Aloha Ohana Cook Out When people are first exposed to Hawaii Barbecue (not to be confused with the process term) it is most likely from a hibachi, which is the process of grilling. The first contact is usually when invited to a family event which they were invited to as a friend of the family. This is a show of “The Aloha Spirit” of love, peace, and compassion in welcoming the person(s) to your family. This of course is through a give and take scenario of everyone helping out by giving their care for others over themselves in their show of Aloha to the invited guest who hopefully shows their love back at future events. Ohana is an important way of everyday life which is not limited to any race. It is at first the family, but it’s also about friends who are valued as close as family, and even members of a larger community that mirror family values of one another. This is shown in the way of cook outs with explaining to others and nurturing them as if they were their own student. Showing the cook out for its fun as well as its personal connection of the people. It also creates a family setting for those of the family as well as people of the extended friend family who have been invited. This idea of ohana makes people understand that if people drop the strong front of pride of one culture over another and understand the small land of an island shows were all in the same boat. A Hawaiian Style Cook Out Cook outs are purposely planned as whole day events. As barbecue traditions on the mainland are based on the low and slow pits with the barbecue pit being the star, Hawaii barbecue has its similarities. They both share being outdoors watching a pig slow cook for hours while popping out some drinks. The food at the cooking events on the mainland and the island cook outs of course bring people closer together through the magic of time cooked meats. Long cook times mean people can spend more time mingling and enjoying life together instead of spending time fighting against each other. When people take the time to talk to others at a cookout instead of harshly judging them from a bird's eye view it really helps create understanding. Knowing that things aren't so different and everyone faces many of the same island problems. When time does all magic, socializing over some food and creating a laid back atmosphere can be that magic. ʻAhaʻaina Barbeque Traditionally these sorts of cookouts were at first called private 'aha'aina or a private feast. It was used instead of the modern feast name Ohana Cookout which was the more modern name that implies a feast of foods that are a bit more diverse to modern tastes. Sometimes it is known as a 'Aha'aina Barbeque by those who want a bit of traditional kanaka maoli (Hawaiian) and modern Hawaii with a strike in the middle that pays homage to both as done before by hapa-haoles. Those who have cookouts for their circles of friends and family are in a sense taking a stand to get people to a place for food. It also gets people talking and able to show signs that the local community is quite alive. It also marks as a way to bring down social walls and realizations that everyone will see everyone, and in a short amount of time, because its an island. If everyone took the responsibility showing their Aloha in cook outs it could connect people like the plantation days. People would get their folding chairs and sit around the imu pit and talk story. More people would feel the old school Aloha by these barriers coming down. It would help revitalize the Aloha that has been slowly disappearing. The Whole Hog of The New Ancient Imu Growing up in Hawaii the people are well aware of the traditions of the hawaiian people in the old fashioned and historic Imu. Over time people from other parts of America had their own influences of Barbecue that had described the process of using low and slow cooking techniques with fire and smoke, which led to the controversy of imu being a place of barbeque. Whichever part of the argument the people land on there was no denying the process involved the techniques of Barbecue, but was not an american invention, just viewed as a regional type of Barbecue. Younger generations of eaters moved towards the american barbecue foods at home and while eating out. They had enjoyed the modern restaurants of what's shown on video, advertisements, and stories people say of food that came from the mainland and many had taken a liking to the new flavors of those places regional styles. This means all the local foods would have to fight against the incoming globalized food restaurants and still be relevant in competitive tastes nationally. Specifically in the way of the definition of what is in the word Barbecue. Commercial Eateries of Hawaiian Barbecue Commercial eateries took advantage of the eager audiences interest in Barbecue. They marketed and welcomed Barbecue as a business by ethnic groups. Barbecue joints had a variety like: Japanese Barbecue, Korean Barbecue, American Barbecue, and the controversial “Hawaiian Barbecue” title (see article. Barbecue of the 50th State). People went two ways with the introduction of commercial Barbecue. Some had seen it as an attack, making pushing people away from the traditional imu by connecting it to the word barbecue, those who had taken that path felt even more meaning in saving the traditions of how things always were. In