Right off the top of my head I would say that Chinese food would by my favorite food. But that is just because it tastes so good but it’s not all encompassing. It’s not the food that tells the story of my life, the person that I am, and truly, the food that I Love.
If I was to say what my favorite food is it would have to be Samoan food. Some people would see the food and think, “That really doesn’t look very appetizing”, and in all honesty looking at some of the food would make a person think twice about trying it. But I guess I should first go into, what exactly does Samoan food consist of?
Let me first start by saying that in the Samoan culture it is the male that does the cooking. It is probably because it was and still is considered hard labor and time consuming. The men in the village go out and hunt for the meat, slaughter and butcher it then prepare the fire pit for the cooking of it. Some go fishing for various fish, sea urchin, snails, octopus, squid etc. The meats are usually baked, BBQ’d, roasted in a fire pit or stir fried, and some of the seafood dishes are prepared raw, like ceviche, called oka. The Umami of many of our Samoan dishes come from nothing more than the mixture of juices from the meats, onion, coconut milk, salt and pepper. It’s all very simple, rich, savory and yes, extremely fattening.
Then there is the climbing of the tree for the coconuts, husking, opening, grinding of the meat and squeezing it out to make the milk. This practice is still in effect to this day in some villages. There is no using of the can opener for the tasteless milk in the cans. There is nothing like the flavor of fresh coconut milk. As for the starch we like Green bananas, taro, manioka, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, potatoes or rice (I know I’ve missed a few). These things farmed and harvested on a daily basis. These are baked, roasted in the fire pit, or boiled. Usually if it’s boiled there is a coconut sauce made to accompany it. Now, of course, things are easier and yes, you can go to the markets and simply buy them but as mentioned before, some villages (the Hillbillies lol no offense intended) still do it old school way.
Now, we all have to take into account the many cultures that have made their way to the islands that have influenced the food. Chinese, Korean, German, French and yes, the Americans. Americas’ greatest influence on the islanders in my opinion is SPAM and Cabin crackers introduced to them by the military stationed at the harbor in Samoa during the world wars. Yes, we love SPAM. These many cultures have shared their foods and the Samoans have embraced them as their own. If you look carefully at some of the foods it is the Samoans’ twist to another cultures food. Samoan Sapasui is their variation of the Chinese Chop Suey. My Mom, as well as I, made hers with Corned beef, rice noodles, and vegetables with soy sauce to taste. Pani Popo (coconut bun) is their twist on the Cinnamon Roll made with a coconut milk sauce. And the list goes on.
Breakfast is simple, usually consists of Hot Samoan cocoa (<spelled for the English/American), or Cocoarice, likened to the Hispanic Arroz con Leche but oh, so much better with Samoan cocoa. Kopai, a pot full of sweet dumpling soup made with caramelized sugar and coconut milk, sweetened to taste. Sua fa’i which I would describe as a soupy ripe Banana tapioca. And these things would be accompanied with buttered bread or cabin crackers (or both). If there was leftovers from dinner then that would be reheated for breakfast.
Our breakfast foods are our comfort food, eaten at any time of the day. Usually after dinner, a pot of Koko (<Samoan spelling) or Kokorice is prepared to await possibly visiting friends and family. The People don’t call and say “hey, I’m coming over.” They just go for a visit when they are compelled. I remember many times scrambling around looking for food to cook for unexpected visitors. We didn’t just offer them a drink, we made them a meal. Maliu maia ma tala mai a’ao, come on in with open arms…
I grew up in America but my parents were from Samoa and they brought us up in the traditional Samoan way except for the women cooking. In these modern days it’s the women do the cooking while the men go to their daily jobs. Unless you were guided by someone from the Islands, as I was by my Mom and Dad, the food would not taste authentic. I go to parties, weddings, etc. and I am just appalled at how bad the food tastes or that it really doesn’t taste like the traditional Samoan food. But if you get lucky, as one of my sisters did, (she can’t cook, don’t ask me why), you can find someone that can cook for you (like her hubby) or that can teach you how to cook so you can achieve the authentic Samoan flavors.
These are just a handful of wonderful dishes in the Samoan culture but All these foods bring back to me a flood of memories of my childhood, my Dad helping my Mom in the kitchen for big Holiday festivities, the Sunday dinners with the extended relatives, Picnics at San Bruno park in CA, the Luaus or just sitting around late nights laughing and talking about the good ol’ days while sipping on a cup of Samoan koko. Samoan food brings my family and friends together, a bonding ritual of sorts. All these things, people past and present, remembered and brought to the fore by my Favorite Food.
No comments:
Post a Comment