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Saimin-Local Grinds, Hawaii's Comfort Food
 I believe that no matter where we are from quite often we get cravings for comfort food, food that we grew up with. In my case, being raised in Japan but with a parent from Hawaii, I was blessed to have the best of both worlds. To this day my favorite comfort food is miso soup, rice and pickles. I can eat that for days. But there is the Hawaiian side of me that craves for what we refer to in Hawaii as "local grinds". I remember that as a child our family would vacation in Hawaii each summer. Part of the routine was to drive around the island with my uncle and his family. And each day we would stop for lunch, our favorite being Waipahu's Leeward  Drive In. There was much to choose from including teriyaki beef plate and beef or curry stew. But my favorite was always saimin. Saimin is a noodle soup dish that one can only find in Hawaii. It is very similar to the ramen of Japan or the Chinese mein. But this savory noodle dish comprised of soft crinkly wheat egg noodles in a broth made of bonito fish or shrimp has a unique flavor. And when it is combined with the garnishes such as green onions, spam and kamaboko (steamed fish cake)…broke da mout' (Hawaiian pidgin for "simply delicious"). I would eat this dish every day during my vacations in Hawaii and I would never tire of the flavor.
 Once again the origin of this dish dates back to the plantation days. The word "saimin" comes from two Chinese words, "sai" meaning "thin" and "mein" meaning "noodle". This dish is truly Hawaii's state dish considering the origin of its creation. Saimin was created by the joint efforts of each of the original ethnic groups that labored in our sugar cane and pineapple plantations beginning in the early 20th century. It is a dish that represents the Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian and Portuguese laborers.
 In order to save money, communal cooking was a common practice. Every family would donate an ingredient that they were able to spare. The Japanese family might share their kamaboko, the Chinese their noodles, green onions from the Filipinos, bok choy (cabbage) from the Korean family, leftover sausage from the Portuguese and some chicken or eggs from the Hawaiians. And that is how saimin came to be. When you think about it, saimin is a true reflection of the multicultural harmony that exists in Hawaii today. This may sound silly but perhaps saimin should be "the food" representing the Honolulu Festival.
Saimin is available at many restaurants including Zippy's, Likelike Drive-Inn, Boulevard Saimin, Shiro's Saimin Haven, Hamura Saimin Stand in Kauai and many more. It is reasonable, filling and there are so many varieties to choose from. Can you believe that only in Hawaii will you be able to find saimin as part of McDonald's menu? Kudos to Maurice J. Sullivan, legendary owner of Foodland Super Market, for convincing Ray Kroc of McDonald's to approve having saimin on the menu in Hawaii's franchises in the 1960's. 
So when you are visiting Hawaii, instead of going out for your favorite comfort food pizza, please be adventurous and try Hawaii's comfort food saimin. If the Irishman Mr. Sullivan considered saimin his favorite meal, I am sure that you will take a liking to it.
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