“And now for something completely different”. Before reading further, I highly recommend that you take the time to view the hilarious Monty Python You Tube video about spam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

I know that many people think that eating spam is “gross”, but believe me it is a staple food in Hawaii, where we grow up eating a LOT of spam. I’ve defended spam in the past, but suffice it to say, that I love spam (not the email version, which is bothersome, but the food variety, in all its many forms):

spam & eggs
spam sandwiches (cold)
glazed baked spam
spam musubi (wrapped in rice & seaweed, a local favorite in Hawaii)
chopped spam in ramen/saimin soup (even offered at McDonald’s)
fried spam with rice (in boxed lunches, called bento)
spam slices in somen salads (noodles with vegetables)

Gotta love that spam. And if you’re wondering why it’s so popular in the 50th State, I hear it was because during WWII food was scarce and had to be shipped in by boat, so spam was a big hit due to it being canned & long lasting.

Go to www.spam.com for recipes/products/info/even a fan club about Spam.

Did you know there’s a free SPAM Museum located at 1101 N. Main Street in Austin, Minnesota? Their phone number is 1-800-LUV-SPAM (what else?) One of my friends gave me a brochure from the Spam Museum, and I hope to visit it someday…

the ubiquitous can of Spam in Hawaii

A restaurant listing of “international” in another newspaper last week mentioned Polish, Latino, and Ethiopian restaurants in Tucson. Along with those was listed my favorite Hawaiian place, Lani’s Luau on the northwest corner of Harrison and Golf Links. But as I thought about it, I questioned whether Lani’s should be listed as “international”, being as Hawaii has been the 50th state since August, 1959.

I was born and raised there in Hawaii, and grew up in a rural village with a colonial atmosphere (white people in charge of ethnic sugar plantation working families, descendants from all over the world). Then most of the sugar and pineapple plantations closed due to cheaper overseas production, and Hawaii switched economic bases to tourism and alternate agriculture (coffee, macadamia nuts, flowers).

Because Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific, people from all over the world visit and emigrate there. Remember that President Obama’s father (from Kenya) and mother (from Kansas) met and married in Honolulu. My sister in law in Kona is from Australia, and my Honolulu niece has married a guy from Morocco, adding to the international flair of Hawaii.

Hawaiian cuisine is the result of these islands being the Crossroads of the Pacific and because of the mix of ethnicities living in Hawaii. Leilani (Lani) Dowling, the cook at her restaurant does serve authentic Hawaiian plate lunches, desserts, and juices. Taking a look at her menu you will notice that Hawaiian food incorporates recipes that are Japanese (teriyaki chicken), Korean (kim chee), Filipino (lumpia), Portuguese (sausage and malasadas), Chinese (char siu bao, called manapua in Hawaii).

Lani and her husband Zane also truly exhibit the friendly “aloha spirit” I’ve previously written about as a My Tucson columnist last year for the Tucson Citizen.

So, in answer to my title’s question, go and find out for yourself at Lani’s Luau (2532 S. Harrison Rd.) whether their cuisine is international or just typical Hawaiian.

Phone # there is 886-LUAU (5828), closed Sunday and Monday.