Honolulu Weekly

Ever had a grinder? A Hot Brown? How about a fluffernutter? Even in this super-sized era, some food is still utterly local (try ordering saimin or fruit punch at any McDonalds on the Mainland and watch the slack-jawed reactions). America by Food, a traveling exhibition sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, comes to Kapi’olani Community College on June 28 in an attempt to bring America’s diverse food culture under one roof.

The show examinines the evolution of technological innovations that brought us the TV dinner, Hot Pockets and that rule about the making of laws and sausages, though whether it will concentrate on the contribution of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle or Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation is unknown. It will feature a special Hawai’i-centric component with Hawai’i by Food: A Celebration of Hawai’i’s Food Culture, highlighting the history of eating in Hawai’i from the plantation days to the Hawai’i Regional Cuisine movement. Feed your head.