Diverse Racial Groups
     Caucasians are not the majority here as they would be on the mainland. The major cultures here are Hawaiian, Polynesian, Japanese, and Portuguese along with some other Asian and Malaysian cultures. Many buildings are Asian inspired and the Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures are still very much alive here. Much of the food is also Asian or Polynesian. American food is not common here unless you eat in a hotel or restaurant. In Hawaii, there are two main racial groups. Those are "haoles" (whites) and "locals" (brown-skinned). The locals vastly outnumber the haoles and while many people are very kind and loving, many other people are also extremely racist against whites. This is something very different and new and hard to cope with for those who are white and from an area where they were not the racial minority. Of course, you will find that the spirit of aloha is alive and well here and that many locals are far from being unkind.

The Spirit of Aloha
     I have been all over the country and nowhere in the United States have I witness the kindness and openness of people as I have here in Hawaii. Unlike the mainland, we do not walk past people on the street and stare straight ahead, pretending they do not exist. Everyone receives a smile and a friendly "hello." When you meet someone here, it is customary to hug them and, if they are of the opposite sex, to kiss them, rather than just give the usual handshake. Locals will often ask you to call them by family names such as "auntie," "uncle," and "tutu" (grandmother). Most here are very poor and we all have so little. It gives everyone a sense of being a family and we all do what we can to help each other out.

Local Food
     One of the things that amused me most when I was working retail in a tourist-oriented store was that so many tourists would come up to me and ask me where they could try some local food. Aside from the fact that you would be hard-pressed to find a place that did NOT sell local food, I would tell them that if they had never tried local food before, then it was not in their best interest to try it now. They would only end up ill and ruining their vacation. There are many local foods that Americans are perfectly safe eating, but most consist of quite a lot of mayonnaise or of heavily fried foods.
     Poke (poh-kay) is one local dish that is extremely delicious, though it may be difficult to get a mainlander to eat it. Poke consists of raw seafood, usually either fish or octopus, which is mixed with shoyu (soy sauce), sea salt, and fresh seasonings and seaweed. Those who appreciate sushi are most likely to try this dish and I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if it is made of ahi (yellowfin tuna).
     Musubis (moo-soo-bee) are fairly safe. Some are very delicious. The most popular is the $.99 Spam musubi. A musubi consists of a brick of white rice with a slice of spam on top wrapped around with a piece of seaweed. Sometimes a slab of scrambled eggs is included under the Spam. Sometimes a slice of fried chicken is used instead of Spam. A seasoning called furikake is often used on top of the rice and it has a fishy smell and taste.
     Bentos, or plate lunches as they are sometimes called are the most popular and would not be palatable for many Americans. They consist of "two scoop rice" along with about as many different kinds of deep fried (katsu) meat as you can find and sometimes scrambled eggs. No vegetables are ever included except the occasional potato salad and a pickled ginger slice (the hot-pink and white swirly thing). You can also get shredded cabbage, macaroni salad, and long rice which looks like brown noodles or clear gummy worms.
     Sushi is extremely popular here and can be obtained nearly anywhere. Sashimi is plain raw fish.
     Mana Pua are bread rolls that are filled with either sweet potato or some kind of meat, usually pork. I don't like them, but many locals do. You can get them at 7-11 for about $.75.
     Asian dishes are the most popular type of local foods. There is the ever-popular Chinese food which everyone knows and loves. Thai food is also popular here. Thai is very delicious and is much like Chinese, but not as oily and usually more spicy, but you can ask for non-spicy versions. Japanese food is extremely popular and you can purchase Japanese-style bentos nearly anywhere. Most treats and desserts are also Asian or Portuguese. Mochi (moh-chee) is one of the most popular - a delicious rice-based cake which is really not like cake at all and more like soft cookie dough.

Nudity
     Nudity is pretty much frowned upon in the United States no matter the situation. Things are a bit different here, though. Young children frequently run around at home, in the yard, and at the beach with no clothes on. It's also common to see babies carried around in public places with nothing on but a diaper, sometimes, but rarely, with nothing on at all. Men often go shirtless, even into stores and public places except restaurants. We also have nude beaches. These are not private beaches, just secluded beaches where everyone chooses to go nude. It's not embarrassing to be there at all and they are very much family places. Whole families, babies, kids, teenagers, and parents, will all go nude to the beach together. Breastfeeding is more popular here than in other areas of the country an women feed openly in public without covering themselves. It is illegal to ask a woman breastfeeding in Hawaii to cover herself or to move to another area and is punishable by law.

Poverty
     Most people in Hawaii live below the national poverty line. Strangely, these people do not feel as though they live in poverty. The spirit of aloha is alive and well here and with a close-knit community and attention to family, money seems to be of no importance at all. Hawaiians know how to have fun and when they are not working hard, they play hard. While people on the mainland feel that being poor and living on welfare is something to be ashamed of, in Hawaii it is simply a way of life and no one thinks any differently of you if you are rich or poor. Most people here live on welfare because it is so easily obtained. Hawaii also has the MedQuest program, a medical insurance program run by the state which covers 100% of medical expenses to those who live below the poverty line. David receives free medical from his company because it is required by law in Hawaii. Amber is self-employed and receives Quest insurance. Housing here seems to fall into disarray and a home which no one on the mainland would consider living in is often thought of as acceptable and even "nice" here.

Tatoos
     Tattoos are an extremely important and accepted part of the culture here. While on the mainland, having a tattoo may be seen as alternative or rebellious and is even frowned upon, in Hawaii, tattoos are very popular and meaningful. You will find it extremely difficult to find anyone here without a tattoo. They are as common in Hawaii as makeup is on the mainland. Tattoos are so acceptable here that they will not affect your ability to get or keep a job, no matter what that job is and even men with facial tattoos find good jobs working for reputable and even high-end companies.
     Most of the tattoos that you will see are black-and-white, usually family names and portraits. Other popular themes are fish, fishhooks, maps of Hawaii, and portraits of Hawaiian royalty. Another popular style are the Maori tattoos.

More Hawaiian Tattoos:
http://www.5nolans.org/images/img_2630.jpg
http://www.robinhansson.com/Picturefolder1/shark%20teeth%20tattoo.JPG
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2001/Aug/05/islandlife1_b.jpg
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2001/Aug/05/islandlife_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/65056523_72396ea0a6.jpg