Hapa is the Hawaiian word for ‘part’ or ‘half’ and usually refers to someone of mixed ethnicity. Unlike the ugly derogatory “half-breed” or “Mudblood” for Harry Potter fans, hapa is a positive moniker. Hapa kids, especially in Hawaii, are typically perceived as having the best of both worlds—particularly their good looks or names that honor their combined heritage--Tyler Kainalu, Melody Haruka or Kawika Johnson (really!).

And it is a growing demographic. Check out Everything Hapa for more information. Keanu Reeves, Tia Carrere, Apolo Ohno, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Kariya, Sean Lennon, Cheryl Burke, Devin Setoguchi, Bruno Mars, Mike Shinoda (of Linkin Park), Kelly Hu, Tiger Woods and some guy named Barack Obama are all hapa. 

This makes for diverse families, and by extension, diverse food. Amazing combos that are squarely cross-cultural. We should thank our lucky hapa stars for this goodness. In honor of Hapa Day, here are some of my favorites.

Spam mmmMusubi
Rice, nori (dried seaweed) and Spam. Nothing remotely Japanese about Spam. And there is no way you can make musubi using Uncle Ben’s. But spam musubi is marvy--a beloved go-to item at potlucks, graduation parties and beach trips.

Mochi Ice Cream
Sheer genius to the family who figured to swap out the traditional azuki or kuri in the mochi with ice cream. Not exactly good for the many lactose-intolerant Asians, but delicious anyhow.

Peanut Butter Beer Miso Chicken
Thank you Sam Choy for this odd yet ono combo.

Coconut Butter Mochi
Coconut, butter and mochiko (sweet rice flour) come together and play nicely in this sticky chewy goodness of a dessert.  

Sushi Variations
I'm certain that avocado, cream cheese, and lox are not traditional sushi ingredients. To be fair, these are named California and Philadelphia rolls, but still, you get the idea. Unlikely mixing improves the original concept 

Furikake Chex Mix & Hurricane Popcorn
Best. Snacks. Possibly Ever.

Teri-beef Sandwiches
Sweet/salty/juicy teriyaki meat on a hamburger bun slathered with with mayonnaise, plus lettuce, sweet onion and tomatoes. Drippy goodness.

Li-hing Anything
Shave ice, apples, barbecue sauce, high-concept Alan Wong's vinaigrette salad dressing. It’s all awesome.

Celebrate your inner-hapa! Eat Well. Be Well.

Part 2 from New Food on Monday. Started off with Sam Choy recipe "Ginger Pesto Crusted Opakakpaka with Coconut Cream" from the "Aloha Cuisine" one of my go-to books (see earlier blog). What I love about Sam Choy is that ingredients are always found at the grocery store. "Normal" mixed in unusual ways.

In English, Opakapaka is Hawaiian pink snapper and one of those fishes that are in the "good" category to eat, both in terms of how it is caught and its nutritional value (see Hawaii Seafood)

In the Bay Area, you can find opaka at Whole Foods, but it tends to be hit or miss. I used equal amounts of cilantro and green onions, a little less fresh ginger, a little shoyu and oil for the fish marinade. Sauce from coconut milk, onions, heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Oh yeah and a large cod fillet.

The taste and texture were quite good, but it definitely did not turn out like the cookbook picture (See right). My kids said, "Whoa, are you sure that's the same thing?!" Another friend thought it was chicken, and I think it would actually work really well as a grilled or baked chicken. Not an epic fail, but I definitely need to work on presentation...

Click here for more details and what I'll do next time.