Many of the mainland’s latest food trends, including acai bowl and poke bowl, are driven by the environmental aware millennials who enjoy customizing their meals with raw ingredients. While you peer over the counter at a modern poke bar, your options are raw fish on top of zucchini noodles or brown rice, topped with anything from kale to edamame or beets, and drizzled with a dizzying selection of fusion-flavor dressing as a grand finale. In Hawaii, poke is mostly seen in the corner of a deli. The marinated fish is chopped into organic shapes. I’d like to describe them as “imperfectly cubed”. If you ask, the lady behind the counter reluctantly tells you which flavor is the best seller, as she most likely doesn’t have a favorite. Once you place an order and decide on the bowl size or weight, she scoops the ahi of choice like you would bag your own chocolate coated espresso beans at the trail mix bar in a Whole Foods. It’s a “what you see is what you get” situation.

For century-long, poke has alway been the food of Hawaiian people, not tourists. The concept of deep-sea tuna fishing was first introduced by the Japanese in 1890. It occurred to me that most of us non-natives’ first impression of poke is usually way off. I still remember my lunch go-to poke spot in Midtown Manhattan, a bourgie poke bar where you would leave with the pairing of a salmon poke bowl diced in identical cubes with heavy seasoning and a can of LaCroix. It was only after my first trip to Kauai that I tasted the difference of Hawaiian style poke and mainland style poke. What we’re talking about here is not just the flavor, but the texture, temperature and consistency of what real poke should be.

To satisfy our new found craving for Hawaiian poke, my husband and I set off on a spontaneous trip to Maui the first week of 2019. Having been to the island not so long ago, we had a rough idea where we wanted to go and for what. First stop off the plane — Tamura’s Express. They have no seating onsite so it’s all take-away. To enjoy our poke bowl at its peak freshness, we decided that the top of our car trunk was the perfect spot to dig in. Here in Hawaii, poke is usually priced by the pound. You can order by the pound, or “Half-and-half” if you wish to try different combinations. The impressive selection of fresh ahi on display is enough to make my mouth water. If you’re a first timer at a local Hawaiian fish counter, start with “Traditional Hawaii Style” — fresh ahi tuna with condiments including sweet onions, scallions, ogo (seaweed) and sometimes white sesame. Pre-marinating fresh cuts allows the fish to cure. This process is to retain the natural texture after defrosting and to add flavor to fish. Hawaiians like to use Vidalia, Walla-walla, or Maui sweet onions as the major seasoning ingredients tossed with sesame oil and wasabi.

We were afraid that after being spoiled by Hawaiian poke, mainland ones just wouldn’t satisfy us anymore, even in Seattle. Although there’s no need to justify our indulgence, we’ve come to conclusion that it’s the 75 degree winter in Hawaii that elevates our poke experience. The simplicity of Hawaiian poke sets itself apart from those mainland poke bars. Limited options, in this case, usually means you can’t go wrong with your limited choice, or even the dealers choice. Menus of overly commercialized poke bars in the city are paved with good intentions to satisfy the customer’s need for variety (and control). The “make your own bowl” trend encourages putting one’s personal favorite ingredients together but neglects the fact that the creative touch doesn’t always lead to good flavors. Personally, the process is tiring as I run into decision making fatigue.

Back in Seattle, we’re excited to see 45th Stop N Shop’s poke bar embracing the Hawaiian way to serve quality raw fish in the corner of a deli to satisfy us city dweller’s poke craving. The menu is a few choices done well and the hole-in-the-wall is our go-to spot when we don’t feel like sitting in a restaurant. To my delight, you can also buy fresh poke-grade ahi by the pound at Seattle Fish Guys along with regular or spicy poke marinade to make your own quality bowl at home. Go to town and slice them into bite-sized cubes and add marinade. Do as the Hawaiians do, there is only one key element for success — fresh ahi tuna, and made fresh.