No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

[alohabear]

In a recent Honolulu Weekly Magazine ,Sue Kiyabu went a week without the basics in the local diet. The ma'ona food blog said

The conclusions from the article are what you might expect. All-local, all-organic in Hawaii is really hard. Many staples aren't available locally because the economics of land use make it far cheaper to ship foods from 2400+ miles than to grow them right in our own valleys. Ms. Kibayu trial period for eating locally lasted one week, but during that time she discovered that there are options available when we're willing to hunt for them, and that there is value in the hunt.

By the end of the week, I knew I could incorporate more sustainable, locally grown items into my eating regimen... It took some work, it was not convenient, but it did expand my sense of community." - Sue Kiyabu

It seems like a interesting experiment, but I for one would find it hard too. Because of the reasons above and because I like to eat.

HT .... How do you think you would do, eating totally "local"?

[timkona]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

Would be easy to do without rice or milk....both are killers in the long run. As for shoyu, who needs it?

Isnt it interesting that humans are the only species that never wean their young off milk? Can you imagine a bull walking up to a cow for a sip of milk?

[pzarquon]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

Isnt it interesting that humans are the only species that never wean their young off milk?

We're the only species to do a lot of things. Forget weaning (which humans do, at least off human milk)... the fact that we consume the milk of other species (cow, goat) is more unusual to me.

I didn't pick up the Weekly, but saw the cover. So, the reason for excluding shoyu, milk and rice was because they're staples here, and not for any nutritional reason? It's not a fad diet, but an experiment in eating local? Interesting. Local restauranteurs could also tell you the challenges of "supporting local farmers." They'd do it more, if they could, but the balance between what the food industry needs and what Hawaii folks can practically produce is a tough one.

Sustainability is a noble goal to work toward, and I can definitely see how worrisome it is for an island archipelago -- or, for that matter, a thriving, developed nation -- to get almost all of its food from outside. Hey, you never know when the apocolypse is nigh. On the other hand, some regions and nations have the capacity (or ability) to produce more food per spot of land than others.

In the global view, it makes sense to me that places with varying resources exchange what they've got for what they need with other places, rather than expecting every community be able to produce just enough of everything for just themselves.

Rice is a staple all over the world, so of course it's a staple here. I don't even know if rice will grow here, but even if it would, I doubt it would make sense given limited space and water. Why not import it, if we can?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

I didn't pick up the Weekly, but saw the cover. So, the reason for excluding shoyu, milk and rice was because they're staples here, and not for any nutritional reason?

Not quite. The idea was, eat only things that have been grown within a 100-mile radius of where you live, although Kiyabu fudged the distance a bit to allow for Big Island produce.

Sustainability is a noble goal to work toward, and I can definitely see how worrisome it is for an island archipelago -- or, for that matter, a thriving, developed nation -- to get almost all of its food from outside. Hey, you never know when the apocolypse is nigh. On the other hand, some regions and nations have the capacity (or ability) to produce more food per spot of land than others.

When the End of Life As We Know It comes, those of us who survive may be back to kalo, ʻuala, ʻulu, and fish.

Rice is a staple all over the world, so of course it's a staple here. I don't even know if rice will grow here, but even if it would, I doubt it would make sense given limited space and water. Why not import it, if we can?

Kiyabu makes an interesting point that a hundred years ago there was plenty of locally grown rice but these days it has indeed all given way to overseas imports.

[Pongs]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

I wish the author said more about what she actually was able to eat that week. "steamed bok choy" yumm?...

It's so surprising to find out where your food actually comes from!
Even tho NY is known as the big apple, most of the apples there actually come from Washington

[alohabear]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

Local(grown) foods just don't have the variety. I like the fact that the foods I love come from all around the world.

[Palolo Joe]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

Would be easy to do without rice or milk....both are killers in the long run.

How is rice a killer in the long run?

[Miulang]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

How is rice a killer in the long run?

White rice has more carbs and calories, and very little nutritional value compared to brown rice. Orher rice factoids here.

The ubiquitous "2 scoop rice" on most plate lunches is the equivalent of 2 c. of white rice, which is close to 500 calories. Then you add in the mac salad and the teriyaki or whatever, and you end up with a very high caloric meal.

