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[geeko]

I admit it, the Poke I had in Kauai shits on Mainland poke from great heights.

I was there for 2 weeks and visited the Koloa Fish Market no less than 5 time. The poke there was phenomenal and the quality of the fish itself was a step above.

That said, I love the poke shops here in California. There's a fantastic little place in Milpitas called Poke Run that I just can't get enough of. Sure, it's never going to be as good as the stuff in Hawaii, but the flavors are fantastic.

 

[tearsintherain]

Around Vegas there was a new poke place opening up every month for a while, I just never really got the appeal. All these flavor mashups just hid the clean taste of the fish, it really felt like that comedians routine of asking KFC to just dump everything they had sitting around into a bucket and call it a meal.

The food is extremely instagrammable, whether in bowl or sushi burrito wrap style.

 

[katsubento]

As the one true Hawaiian of NeoGAF...

Spoiler

I don't care

Keep the poke, bring me PLATE LUNCH

Rainbow

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

I've seen it poke up a few places around Van, usually on updated menus like the Nordstrom restaurant or Holt Renfrew cafe. It's been pretty popular for a while at actual poke or at least sushi joints, but when it appears at sort of 'luxury branded' cafes when they do a seasonal menu update then it's definitely trending lol.

Interestingly enough, they also have avocado toast

Spoiler

I passed, and paid off my mortgage

 

[Earthanoid]

Why would you want all those toppings on poke? I just got back from Hawaii and the poke there is hard to beat as it is. Throwing kale and other crap on it is just a waste of good fish.

 

[Switch Back 9]

"healthful"??

What the fuck

 

[ShdwDrake]

Yep I'm going to L&L for lunch tomorrow.

 

[Dental Plan]

4 poke restaurants opened within 2 miles of my house.

I don't expect all of them to last long like any food trend.

 

[ponpo]

Mainland poke restaurants needs to stop cutting the tuna wrong.

... and stop freezing it.

Don't you have to freeze fish if serving it raw

 

[Lemstar]

Rainbow

Kahai

 

[KingV]

As the one true Hawaiian of NeoGAF...

Spoiler

I don't care

Keep the poke, bring me PLATE LUNCH

Fuuuuuuu, gimme that highly authentic katsu chicken plate lunch. You can keep the nasty macaroni salad. Then some li hing mui gummy bears for dessert.

 

[G.ZZZ]

Italy is still waiting for reparations for the image damage from US pasta and pizza.

#neverforget

 

[Haly]

Italy is still waiting for reparations for the image damage from US pasta and pizza.

#neverforget

How about a new york slice with extra pepperoni on top?

 

[Trident]

I admit it, the Poke I had in Kauai shits on Mainland poke from great heights.

I was there for 2 weeks and visited the Koloa Fish Market no less than 5 time. The poke there was phenomenal and the quality of the fish itself was a step above.

That said, I love the poke shops here in California. There's a fantastic little place in Milpitas called Poke Run that I just can't get enough of. Sure, it's never going to be as good as the stuff in Hawaii, but the flavors are fantastic.

Koloa Fish Market is awesome.

I agree that mainland poke isn't nearly as good. All the accoutrements don't make up for the lower quality fish.

 

[Dead Man]

So if you're Hawaiian just don't order it on the mainland? This is just some shitty writer trying to get clicks, right?

Anyway, never heard of it or had it but it sounds delicious. Adding to the list for my next North America trip.

 

[cdyhybrid]

So if you're Hawaiian just don't order it on the mainland? This is just some shitty writer trying to get clicks, right?

Anyway, never heard of it or had it but it sounds delicious. Adding to the list for my next North America trip.

Nah, the point is that if you're going to make it with shitty fish and try and hide that by throwing 20 different things into it, you might as well call it something else entirely.

 

[ClayKavalier]

I admit it, the Poke I had in Kauai shits on Mainland poke from great heights.

I was there for 2 weeks and visited the Koloa Fish Market no less than 5 time. The poke there was phenomenal and the quality of the fish itself was a step above.

