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I noticed much of the same thing on the big island, Hawaii. I grew up in a slow, small town so the pace and friendly nature felt more natural to me than living

I noticed much of the same thing on the big island, Hawaii. I grew up in a slow, small town so the pace and friendly nature felt more natural to me than living in the city does (don’t smile too much or be too engaging if that’s not your station or people will treat you with suspicion at first). At the same time (in and around Kona) I constantly saw people excercizing. And everybody seems to hangout outside regularly. And they get up with the sun because it tends to set pretty sharply after 12 hours.

agumonkey 8y ago
> And they get up with the sun because it tends to set pretty sharply after 12 hours. exactly, tropical sun makes you rise early too, which is quite nice. We're really animals tied to sun cycles etc. Also being around nature makes you lock in its rhythm too. Rain, insects, animals.. it's such a different feeling I can't really describe it. It has no meaning, just tree waving, rivers flowing but you feel happy moving along. I can't say I could live all year long on an island, because I was born and raised near Paris so.. if pains me a little not to see it. But I know I feel very different on this island.
todd8 8y ago
I looked it up. See table 3 in https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018 Hawaii has the highest life expectancy of any US State, over 81 years vs some other states that are over 5 years less!
- ip26 8y ago
  Wow, I'm a bit shocked! I was just in Kona, and healthy food (even just basic produce) was really expensive. I had thought to myself that must take a toll.
  - 52-6F-62 8y ago
    I missed the farmer's markets while I was there. Did you happen to hit any of those? I didn't find food too bad except for certain items that aren't common on the Island. Then again I'm from Canada and we have to ship a lot up from Mexico in the winter if it hasn't been frozen. The Costco in Kona is your friend.
    - ip26 8y ago
      We did not find time to visit the farmers markets, I would certainly hope those were good. I think what surprised me the most is that imported things with indefinite shelf lives were still quite expensive. But it's certainly true that I am accustomed to having access to produce & spices that are probably not grown locally in Hawai'i.
  - nradov 8y ago
    Is it possible that expensive food keeps people from eating too much? Overeating can have a bigger negative impact on lifespan than the type of food that you eat. Almost any food can be healthy in moderation.
  - elhudy 8y ago
    Healthy food is extremely cheap on the big island. It's literally growing on trees everywhere and the locals make fun of those who overpay for it.
    - ip26 8y ago
      It's true that avocado, papaya, pineapple, and other classically tropical fruits were very cheap. However I found carrots, onions, green onions, garlic, etc were quite expensive at the KTA. But, I was only a visitor- did not bargain-hunt- and I am only an anecdote of one.
      - goldfeld 8y ago
        Chinese medicine, for instance, consider onions and garlic generally unhealthy, not something to be consumed all the time or even as part of almost any dish depending on the western cuisine.
        shostack 8y ago
        Can you share more? I feel like in my quest to learn more about authentic Chinese cuisine onions, scallions and garlic all are incredibly common ingredients.
        elhudy 8y ago
        He's referring to buddhist cuisine. Buddhist philosophy states that pungent herbs or spices alert your senses and fog your brain, preventing mindfulness. From the wiki: >In addition to the ban on garlic practically all Mahayana monastics in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan specifically avoid eating strong-smelling plants, traditionally asafoetida, shallot, mountain leek and Allium chinense, which together with garlic are referred to as wǔ hūn (五荤, or 'Five Acrid and Strong-smelling Vegetables') or wǔ xīn (五辛 or 'Five Spices') as they tend to excite senses. This is based on teachings found in the Brahamajala Sutra, the Surangama Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra (chapter eight). In modern times this rule is often interpreted to include other vegetables of the onion genus, as well as coriander. The origins of this additional restriction is from the Indic region and can still be found among some believers of Hinduism and Jainism. Some Taoists also have this additional restriction but the list of restricted plants differs from the Buddhist list. I actually learned this from Chef's Table S3E01 which is a great intro to Buddhist Cuisine if you're interested in learning more. It seems ironic that the five "pungent" herbs are avoided but fermented vegetables are not.
- cafard 8y ago
  Is that possibly because of retirees from the mainland moving to Hawaii?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- esm 8y ago
  I think that you would have to correct for socio-economic status, which is strongly tied to health outcomes.

