Have you had your plate lunch today?

As you know from yesterday, I'm traveling to Hawaii in a few weeks, so I'm digging in to some of the history behind the food there. Today I'm looking at something simply called "plate lunch." Again, it's a local take on meat and potatoes that reflects the fact that Hawaii is largely influenced by the Asian immigrants who came to work during the sugar and banana plantation rush.

Plate lunch is a standard the way hamburgers are standard in the states. A typical plate lunch will include two scoops of rice + macaroni salad with mayonnaise + some kind of protein-- often laulau (Hawaiian pork), Korean kalbi, or another kind of meat incorporated from the cuisine of one of the many Asian countries that have influenced Hawaii. And if you're feeling really hungry, you can try "loco moco"-- picture a hamburger with a fried egg cracked on top of it on top of your rice. Often there is gravy poured over all of it.

You're not going jogging after a plate lunch.

The plate lunch has its roots in Hawaiian plantation life. Workers from many Asian countries and Portugal came to Hawaii to work the fields and they all brought their distinct style of cooking with them. Essentially, everyone would have rice with meat leftover from the dinner of the night before and toss some gravy on top. The macaroni seems to have crept in later.

People have kept up the tradition and adapted it to the times. Even President Obama ate a plate lunch when he went back to Hawaii, where he grew up. Often I'll see dive plate lunch places that remind me of dive hamburger joints here on the mainland, but there are also some trying to giving it a more refined feel with better ingredients. Some are even trying to work vegetables in there…

Image courtesy of arnold | inukayi via flickr