That said, I love the poke shops here in California. There's a fantastic little place in Milpitas called Poke Run that I just can't get enough of. Sure, it's never going to be as good as the stuff in Hawaii, but the flavors are fantastic.

It's not like fresh fish in unavailable in California, I don't get why Hawaiian-made poke would be inherently better.

I have some native Hawaiians in my extended family and when I've had poke with them they get it from the local grocery store and eat it as a topping on crackers. Tastes awesome, but I prefer the bowls with rice and veggies.

 

[Trident]

It's not like fresh fish in unavailable in California, I don't get why Hawaiian-made poke would be inherently better.

I have some native Hawaiians in my extended family and when I've had poke with them they get it from the local grocery store and eat it as a topping on crackers. Tastes awesome, but I prefer the bowls with rice and veggies.

It's not inherent, but I have found California locations to be a lot looser with fish quality than those ones in Hawaii.

 

[Discotheque]

I made loco moco once and although it sounds like a wack combination it tasted really good

Poke is dope too. Who cares about appropriation when it comes to food. Remix that shit, if you want it authentic the option is always there as well

I'm happy with this trend. It's a healthy and tasty as fuuuck recipe

 

[the_darkness]

It plays into an impassioned debate in the food world now about whether a dish prepared outside its original context is an homage or crosses the line into appropriation.

What the fuck are you doing America?

 

[zashga]

Italy is still waiting for reparations for the image damage from US pasta and pizza.

#neverforget

Yep, much clutching of culinary pearls. This is clearly something to be genuinely upset about.

 

[faisal233]

Best thing from Hawaii

I was in Afghanistan the first time I tried it. One of the guys was from the islands and had his wife send over a rice cooker, bunch of spam and seaweed. Best thing I ate that year. Always loved spam and rice ever since.

 

[Froyo Love]

I'm in favor of tasty food being remixed and made widely accessible, but I think a lot of people are being way too dismissive of these complaints, considering how often authenticity comes up as the measure of quality in discussions about all kinds of subjects here. This makes me think of the arguments over the gentrification of the chopped cheese sandwich.

 

[TomWaitsForNoMan]

What the fuck are you doing America?

Invading a sovereign nation, overthrowing its government, annexing it as a state, exploiting it for resources, and fucking up their cuisine

 

[cdyhybrid]

Invading a sovereign nation, overthrowing its government, annexing it as a state, exploiting it for resources, and fucking up their cuisine

And then getting offended when people are like "Hey, can you stop"

 

[MThanded]

I'm in vegas and there is a damn sushi burrito place on the strip.

GTFO.

 

[TomWaitsForNoMan]

And then getting offended when people are like "Hey, can you stop"

It's political correctness gone mad

 

[ponpo]

I'm in vegas and there is a damn sushi burrito place on the strip.

GTFO.

Like those cone ones or a literal burrito? If the former those are semi common I guess.

 

[BocoDragon]

Invading a sovereign nation, overthrowing its government, annexing it as a state, exploiting it for resources, and fucking up their cuisine

Okay that's pretty real. Damn.

 

[Nista]

There's a ton of those Chipotle style poke places around here, and I'm not a huge fan of all the random nonsense toppings. It just feels like filler to keep the price low so they don't have to give you more fish. The Costco poke with the sea beans, fish and spices is enough for me, but it's a bit too big of a portion for one person.

Our fish place had some locally caught yellowtail that would have made some excellent poke, so maybe I need to find a good Hawaiian recipe and just make it myself.

 

[DMONKUMA]

I'm more of a Loco Moco kind of guy.



No appropriation necessary.

My man.

You guys should try kelaguen as well, not a Hawaiian dish but still an islander one.

 

[Toki767]

Poke in Hawaii is so much cheaper than in California.

Even Safeway there has pretty good tasting poke.

 

[yanipheonu]

Stopping people from using other cultures recipes seems about as impossible as it gets.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Go to PR and get some ceviche.

 

[MUnited83]

Complaining about people putting their own twist into a dish is the silliest shit.

 

[Fenderputty]

Some of the poki places I got to locally have the authentic marinated poki available as an option. Lot of them don't though.

