Saimin
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Saimin is a noodle soup dish unique to Hawaii. Inspired by Japanese udon, Chinese mein, and Filipino pancit, saimin was developed during Hawaii's plantation era. It is a soup dish of soft wheat egg noodles served in hot dashi garnished with green onions. Kamaboko, Char siu, sliced Spam, linguiça, and nori may be added, among other additions.
Japanese pot stickers, called gyoza, as well as Chinese wonton, may be substituted for or added to the dish's noodles for special occasions. A pan-fried version, primarily inspired by Filipino pancit, is also popular, especially at carnivals, fair grounds, and catered parties.
History
Saimin is a compound of two Chinese words 細麵: 細 (pinyin: xì, Cantonese: sai), meaning thin, and 麵 (miàn, mein), meaning noodle. Saimin is recognized as a traditional state dish in Hawaii, taking into consideration the various historic and cultural significances of its creation. The dish is composed of elements taken from each of the original sugarcane and pineapple plantation laborer ethnicities of the early 20th century: Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, Portuguese.
As plantation laborers returned from the fields communal meals were informally prepared. It is believed that in some occasions a Filipino family may have had extra green onions growing in their yard, the Portuguese some sausage, the Hawaiian a couple extra eggs, and the Korean some cabbage left over from making kimchi. At this point they would all throw their ingredients into the pot and share. It may be through these communal meals that saimin was born.
Popularization
Saimin was first popularized as a fast food dish at Honolulu Stadium. It is served at all sporting venues alongside hot dogs and hamburgers, at popular national fast food chains, and restaurants throughout islands. A healthy alternative to most school meals, several public schools offer saimin as a regular option for students.[citation needed]
Historic saimin establishments
Several saimin establishments including saimin noodle factories and restaurants have become local landmarks in Hawaii and have attracted out-of-state visitors who have ventured off the traditional tourist beaten paths. Many of these establishments have been officially designated by the State of Hawaii as places of historic interest. Among such establishments are Likelike Drive Inn and Washington Saimin on Oahu, and Hamura's Saimin on Kauai.
McDonald's saimin
McDonald's, an American fast-food giant based in Oak Brook, Illinois, became aware of the saimin phenomenon in the islands in the late 1960s. Maurice J. Sullivan, legendary Hawai‘i entrepreneur and owner of Foodland Super Market Limited, had purchased and opened the first McDonald's restaurant in Hawai‘i in 1968 at his flagship grocery store. He opened several more McDonald's franchises and for 12 straight months, McDonald's Hawai‘i became the highest grossing group of franchises in the world. Sullivan wanted to serve his favorite meal at his McDonald's restaurants, saimin, knowing all too well that his restaurants would boom with its introduction to the menu.
Sullivan invited executives from McDonald's corporation, including owner business tycoon Ray Kroc, for dinner at two family-owned, "hole-in-the-wall" saimin stands in Honolulu. They ate at Washington Saimin and Boulevard Saimin. That night, Sullivan convinced Kroc to expand McDonald's menu for the first time in its corporate history to include a local "ethnic" food. Researchers worked extensively with Washington Saimin to develop a recipe for McDonald's Hawaii. Sullivan secured deals with a local saimin noodle factory, fishcake supplier and a Japanese company, Ajinomoto, to manufacture a special soup base.
Saimin is today one of McDonald's Hawaii restaurant's most popular menu items. Later, Sullivan introduced the breakfast platters of Portuguese sausage, eggs and steamed white rice; Spam, eggs and rice; and a Breakfast deluxe, a combination of the two, to his menu, capitalizing on more local food phenomena.
See also
Sources
- Aiko Hamura, Leila Fujimori, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 27, 2002
- Asian Noodles, Our Kitchen, Hormel Foods, 2004
- Gambling on a Good Meal, Betty Shimabukuro, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 5, 2001
- Got Manapua, Kyle Tatsumoto and Keith Kamisugi, Nichi Bei Times, 2001
- Noodlemania: Hawaii's melting pot is a bowl of saimin, Marnie Masuda, Maui Time Weekly, November 6, 2003
- Saimin, Catherine Kekoa Enomoto, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 10, 1997
- Shige's Saimin Stand, Lyle Galdera, KHNL, April 27, 2002
- Joan Clarke, Local Food: What to Eat in Hawaii, Namkoong Publishing, 1997
- Rachel Laudan, Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage, University of Hawaii Press, 1996