Okazuya Explained

Okazuya (Japanese: 御菜屋 or Japanese: おかずや) or okazu-ya are a Japanese-style delicatessen common in Hawaii. Unlike western delicatessens found in North America or Europe, an is an establishment that sells readymade Japanese-styled food. "Okazu" refers to a side dish to accompany rice, while "ya" refers to a retail establishment.^{[1] [2] [3]}

In Hawaii, an offers an array of, food items that are sold French: [[à la carte]], often by the piece, which can be combined to create a meal.^[4] However, many of the dishes may also be offered in the form of ready-to-go .^[5] It is often considered the precursor to the plate lunch.^{[6] [7]}

History

The idea of the was a result of Japanese and Okinawan immigration in the late 1800s. Thousands came to Hawaii to as work as contract laborers in the fruit and sugar plantations. While men labored in the plantation fields, women were doing household jobs such as cooking. Many of these women would eventually sell their cooked dishes to other plantation workers for additional income.^{[8] [9]} These establishments were essential in the daily lives of immigrants, particularly for bachelors who did not have the resources or knowledge to cook for themselves.^{[10] [11]} Although the local derive its name and recipes from Japan, they are still considered very much Hawaiian.^[12] Many of the that exists today were started by Okinawans who retired from plantation work in the 1940s.^[13]

Numerous are standalone take-out shops or attached to another family business like a neighborhood grocery store, but there are a few that have a dining area or have an adjoining restaurant. Older have typically remained a family business passed down from generation-to-generation. Consequently, the challenges of multigenerational establishments have forced several to close when family members choose other careers.^[10] Much of the work is done manually, requiring 18 hours a day.^[14] Each of the main Hawaiian Islands has an .^[15] Oahu had as many as forty-two in 2000, but that number has decreased to less than half by 2022.^[15] The oldest existing on Oahu is Sekiya's which was opened in 1935.^[16] One of the oldest in Hawaii was Nagasako Okazu-ya Deli in Lahaina, Maui, opened in the early 1900s before it was destroyed in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires.^[17]

Okazu dishes

Numerous proprietors and workers typically start very early in the morning to prepare the before opening the shop in order to target customers who purchase lunch before the start of workday.^{[18] [14]} As a result, several dishes are sold at room temperature,^[19] although a few have modernized with equipment such as food warmers. These dishes are often displayed on the window front or counter (sometimes without prices) for patrons to see.^{[20] [21] [22]} Very few remain open past lunchtime, in order to prepare for the next day. While many offer traditional and similar fare, ingredients and preparation of can vary greatly from one shop to another. "Fried chicken" at one shop may consist of battered boneless chicken thighs while another uses bone-in chicken wings.

As suggested by the name, are dishes that are enjoyed with rice. Thus, many are characteristically salty or salty-sweet, with partial use of (soy sauce) and (sweet cooking wine) as ingredients. Several of these dishes were a result of fusion cuisine, adapted to the ingredients and tastes of the time. -style chow fun is simpler than Chinese chow fun and is a common substitution for (rice). A "potato hash" (or "hash patty"), sometimes containing small amounts of canned corned beef, are described as pan-fried potato croquettes sans . The Okinawan dish is pork belly simmered in sweetened with sugar. This popular concept was applied to dishes like chicken and hot dogs which were widely available and affordable, now known today as " chicken" and " hot dog" respectively. often include SPAM, hot dogs, or fishcake.

In the present day, several have included in their offerings to modern local-Japanese fusion dishes such as "chicken," " chicken," "garlic chicken," and non-Japanese foods such as Chinese stir fries including chow mein, Filipino adobo, Korean kalbi, Hawaiian Hawaiian: [[poke (food)|poke]], and American steak.^{[19] [20]}

Rice and noodles

• - rice balls seasoned with salt, sometimes sprinkled with, wrapped with, or stuffed with an
  • - with meat such as SPAM, Goteborg sausage, or hot dog Cone - using larger pockets
• - or " roll," a rolled containing cucumber, par cooked carrots,,, and (powdered dried shrimp)
• Chow fun - flat wheat noodles stir-fried with vegetables
• Fried - stir-fried noodles similar to
• Long rice - starch noodles simmered with soy sauce

Vegetable side dishes

• - braised burdock in sweetened soy sauce
• - pickled vegetables, typically thinly sliced cucumbers, carrots, and
• - salad of mashed and vegetables
• - simmered soy bean pulp with vegetables
• - braised Japanese pumpkin in sweetened soy sauce
• Potato salad - potatoes mixed with vegetables in mayonnaise
• Macaroni salad - macaroni, or other pasta, mixed with mayonnaise, sometimes with canned tuna

Fried items

• - deep fried battered shrimp, fish, or vegetables
• Fried chicken - deep fried chicken thighs style or in batter
• Fish cake - deep fried fish croquettes made from, sometimes stuffed with hard-boiled egg or hot dog
• - or "hash balls," deep fried potato croquettes in batter or