 

[Impotaku]

Best thing from Hawaii

Quoted for truth, spam on it's own is pretty rank but some magical transformation takes place when it's in a musubi. It's like food alchemy.

The first time i made spam musubi it was a life changing event i never looked down at spam ever again. Hawaiian cuisine has some really nice things to try, would love to try so much more.

 

[wisdom0wl]

The mainland ruins a lot of things.

 

[Sweet Bellic]

Appropriation? Sure. But I really doubt random mainland restaurants are telling Hawaiians how to eat.

This.

And seriously, who cares? Food is about sustenance and pleasure, pure and simple. Considerations of cultural appropriation and/or authenticity are completely irrelevant. If a food dish tastes good and is relatively healthy, it should be shared with the world, regardless of how much it approximates its origins.

 

[kmfdmpig]

Complaining about people putting their own twist into a dish is the silliest shit.

I agree. It's not replacing the authentic dish. Also, many of these places let the individual customize what they want, so they can stick with a more traditional approach or make it less authentic. Like pineapple on pizza or well-done steaks it's certainly not for everyone, but it doesn't really harm anyone.

 

[HiiiLife]

Manapua up next.

 

[Primus]

As the one true Hawaiian of NeoGAF...

I may have to fight you on this. You're right about plate lunch, though.

 

[Vimes]

So what, we're gonna pretend spam sushi never happened?

And we're done here.

Do what you want with food, who cares. Never understand why people hate on fusion.

Spoiler

Sushi with spam or cream cheese is gross, should be banned.

EDIT: Though criticism of the "poki" spelling is spot on, doesn't even pronounce right wtf

 

[AnathemicOne]

Reminds of how the US handles sushi, who the fuck puts seaweed underneath the rice? It ruins the point of seaweed in the dish in the first place.

 

[PdotMichael]

I guess there is a difference of making food outside of the own culture yada yada and kicking out minorities out of business.

In this thread was the example made with Japan and their crazy pizza variants, which isn't the same as if minorities getting kicked out and losing an important source of income because a product of their culture got streamrolled by a way more powerful group and businesses.

 

[Secret Character]

I'm a purist when it comes to poke. None of the places here in CO have ever gotten close to the places on Oahu. The closest I've had here is when my father (who is a true, pre-state kama'aina) made some to share with me. Every time we go back, there is a small stall on the way to the north shore that we stop at to pick more up. It's making me hungry just thinking about it.

Also, Spam musubi is amazing, and Plate Lunch is life.

 

[adamantypants]

Not a Hawaiian, but I don't see the problem here. People hate Taco bell but I'm not gonna say their burritos aren't actually burritos. I enjoy sushi as well but I'm not gonna say that I've never had it because I've never been to Japan.

As far as Poke tho, I can't say that I've had anything proper. Las Vegas is affectionately called the "Ninth Island" but a lot of the Hawaiian spots here never really tried to do Poke; presumably because the quality of raw fish just can't be found in a desert. Other than that, we actually do have some pretty decent Hawaiian food but I can't speak on the quality of any of the Poke spots that have popped up. The vast majority of them around here are standalone and don't even offer other Hawaiian dishes.

I admit it, the Poke I had in Kauai shits on Mainland poke from great heights.

I was there for 2 weeks and visited the Koloa Fish Market no less than 5 time. The poke there was phenomenal and the quality of the fish itself was a step above.

That said, I love the poke shops here in California. There's a fantastic little place in Milpitas called Poke Run that I just can't get enough of. Sure, it's never going to be as good as the stuff in Hawaii, but the flavors are fantastic.

In fairness, California has had poke shops for a while now but it seems the rest of America is just catching up

Like those cone ones or a literal burrito? If the former those are semi common I guess.

Jaburritos is basically a giant sushi roll. Calling them a sushi burrito just makes it sound interesting.

 

[FinaruDensetsu]

Yup anyone who's actually been in hawaii will tell you the Subway poke here in California is total garbage.

 

[Deception]

I never knew food could be appropriated.

 

[BocoDragon]

I never knew food could be appropriated.

I take it you've never heard of the Hamburgler.