If you can't stand the taste of brown rice, either use half brown rice and half white rice or use Thai Jasmine or basmati rice, which have fewer calories and carbs and are more flavorful. It's the California grown short grain "sticky style" rice that creates the problem.

Miulang

P.S. the problem with trying to eat local these days is that unless you actually live on a farm, getting everything you need is going to be tough unless you're willing to take the time (and often the extra cost) to seek these things out. Much of the farmland all over the world is being overtaken by development, which means the source of your food is farther and farther away. I doubt there will ever come a time again when people will be able to eat 100% locally, but every time you buy Manoa lettuce or a Kula onion, or a Hilo papaya, you are buying local and helping the farmers and the 'aina.

[Pedro]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

Miulang

P.S. the problem with trying to eat local these days is that unless you actually live on a farm, getting everything you need is going to be tough unless you're willing to take the time (and often the extra cost) to seek these things out. Much of the farmland all over the world is being overtaken by development, which means the source of your food is farther and farther away. I doubt there will ever come a time again when people will be able to eat 100% locally, but every time you buy Manoa lettuce or a Kula onion, or a Hilo papaya, you are buying local and helping the farmers and the 'aina.[/QUOTE]

So your saying that when I go to a hawaiian party all the food except poi and hopefully fish will be imports? Ah man that would suck!

[Miulang]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

So your saying that when I go to a hawaiian party all the food except poi and hopefully fish will be imports? Ah man that would suck!

Unless you live on Moloka'i or Niihau, that's probably true. Sad, yeah? Even for stuff like haupia...where does the coconut milk come from? Cans from the Philippines or Thailand. Where does the sugar come from? Maybe the sugar started out in Hawai'i, but it was sent to California to be processed and packed. Maybe you can find Hawai'i tomatoes for your lomi salmon, but the salted salmon most likely wasn't produced in Hawai'i (it certainly didn't come out of Hawaiian waters).

Miulang

[Pomai]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

I'm sure you can buy organic milk, shoyu and rice in any health food store. But if you drove to that store located 10 miles away from your home to buy products that were delivered by another vehicle that also consumed fossil fuel, that would practically negate the whole ideal of eating organic in the first place. At least in the context written in that article.

Our family could easily survive on what's growing right in our backyard, but would we want to? Not at the moment. If forced to, no problem.

The subject at large here isn't about living an organic, healthy lifestyle, but whether or not Hawaii can be self-sustaining. Indeed a subject that needs more research and effort.

I'm all for our expanding Aquaculture Industry, such as the lobster, abalone and ogo farms on the Kona Coast. With more and more land being overtaken by residential development, aquaculture seems a logical direction to take.

As for agriculture, here's some statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture (Hawaii State Agricultural Overview - 2005, PDF document).

At a glance, it seems those figures would be adequate to support the entire state's population, provided it was all kept for domestic consumption. That, combined with solar-powered vehicles and shipping barges.. why not?

Technically and theoretically Hawaii could be self-sustained, but in today's global economy, it's just not practical. But I hope in time of an emergency we WILL be.

[Miulang]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

What kinda cracks me up is whenever there's even a hint of a shipping strike in Hawai'i, what do the local supermarket shelves run out of first? Rice, SPAM and toilet paper!

Miulang

[Leo Lakio]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

What kinda cracks me up is whenever there's even a hint of a shipping strike in Hawai'i, what do the local supermarket shelves run out of first? Rice, SPAM and toilet paper!

Miulang

Taking care of the ins and outs, no?

[Palolo Joe]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

So your saying that when I go to a hawaiian party all the food except poi and hopefully fish will be imports?

Very few dishes at a "hawaiian party" are foods that were eaten by kanaka maoli.

And there's nothing wrong with hoarding spam, rice and toilet paper. Lots of uses for all three ingredients.

Local folks are resourceful.

[Erika Engle]

Re: No Shoyu,Milk or Rice

"As for shoyu, who needs it?"

I NEEDS it, thank you very much!

Raised with it all my life by my Nihonjin mother.

Not just any shoyu will do, either. I'm a shoyu SNOB and proud of it.

Lee Cataluna wrote a column about the vehemence of people's shoyu preferences years ago.