For the Paradox of Hawaii to Wisconsin
At the Wailana Coffee Shop in Waikiki one evening I shared a conversation with my friend's grandparents. The topic of college comes up, and I tell them I am attending the UW-Madison. As I await the ever so popular question of "What made you decide on Wisconsin?" instead they ask me something a little disturbing, but however relevant. "What is it like being a minority?"

"I never considered myself Asian-American until I came to Wisconsin."

China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Okinawa, Korea, Puerto Rico, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Russia, England, America were just a few of the places from which they sailed into Hawaiian waters more than 150 years ago. Many held the intentions of returning home their contracts complete, their pockets fat, their cultures intact.

"I chose Wisconsin because it was so far away, to see what it was like outside of Hawaii, to see something new, meet new people."

Each culture their own, encouraged to stay separate, to disagree, to fight, to be racist for the benefits of the rich white plantation owner sitting in his home on the hill. Generations of struggle and strife results in an ironic system surpassing the model of cultural pluralism yielding a hybridized culture based on strong ethnic identity, and points of commonality between Hawaiian, Asian, and Western peoples.

"Everyone in Madison stays with their own kind, their own race, and then within that, their own ethnic group...Asian-bars, black fraternities, thousands of minority-organizations, minority Liasons, diversity commitees, and an Asian-American Magazine telling people not to be twinkies."

Honolulu's Chinatown reflects continuing immigrantion to the Islands today; not only Chinese, but Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Thai as well. Samoa, Guam, Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Guam, Thailand, Indonesia, as well as new groups from Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Korea are also establishing communities.

"There is divisions within the Asian-American communities, certain groups hate others. And there seem to be two different types of Asian-Americans, ones who are exclusive to their own ethnic group, and others who avoid their own race like the plauge."

In Hawaii every ethnic culture flourishes in the absence of any one dominating culture. All racial and ethnic backgrounds retain their own ethnic heritage without fear of approval, yet also reach out to other groups and other cultures. Native Hawaiian dance, music, traditions, superstitions, and language are studied and respected by people of all races, sometimes even as a substitute identity for their own blood culture.

"Some people laugh at Native American singing and dancing, no more respect for another's culture...And the university is built on Indian ground."

After the 4th and 5th generations, identities start to cross ethnic lines, Obon season, Oroku-ken picnics, Chinese new years, Kamehameha day, Boy's day, are are all celebrated by all ethnic groups as much as the 4th of July. Regardless of race or ethnicity, blends of ethnic foods are enjoyed with chopsticks, forks spoons and hands. Fish, rice, Kim chee, sashimi, dim sum, pho, adobo, pigs feet, ox tail soup, andagi, spring rolls, Kal bi, mochi gau, manapua, malasadas, mango chutney, li hing mui, ginger chicken, pipikaula, laulau, poi, and McTerri Burgers, fruit punch, spam musubi, hotdog sushi, saimin with shoyu and tabasco on the side.

"I never considered myself Asian-American until I came to Wisconsin, I still don't know if I do."

Like a cynical little prick one evening I disturbed an elderly couple sitting in the Wailana Coffee Shop in Waikiki with the harsh and honest realizations of a mainland college student. Grandpa looks a little confused, and then turns to me to offer some grandfatherly advice for the bitter young man. He starts talking about his grandparents. His grandfather was from China, who married a woman from Madeira, Portugal. His other grandfather was full-blooded Hawaiian, married to a woman from England. Grandma here is Chinese, Hawaiian, Irish and Japanese. All of their grandparents met in the plantation town of Hilo more than a century ago. "So why are you going back to Wisconsin?" She asks me with a grandmotherly look on her face. "Why not stay here in Hawaii Nei where you belong?"

"I still want to see snow." I said. We all laughed.


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