In Hawaii, Food is Love

In Hawaii, Food is Love
By Z Zoccolante
(Listen to the audio of this wonderful post in the blue box below!)

Hawaii is a magical land where you take off your slippers before you enter someone’s house, call elders auntie and uncle, kiss people hello and goodbye on the cheek, and decorate palm trees for Christmas.

Of course, Hawaii is much more than fun little facts. It has a rich history of the land and the Hawaiian people. It has a fond place in my heart, as my home, because I grew up there.
 

One of the most prominent things I’ve found is that Hawaii is a land of delicious foods. I remember going over to people’s houses and instead of being offered a glass of water I was offered something to eat: fresh picked fruit, homemade mango bread, or a soda can of strawberry guava juice.

In Hawaii, food is a way to show love. Even though my friend’s parents have been divorced since she was young, both the mom and the dad cook her favorite foods for her. Even when people don’t know how to be the best emotional supports, or don’t know what to say in your situation, they can always cook you food (think of how people prepare meals for friends or family who are sick or going through a rough time).

Food is a way to say – I love you and care about you, therefore I’m going to take care of one of your most basic needs: nourishment.

In eating disorder’s food and love can get confusing (but’s that’s another story for another day).

Today, I want to share about love.

Soon, I’ll be taking a trip home to Hawaii to spend time with my family. All of us have been pretty excited about this. The other night, after dinner with a friend, I checked my phone. Both my parents sent me text messages with pictures.

My mom wrote, “We just picked mangoes. Dad is cutting and freezing them for YOU when you come to Hawaii. YEAH.” Attached was a photo of my dad with the kitchen sink filled with mangos and my dad, with his burly beard, carving the skins away.

My dad wrote, “All yours, just waiting for you in the freezer. Yummy.” He attached a photo of a huge Tupperware filled with bright, yellow mango slices.

My eyes filled with tears as I saw their messages. When I was having dinner with a friend, not even thinking of them, they as a team went outside to the mango tree and picked me a bunch of mangoes. They skinned them all, cut them up, and filled a Tupperware full for me. They sent me pictures, my dad smiling. They took the time to care about me and prepare something that they know I love and that brings back childhood memories (we used to have so much mango that we had to cut it and freeze it so it didn’t spoil and we could eat months after season).

Lately, when people do things for me that make me feel taken care of, I cry. I never realized how important it was for me to feel taken care of. It feels like love, security, that someone sees me and cares about me.

“They cut me mango,” I said to my friend through glassy eyes. My friend, also from Hawaii, touched her heart and gave me a tender smile.

They cut me mango.
My little heart melts.

It’s the tiny things that make all the difference, I think. It’s small things that make us feel seen, taken care of, safe and loved. It’s always the small things, like a Tupperware of mango.

Hawaii Love, I think.
Sweet, delicious Hawaii love.

With Love,

Z :)