Need info about the islands (low income, home, income)

[GingerS]

In different formats I have read terms like "old Hawaii" and someone said people move to Hawaii and try to bring the mainland ways with them and it just don't work can somebody please explain these things. Also can anybody tell me about the islands like the more country one and the ones with vocano eruptions and tsunamis and the like. I would appreciate any info.

[tiffan28]

Originally Posted by GingerS

In different formats I have read terms like "old Hawaii" and someone said people move to Hawaii and try to bring the mainland ways with them and it just don't work can somebody please explain these things. Also can anybody tell me about the islands like the more country one and the ones with vocano eruptions and tsunamis and the like. I would appreciate any info.

As a mainlander who is living temporarily in Hawaii I can speak to the mainlander part of your question, but that's about it. In the few places I have lived on the mainland I can make some generalized comparisons to island living. First, you have to be tough-minded living here. Your dollar doesn't stretch as far so for middle and low income folks, some sacrifices need to be made with regard to comfort and convenience. There is an overall sense of things being in shorter supply on the island so when you go to the grocery store, you see the difference. For example, the Walmarts here carry ALOT of Asian foods in comparison to a Walmart in Virginia, for example. If you go to a 7 eleven or Mcdonalds here, you will see Asian dishes available that you wouldn't see in a state like Virginia. I have been to many different grocery stores and there is a tremendous difference in terms of selection and variety of products available compared to the mainland's mid-Atlantic region. It's also a slower pace of living here. No one is in a rush and there doesn't seem to ever be a sense of urgency like in places like NYC and LA. People aren't vain and snotty here. You can dress casual without all of the makeup and jewelry and feel right at home just about anywhere you go. These are a few examples.

[cynmkolohe]

Good question about "old Hawaii"...

There are many who experienced it and remember, but many of us who are "newcomers" or of a younger generation who are happy to get a taste of it from time to time.

There are places you can go and know that you are "there"...and certain experiences in which you get to participate and feel that "this is what it must have been like...."

I also often wonder, when people use that phrase, if they are talking about pre-Sugar Hawaii or about the plantation era, or even about "boat days". I think the phrase gets mis-applied sometimes, or may just have different meanings to different people.

[kani-lehua]

i agree with cynmkolohe about the use of the phrase, "old hawai'i." the other term that is "mis-applied" sometimes is, "the locals." if you are born here, you are considered local whatever--haole, japanese, chinese, etc...however, you would not be considered hawaiian unless you are actually that ethnicity.