"Hawai'i has often been called a melting pot, but I think of it more as a "mixed plate"--a scoop of rice with gravy, a scoop of macaroni salad, a piece of mahi-mahi, and a side of kimchi. Many different tastes share the plate, but none of them loses its individual flavor, and together they make up a uniquely "local" cuisine. This is also, I believe, what America is at its best--a whole greater than the sum of its parts. I" --