agumonkey 8y ago

> And they get up with the sun because it tends to set pretty sharply after 12 hours. exactly, tropical sun makes you rise early too, which is quite nice. We're really animals tied to sun cycles etc. Also being around nature makes you lock in its rhythm too. Rain, insects, animals.. it's such a different feeling I can't really describe it. It has no meaning, just tree waving, rivers flowing but you feel happy moving along. I can't say I could live all year long on an island, because I was born and raised near Paris so.. if pains me a little not to see it. But I know I feel very different on this island.

todd8 8y ago

I looked it up. See table 3 in https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018 Hawaii has the highest life expectancy of any US State, over 81 years vs some other states that are over 5 years less!

ip26 8y ago
Wow, I'm a bit shocked! I was just in Kona, and healthy food (even just basic produce) was really expensive. I had thought to myself that must take a toll.
- 52-6F-62 8y ago
  I missed the farmer's markets while I was there. Did you happen to hit any of those? I didn't find food too bad except for certain items that aren't common on the Island. Then again I'm from Canada and we have to ship a lot up from Mexico in the winter if it hasn't been frozen. The Costco in Kona is your friend.
  - ip26 8y ago
    We did not find time to visit the farmers markets, I would certainly hope those were good. I think what surprised me the most is that imported things with indefinite shelf lives were still quite expensive. But it's certainly true that I am accustomed to having access to produce & spices that are probably not grown locally in Hawai'i.
- nradov 8y ago
  Is it possible that expensive food keeps people from eating too much? Overeating can have a bigger negative impact on lifespan than the type of food that you eat. Almost any food can be healthy in moderation.
- elhudy 8y ago
  Healthy food is extremely cheap on the big island. It's literally growing on trees everywhere and the locals make fun of those who overpay for it.
  - ip26 8y ago
    It's true that avocado, papaya, pineapple, and other classically tropical fruits were very cheap. However I found carrots, onions, green onions, garlic, etc were quite expensive at the KTA. But, I was only a visitor- did not bargain-hunt- and I am only an anecdote of one.
    - goldfeld 8y ago
      Chinese medicine, for instance, consider onions and garlic generally unhealthy, not something to be consumed all the time or even as part of almost any dish depending on the western cuisine.
      - shostack 8y ago
        Can you share more? I feel like in my quest to learn more about authentic Chinese cuisine onions, scallions and garlic all are incredibly common ingredients.
        elhudy 8y ago
        He's referring to buddhist cuisine. Buddhist philosophy states that pungent herbs or spices alert your senses and fog your brain, preventing mindfulness. From the wiki: >In addition to the ban on garlic practically all Mahayana monastics in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan specifically avoid eating strong-smelling plants, traditionally asafoetida, shallot, mountain leek and Allium chinense, which together with garlic are referred to as wǔ hūn (五荤, or 'Five Acrid and Strong-smelling Vegetables') or wǔ xīn (五辛 or 'Five Spices') as they tend to excite senses. This is based on teachings found in the Brahamajala Sutra, the Surangama Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra (chapter eight). In modern times this rule is often interpreted to include other vegetables of the onion genus, as well as coriander. The origins of this additional restriction is from the Indic region and can still be found among some believers of Hinduism and Jainism. Some Taoists also have this additional restriction but the list of restricted plants differs from the Buddhist list. I actually learned this from Chef's Table S3E01 which is a great intro to Buddhist Cuisine if you're interested in learning more. It seems ironic that the five "pungent" herbs are avoided but fermented vegetables are not.
cafard 8y ago
Is that possibly because of retirees from the mainland moving to Hawaii?
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
esm 8y ago
I think that you would have to correct for socio-economic status, which is strongly tied to health outcomes.