Sheldon Simeon > Quotes

“The warmth of home, what I missed most when I was away, was in things that guidebooks didn’t explain to tourists, the deeper nuances that make our culture different from any other place on earth. Most of all that meant food. Hawai‘i food, or what we call local food, tells a story of where we come from. It is embedded in every part of our language, our songs, our jokes.”
― Sheldon Simeon, Cook Real Hawai'i: A Cookbook

“It took me a while to get across that I was not actually Hawaiian—as in native Hawaiian—but a third-generation Filipino from Hawai‘i. Big difference.”
― Sheldon Simeon, Cook Real Hawai'i: A Cookbook

“But the true meaning of the aloha spirit is something more profound: the extension of goodwill and grace with no expectation of reward, the purest expression of compassion, hospitality, and love.”
― Sheldon Simeon, Cook Real Hawai'i: A Cookbook

“The reality is that Hawai‘i is more of a salad bowl, or better yet a plate of chop suey: each ethnicity tossed together but still distinct. Growing up, we poked fun at each other’s differences and quirks in a good-natured way, while also being aware and proud of those unique traits that made us who we are.”
― Sheldon Simeon, Cook Real Hawai'i: A Cookbook