My Hawaii Culture

I was born and raised on the island of Oahu; therefore, it is the only culture I am familiar with since my mother did not feel it was necessary to practice every single Japanese custom. After reflecting on my experiences of living here, I do not think that there is a majority culture in Hawaii. I do believe that we have a greater number of individuals from certain ethnicities; however, they may not practice their culture, similar to my situation. Hawaii’s culture is a combination of everyone’s culture, which is what makes it unique. We have annual events that celebrate a variety of cultures, such as the bon dance, the Korean festival, Chinese New Year, and the Merrie Monarch Festival. I recently attended the Korean festival with my friend,
even though we are not familiar with the culture. However, it was a fun experience eating Korean foods, playing games, and viewing the merchandise, which was filled with a variety of Korean popstar posters. Therefore, anyone is welcome to these events to learn about the culture and to promote cultural proficiency. Another unique aspect of Hawaii is the language. Although a majority of the locals are proficient in English, many can speak Hawaii Creole English, otherwise known as pidgin. It is a unique language influenced by the variety of languages spoken during the plantation. Pidgin is comprised of English, Portuguese, Cantonese, Japanese, Tagalog, and Korean. Many locals use this speech from casual conversation to actual news reports by Guy Hagi. The cuisine in Hawaii is a combination of numerous cultures.
One can find foods inspired by Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean, and American cuisine in a 7-11 convenience store. I find the spam musubi absolutely delicious! Additionally, they serve steamed manapua, hotdogs, li hing mui products, and pork shumai. Furthermore, we do have cuisines that are completely Japanese, Chinese, Filipino etc. However, what is convenient about Hawaii is that they are present all over the island. Aside from Chinatown, if you crave Japanese ramen, that can be found across the street from the Chinese restaurant which is next to the Hawaiian restaurant. A culture is not segregated into a single area of the town, they are combined throughout the entire island. Lastly, I want to distinguish local food versus Hawaiian food. Hawaiian food is the cuisine inspired by the diet of the Native Hawaiians. Certain foods associated with Hawaiian cuisine include poi, kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, and lau lau. However, local food is the combination of a variety of cultures including Hawaiian
cuisine. Life in Hawaii is different from life in the continent.
Since we are separated by a large body of water, we developed our own personality and way of life. I find that certain issues/controversies that occur in the continent is not given as much attention here in Hawaii. The only time I would hear conversations of issues, such as the Michael Brown incident, was on the news. Furthermore, since we live on a small island, the issues we are concerned with are those that occur in the islands. Therefore, those that are not from Hawaii should understand that if they anger a group of people, then there is a higher chance of seeing them around the island. I have experienced running into my ex-boyfriend multiple
times.
Another tip I would give an unfamiliar student would be to respect the land. A majority of the tourist or immigrants do; however, occasionally there are a few that do not. This angers the locals since we are proud of our environment. Additionally, there are sites that are kapu, which means they are sacred. They may just look like a bunch of rocks; however, they have special meaning to the Native Hawaiians. Therefore, if locals see someone disrespecting the land, this is when people tend to say racist remarks, such as “stupid haole.” Therefore, do not give them an excuse to treat you like that. If you are respectful then the locals will be respectful as well. Additionally, learn to enjoy the beauty around you. The continent has a reputation of being busy; however, Hawaii has a reputation of being laid back and to some, lazy. We have a saying, “I’m not late, I’m on Hawaiian time.” Therefore, do not get too upset during traffic or if the bus comes late, take a deep breath, and enjoy the view around you.
My last tip would is to be understanding of the variety of cultures and people we have on the island. Try to learn about each culture so that you do not accidentally offend someone. It is important to be patient since we do have many individuals that are not proficient in English. Certain cultures may behave in a way that you find rude. However, they do not mean to anger you. When I was working at Santouka Ramen, I would be so upset by Japanese tourist since they would never leave a tip. Additionally, some people treat servers as secondhand citizens. However, I learned that I should not blame them since this is how they were born and raised. They are not treating you this way based on who you are, but on your position/role. Therefore, do not take things personally and remember to treat everyone with respect for they will treat you with respect.