Simmered items

• - simmered mixed vegetables sometimes with chicken or pork
• - pork, chicken, or hot dog simmered in soy sauce and sugar

Grilled

• Potato hash patty - potato croquettes sometimes seasoned with corned beef
• - egg omelette sometimes mixed with vegetables or meats
• - thinly sliced beef, boneless chicken thighs, meatballs or hamburger steak grilled and glazed with sauce
• Tofu patty - a fish cake made with mashed and canned tuna or salmon
• Fish - Hawaiian: [[yellowfin tuna|ʻahi]], Hawaiian: [[dolphinfish|mahi mahi]],, or salmon
• Luncheon meats - SPAM, hot dog, ham

Bibliography

• Nabarrete, Zoe; Hookala, Cat (January 1, 2007). Hawaii's Lunchbox (Okazu) & Family Recipes. Morris Press Cookbooks. ISBN 0615230660.

Notes and References

1. Mannur . Anita . Asian American Food-Scapes . Amerasia Journal . January 2006 . 32 . 2 . 1–6 . 10.17953/amer.32.2.42q45g759q686875 . 146663990 . en . 0044-7471.
2. Yano . Christine . Shifting Plates: Okazuya in Hawai'i . Amerasia Journal . January 2006 . 32 . 2 . 36–46 . 10.17953/amer.32.2.7w6u2184865054r6 . 147504188 . 24 September 2023 . en . 0044-7471.
3. Yano . Christine R. . Becoming Local: Japanese American Delicatessens in Hawai'i . Chinese and Northeast Asian Cuisines: Local, National, and Global Foodways. . October 2009 . 19–1–19-18 . 10.6641/PICCFC.11.2009.16 . 財團法人中華飲食文化基金會 . zh.
4. Web site: What Are Okazuya? . connect2local.com . en.
5. Web site: Folen . Alana . Home, Sweet Home at Nuuanu Okazuya Nuuanu Okazuya . Dining Out . Honolulu Star-Advertiser . 24 September 2023 . en . 2 September 2012.
6. Web site: Origins of Plate Lunch. 2008-11-12. 2002-11-27. KHNL. Honolulu, Hawaii. https://web.archive.org/web/20080105101527/http://khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=1030393. 2008-01-05. dead.
7. Book: Smith . Andrew F. . The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink . March 9, 2007 . Oxford University Press . 978-0199885763 . 326.
8. Book: McLean . Alice L . Asian American food culture . 2015 . Bloomsbury Publishing . USA . 14.
9. Web site: 2019 'Ilima Awards Restaurants: D-H . Honolulu Star-Advertiser . 24 September 2023 . 13 October 2019.
10. Web site: Shimabukuro . Betty . Two friends are working on a guidebook listing all of Oahu's very special delis . archives.starbulletin.com . Honolulu Star-Bulletin . 24 September 2023.
11. Web site: Reader Poll: What's Your Favorite Okazuya on O'ahu? . Honolulu Magazine . 23 September 2023 . 10 August 2021.
12. Boehm . Deborah . Okazu ya . East West Photo Journal . 1981 . 2 . Winter . 24.
13. Book: Matsuda . Mitsugu . The Japanese in Hawaii, 1868-1967, a Bibliography of the First Hundred Years . 1968 . Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii . Honolulu.
14. Web site: Ohira . Rod . Okazuya leaves sweet memories . archives.starbulletin.com . Honolulu Star-Bulletin . 24 September 2023 . January 4, 1999.
15. Book: Dela Cruz . Donovan M . Chai . Jodi E . The Okazu Guide : Oh, 'Cause You Hungry! . November 15, 2000 . Watermark . Publishing . 0970578709.
16. Web site: Ono Okazuya . PBS Hawai‘i . 24 September 2023 . en . 26 July 2022.
17. Web site: Wianecki . Shannon . What We Lost in the Lahaina Fire . Eater . 23 September 2023 . en . 13 September 2023.
18. Web site: Oi . Cynthia . Much Ado About Okazu . archives.starbulletin.com . Honolulu Star-Bulletin . 24 September 2023 . March 3, 1999.
19. Web site: Yamanaka . Katie Y . This Mom-and-Pop Shop is Known for Building Better Bentos . Hawaii Magazine . 24 September 2023 . 14 November 2022.
20. Book: Beriss . David . Sutton . David E . The restaurants book: Ethnographies of where we eat . 2007 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 48-62.
21. Web site: RE-LISTEN: Okazuya (with Jodi Endo Chai) . PBS Hawai‘i . 24 September 2023 . en . 23 July 2022.
22. Web site: Hoshida . Greg . A New Okazuya Continues a Long Tradition in Waipahu . Honolulu Magazine . 24 September 2023 . 16 October 2020.