Forget about sandy beaches, swaying palms and fiery sunsets, it’s the quintessential island staple “plate lunch” that, for many, really gets the heart yearning, imagination churning and mouth watering when dreaming of Hawai‘i from afar. It sounds a lot like this at lunch counters throughout the island chain: “Two scoop rice, one scoop potato mac, loco moco extra gravy, two side teri chicken, one side kalbi rib, piled high one container.” Translation: One plate lunch with two scoops of rice, one scoop of potato/macaroni salad, and one beef burger patty topped with one fried egg and extra gravy. Add two side orders of chicken teriyaki and one side of Korean kalbi ribs all piled high in one container. So much for the sound—despite all the fat (or because of it), it tastes a lot like heaven!

This hearty meal is much more than a calorie-filled, high-carb dining extravaganza; it’s one of many everyday happenings that celebrate the multi-ethnic, culturally diverse heritage of the Aloha State. Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese and all-American fare share space in the same cramped container, just as the islands’ “melting pot” populace shares space in harmony on just a few small specks of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Eat up and enjoy…or as the locals say, “grind brah!”