2 ms·

I was told basically that spam is a staple food, good luck getting meat and milk on a consistent/reliable basis as it sometimes isn't very available, things get

I was told basically that spam is a staple food, good luck getting meat and milk on a consistent/reliable basis as it sometimes isn't very available, things get flown in from far away so a lot of it is frozen not fresh, and what is available is quite pricey. Uh. There are a lot of reasons why someone may not want to live in Hawaii, but availability of milk/meat/produce or the cost should not be one of them. I don't know why someone told you that, but Hawaii has to support a shockingly large tourist economy of people from places that don't eat seafood. Or spam. In fact, I rarely, if ever, ate seafood or spam when I lived in Hawaii. While it is more expensive than on the mainland, frankly it isn't that much different than the prices at your average Whole Foods. And as most fruit/vegetables grow year-round on Hawaii, they are not only fresher, but frankly taste better.

Mz 15y ago
My second hand information about food in Hawaii may well be inaccurate and/or out of date. That wouldn't surprise me at all. It does, however, fit with my first-hand experiences in Port Aransas, which is also on an island and a largely tourist economy. Iirc: town of about 3000 and population can swell to 60k on weekends -- which is the only reason such a small town even has a grocery store when (as I understand it) you typically need about 10k to 15k local population to support a grocery store. However, my main point was to suggest that food variety/restaurant variety and related "culture" may be limited (or only had at enormous expense -- and Hawaii isn't cheap) on a seastead anyway, regardless of size. I am curious if you think that point holds water. Thanks.