Hawaiian Food Sampler Platter on Hawaiian Airlines

There are those (myself included) who believe that an easy way to really get to know a culture is through its food. So what better way to start getting yourself into a Hawaiian frame of mind than with a Hawaiian meal on your flight to the islands? With Hawaiian Airlines’ new Hawaiian tasting menu, you can sample three selections of traditional Hawaiian cuisine and get your Hawaii vacation started as soon as you get on the plane.

When you board your Hawaiian Airlines flight (provided you’re flying first class, of course), you get a menu featuring five different dishes which are typically Hawaiian. You then select three of those five alternatives, and get small portions of each of your choices. The meals have been designed by well-known chef Beverly Gannon, who may not be from Hawaii originally but has mastered the art of Hawaiian cooking!

And, to top it all off, in addition to the Hawaiian Airlines tasting menu that’s available to first class passengers, Hawaiian remains the only airline currently serving the islands of Hawaii that still serves a complimentary hot meal to its coach cabin passengers – and those meals are also created by Chef Gannon.

Some recent dishes which were featured on the first class menu include Chilled Ginger Shrimp, Seared Pork Chops with Pineapple Chutney and Island Seafood Curry. Chef Gannon has been the Executive Chef for Hawaiian Airlines since 1999, and her on-the-ground restaurants include Hali’imaile General Store and Joe’s Simply Delicious Food, both on Maui. She’s also the author of a Hawaiian cuisine cookbook (with another coming out in 2009).

For more information about the Hawaiian Airlines first class tasting menu, see the airline’s website here, and for sample menus see this page.