From my experience with Polynesians (and since I live in New Zealand, I've met my fair share), it's a cultural issue more than anything else. It may have starte

From my experience with Polynesians (and since I live in New Zealand, I've met my fair share), it's a cultural issue more than anything else. It may have started for those reasons, but it's being perpetuated by culture. I know of Samoan families that have spent thousands of dollars on corned beef (the stuff in a tin) for weddings. Just the last night I was having dinner with a Samoan bloke, he ate 5 packs of instant noodles, 3 croissants, and half a chicken for dinner. I've seen him also eat 2 tins of spaghetti, 2 tins of corned beef, and half a loaf of white bread for dinner. He's in New Zealand, there's no shortage of fresh food and vegetables, and there's no reason for eating that much food (as everybody else near him points out). Now I'm not sure what made it a cultural thing to eat obscene amounts of food, but it's deeply ingrained, the majority of Polynesians in New Zealand are obese, they have a whole slew of health problems because of it.