nosh nook #11 - monday, march 30, 2009

when we used to eat real crack seed (link)
03.29.09 - the honolulu advertiser - by lee cataluna

aloha. it turns out that in hawaii, there's a crack epidemic...a crack seed epidemic! if you're like me & have absolutely no idea what crack seed is, let's go over it together.  as it is, i could probably use a refresher. as best as i can tell, crack seed is a type of snack popular in hawaii, made up of fruits that have been preserved/dehydrated & cracked, leaving the flavorful seeds exposed. hawaiians even have a place called the "crack seed center" & it's been in business for over 40 years!  here is a random video of two children trying some crack seed.

so what's happened to the crack seed? as lee cataluna's article explains, it was once a popular hawaiian snack but has since faded from glory. the crack seed center doesn't even have that much crack seed. as she explains, crack seed is "a snack that requires the deliberate action of separating out sharp little pit shards with your tongue and frequently spitting them out."  that just sounds dangerous.  like smoking, no wonder it's not as popular as it used to be.

since this month marks the 50th anniversary of eisenhower signing the hawaii admission act into law, i guess it's about time that they finally give up the traditions they'd inherited from chinese immigrants centuries earlier in favor of our crappy american traditions.  mainland traditions.  none of that crazy island crack seed stuff.  americans love quick & easy, cheap & fast, pre-packaged foods.  if it's more complicated than a sunflower seed, it's not worth our precious american time.  aloha.