about how in a remote Marshall Island hardly anyone eats a traditional diet cause it's so much easier to open a can of Spam. And the result is the population is one of the fattest in the world.

Hawaii is famous for spam consumption too. Robyn