Favorite Condiments

[Pomai]

Are you the type who puts shoyu, ketchup, butter or mayonnaise on just about every dish conceivably compatible with it? Or do you keep your food simple, perhaps just a light shake of salt & pepper or nothing added at all?

What are your favorite condiments?

Here's a sample selection just to stir your thoughts...

http://www.96seven44.com/images/condiments600.jpg
L-R: Black pepper grinder, table salt, ketchup, mayonnaise, steak sauce, soy sauce, tonkotsu sauce, ponzu, furikake

[lavagal]

Sriracha, Tabasco, Gulden's Mustard, Heinz Cocktail Sauce, Deb's Barbecue Sauce.

[Pomai]

Lavagal, I just added a poll which includes many of those you just named!

Cast your votes! Mahalo.

[helen]

Oddly enough I just have one bottle of ketchup but a few different types of mustard in the house, as well as various salad dressings.

[tikiyaki]

You left out sweet and sour...one of my personal faves

[Pomai]

You left out sweet and sour...one of my personal favesThat could appropriately be included in the MEAT/DIPPING SAUCES category.

I remember you mentioning a pineapple-teriyaki burger. Here's one that our office gang recently ordered at the new Islands Fine Burgers location in Ala Moana...

http://www.96seven44.com/images/islandshawaiianburger.jpg
The "Hawaiian" burger


http://www.96seven44.com/images/islandshawaiian2.jpg
Angle #2

For "condiments' sake, notice the caramelized Teriyaki glaze seeping from the pineapple and covering the swiss cheese. **DROOL**

See my blog at the link below for the full review.

[tikiyaki]

Whoa....That's SERIOUS.

[Erika Engle]

It makes me crazy-indignant that mainland-based chains will throw pineapple or teriyaki sauce (or both) on a dish and link it to Hawaii.

(Are they really using HAWAIIAN pineapple, or do they use the cheaper stuff from Thailand to increase their margins?)

It's quite often just plain old ignorant, stereotypical food kitsch, in my mind. This isn't the 1950s, folks!

Wrote a column about it. Like to hear it? Here it go:

http://starbulletin.com/2005/08/07/business/engle.html

[glossyp]

It makes me crazy-indignant that mainland-based chains will throw pineapple or teriyaki sauce (or both) on a dish and link it to Hawaii.

(Are they really using HAWAIIAN pineapple, or do they use the cheaper stuff from Thailand to increase their margins?)

It's quite often just plain old ignorant, stereotypical food kitsch, in my mind. This isn't the 1950s, folks!

Wrote a column about it. Like to hear it? Here it go:

http://starbulletin.com/2005/08/07/business/engle.html
You know, we should get a food historian to research the how and why this came to be. Was Hawaii the first place in the U.S. to use pineapple and teriyaki sauce? If so, it is not unreasonable (though certainly outdated as you point out) for people to associate these ingredients/flavors with Hawaii. How about Red Lobster's current 'American Seafood Festival' which features the dish Maui Luau Shrimp & Salmon (http://redlobster.com/discover/specials.asp) served with, you guessed it, grilled pineapple!

[SusieMisajon]

As Kamaka said, over on the AlohaWorldOhanaLanai...you want a Hawaiian pizza...gotta put Spam on it!

[Lei K]

I like everything there AND other. Ha! I'm not that picky I see. :D

[Surfingfarmboy]

I'm surprised no one has made mention of chili pepper water...it seems to be ubiquitous in all of the plate lunch diners I've been to in the Kalihi/Sand Island area of Honolulu. Chili pepper water, in Hawaii, is somewhat analogous to a condiment tradition here in New England: vinegar. Most diners and restaurants here have bottles of vinegar available tableside, which diners liberally sprinkle on to their food..it goes great on salted french fries. Many (often times the elderly with diet restrictions) will use it in place of salt. Usually, the vinegar is the clear variety, but the brown malt variety is seen more in seafood restaurants. I would have to say that vinegar is my personal favorite condiment, with shoyu (Aloha Brand) not far behind. After reading MadAzza's recent post about shoyu, you can bet my shoyu brand consumed from now on will be either Aloha or Kikkoman!

[nachodaddy]

grain alcohol and rainwater

seriously though.........kinda OT but the burger posted above got me thinking about a serious topic. Is pineapple juice a component of you own homemade huli huli(trademarked name) sauce?

[Pomai]

Pineapple juice. Vinegar. Yup. I missed an important flavor category in this poll: Acidic. There should be a choice of: Vinegar/Balsamic Vinegar, Squeeze of Lemon, etc. in the poll.

Oh well, now it's mentioned, so there.

I definately always ask for lemon when ordering fish... especially if it's with "chips".

Some folks gotta' have lemon in their iced water. Not me.

I've never had a liking for the Pineapple-Teriyaki flavor combination. Especially with Beef. Pour on the mushrooms, baby.

Chili Pepper Water isn't my thing either. You KNOW you're in a local restaurant when they have that on the table. Classic.

My mother is a mayoholic. On rice, with mango, you name it. I think that's what's keeping her healthy. :D

[Mahi Waina]

Freshly grated ginger on everything!!! Good for arthritis.

[pinakboy]

my fave condiment for meat(lechon kawali, pulehu pork chops, ribeye, spencer) is aloha low salt shoyu and tabasco! :D

mah wife's one can be patis and vinegar or ponzu!

but i make my own aged homemade dipping sauce of crushed garlic, bayleaves, tiny hawaiian chilis, low sodium aloha shoyu, apple cider vinegar, peppercorns, MSG, and a pinch of hawaiian salt. all u do is keep adding vinegar and more crush garlic as it goes down! winnahz!! almost like chilahpepah watah but with da pinoy touch eh! :D