response they worked hard at their efforts to pass down the ways of the imu to the next generation. This began to ingrain the idea of “us versus them” of hawaiian imu pit versus american barbeque pit. Hawaii State Barbecue Culture The other way took a stronger identity of a Haole community of foreign pride of home states. This involved the barbecue traditions of America's regional Barbecue styles: North Carolina, Kansas City, and Texas, which alienated many of the Hawaii residence. In the wake of argument, people who disagreed with both sides had begun just roasting, smoking, braising, and grilling what they liked. Neither which was traditional ways of the imu or the proven american barbecue. It was a new approach on an old argument. The origins of the “imu” and the process that comes with it “kalua” are very important, but it's just as important to appreciate the evolution and changes of them as well. The ancient ways make up the cooking methods of the hawaiian people and with it carries food traditions. There needs to be cooking differentiation between the old historic imu and the new modern imu of foods cooked and methods. This ends the claims of it being traditional and help recognize new ideas that are inspired by history, new perspective of the old ways, and new ways of doing things a way they never have been done. It's a balance of respecting the old and recognizing the new. Because at the end of the day it's all for the island, all for the residence, all under the banner of Hawaii Cuisine. Next Generation Hawaii Pitmasters Looking at the next generation of the Hawaii Pitmasters, the “Imu Pitmaster” is changing things that follow old ways while changing it up. They are still using leaves to flavor meats while mixing up the dry rubs, or marinating meats for addition flavors to be added. Getting a better understanding about flavors of smoke from the wood, flavors of moisture from banana stump, and differences in fat flavorings that accompany the meats and vegetables. It’s looking at all the parts of the original process to carefully to see how each component affects the end dish. They should be praised as those pushing the Hawaii Barbecue community in helping form a regional identity of cooking. Bringing the old ways into the discussion is important in knowing the history of where the imu came from and the history of 1819 Luaus and even farther back the name for a feast was a pāʻina. The methods of cooking in an underground oven has been passed on for generations and have been even making their imus in the same spot. It's important to be proud of the ancestors and in keeping with tradition while still bringing it up to inform the youth. Learning the new helps innovate, but teaching the old takes responsibility in respecting the past. Those who ignore both the past and the future are those who claim “Not Real Barbecue”, “Wanna be imu pit master”, “Wanna be hibachi grill master“True Barbecue”, “Fake Barbecue”, and wish for everything to remain stagnant. Everyone has become a barbecue critic by watching shows, so it's important to barbecue out of the love of it and not for anyone's approval of the idea, because one day the imu will become the king of all slow cookers. *Photo from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idw90KQF35I* Innovating on the Imu:
"I once met a group of Hawaiians from Kaneohe side that sat down with me for a chat over some Teriyaki Barbecue Kalua Pork that came straight from the imu. This group originally was trying to fund raise to get money to travel with the rest of their Hula group, but they fell on hard times to lead them in a different direction of food. This swapped the dreams of Hula in its tradition to the world of food in progressing the techniques of generations into the new age. When asking what is Hawaiian food the group responded with many different answers, but some of the ones that overlapped involved the way of cooking. Cooking through the techniques of flavor of the wood to the smoke, the survival of the island with the hot fire, and historically used for settling to the eventual continuation of island voyaging. When statehood hit the islands people were quick to lose the old methods and move on without progressing the old." The difference can be seen as the low-heat is done by heated rocks and sometimes changed with charcoal or wood. What this means in its similarities of American Barbecue is a new competitor to its seen. The style would be uniquely Hawaii in its qualities and be allowed to compete at the national level as a formidable style of cooking. In reaction it would allow for more exploration of tradition, progress into the modern, and surpass the status quo of cooking into a new level of Hawaii cooking identity. The concept of the modern Imu would be to bring back those old techniques into the modern age to compete with other ways of cooking. This would take the steam of the leaves and have a steamer section that would have stumps, a holder for the heated stones, and the cooker that would have leaf wrapped dishes. What this does is take all the flavors of old and enhances them to circulate the flavor and juices to make a even tastier dish in the absorption of flavors. The picture shows the: Compartmentalized sections in which the imu has in its design. Some call it the Breath of Flavor.
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