How This Local Hawaiian Meal Became A Global Sensation

The 50th state has always held a certain allure to mainland Americans, who made Hawaiian roll French toast go viral on TikTok and visit luau-themed watering holes like Colorado's Adrift Tiki Bar. One Hawaiian food that's found devotees across the U.S. — and the rest of the world! — is the plate lunch, a unique and delicious entrée that will fill the hungriest belly for a reasonable price.

The plate lunch has its origins beneath the sweltering sun hanging above Hawaii's sugarcane plantations and pineapple farms in the 1800s. Workers, needing a hearty meal to sustain their back-breaking manual labor, would bring leftovers from the previous night's dinner to their job, along with scoops of white rice. The varying cultures of the laborers contributed to the astounding variety of main dishes that found their ways into the resulting plate lunch, from Portuguese sausages to Chinese roast pork to Japanese katsu. With more tourist travel, as well as the rise of Hawaiian-inspired franchises like L&L Hawaiian Barbecue serving the dish, plate lunch has become increasingly popular beyond the islands.

Today, a Hawaiian plate lunch typically consists of a scoop of white rice, sweet macaroni salad, and at least one savory protein. If you want to embrace the spirit of the islands, you can go with a Hawaiian favorite like loco moco or huli huli chicken, but you need not limit yourself. Fish, pork, chicken, beef, or just about any other kind of meat you desire are all on the table ... but there's no reason you couldn't make this traditional meal plant-based as well!

A plate lunch makes the perfect meal to bring to work or school because it's historically composed of leftovers. Popular Hawaiian restaurant chain L&L Hawaiian Barbecue makes a whopper of a plate lunch consisting of rice, mac salad, and no fewer than three proteins: a chicken, a fish, and an "alternative protein" that can include Kalua pork or BBQ beef. You can stack your plate as high as you wish or make this a simpler affair. The spirit of the plate lunch is in working with what's available, so get in the fridge and see what's in all that Tupperware!

Keep in mind that your protein of choice need not be Hawaiian in inspiration. Spam, made popular during WWII, is as valid as smothered pork chops, meatloaf, or grilled ribs. Nor do you need to limit yourself to meat. Got some yummy kimchi? Some mixed vegetables? Throw 'em on the pile! In the true "aloha" spirit of welcoming and inclusion, you can put just about anything on your plate lunch that makes you happy. Whether you pack it up in a bento box or throw everything together on one big dish, the humble plate lunch is like a warm hug in the middle of your day. Most plate lunch mains are comfort food, after all! You also don't need to restrict eating a plate lunch to the midday meal, as it makes a great dinner as well.