Donald’s Poke Shop brings Hawaiian flavors to Okinawa, Japan

Colin Sewake
Hawai’i Herald Columnist

“Okinawa is such a beautiful place, not just the ocean, the scenery and the culture, but the people. I have been treated well and taken care of by many people here in what has become “My Hawai’i”. “- Colin Sewake

When I joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program at the University of Hawaii at Mänoa and was selected for a Missile Launch Officer position, I thought I would spend my entire career in the northern part of the United States. continent, away from family, friends and food, as this is where most of the nuclear missile silos are located.

A change of events before graduation reassigned me to the entrepreneurial career arena and brought me to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, where much of the culture and way of life is similar to that of Hawaii. This includes being surrounded by a beautiful blue ocean and an abundance of fish.

My favorite type of fish while eating sashimi and Sushi is tuna, or maguro in Japan. In Hawai’i, it is known as “ahi” whose name is believed to be derived from the smoke emitted by the cordon when these deep-sea monsters hung and pulled the line down the side of ancient Hawaiian canoes. ‘Ahi in’ Ölelo Hawai’i (Hawaiian language) means “fire”. Lucky for me, maguro is plentiful and available year round here.

According to data from Okinawa Prefecture, maguro accounted for 57% of the 15,295 tonnes of fish caught in local waters in 2012. Tourists and locals alike can enjoy various types of locally caught maguro.

Maguro varieties

White tuna (binchö-maguro) the season runs from November to April. This variety of tuna has a whitish flesh with a light taste, although those caught in higher latitude waters are more fatty.

Red tuna (kuro-maguro) the season runs from April to July and has the greatest depth of flavor among all types of tuna.

Bigeye tuna (mebachi-maguro) contains less fat than bluefin tuna, but contains both lean and fat parts. This breed is available from August through March and is recommended for those who enjoy skinny cuts.

Yellow fin tuna (kihada-maguro), available from April to July, has less fat and a light, sweet taste. Skipjack or bonito (katsuo) is an important ingredient in Okinawan cuisine like soups and champuru stir-fried dishes. Okinawa consumes the most of this type of tuna in all of Japan and is fished from late March to October.

Quality and Nutrition

Freshness is crucial when buying and eating fish. Maguro caught here in Okinawa can be found in fish markets and restaurants, both fresh and unfrozen. To further prove the quality of the locally caught maguro, those that end up at the fishing port of Tomari and pass strict dealer inspection are sold under the “Churaumi Tuna” brand which has become popular throughout the country due to its texture. elastic, softness and flavor. The port is known to produce the most maguro in Okinawa and shipped over 12.6 million pounds in 2014. They average 20 tonnes of fish per day with busy days producing up to 50 tonnes. Maguro represents 70% of their catch.

As much as I love a juicy burger and an onolitic kalua pig, I also know that I need to eat more fish for health reasons as well. Maguro is rich in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) which is a natural anticoagulant and in DHA (docosahexanoic acid) which keeps the brain active. This fish also contains a lot of vitamins B and D and is known as one of the main sources of vitamin B12 in fish. Prevention of hypertension, arteriosclerosis and anemia are other health benefits.

Donald’s Poké Shop

Besides fishing harbors, grocery stores, and restaurants, I tasted a bowl of cubed and seasoned Hawaiian dish several years ago at 808 Poke Bowls in Onna-son run by a Japanese couple who lived in Hawai’i. Then I heard about a guy from Hawaii who ran a shop in Okinawa-shi. Turns out Donald Weightman is my cousin Hilo’s classmate and has been here for a few decades.

A native of Hawaiian Paradise Park in Puna on the Big Island, Weightman graduated from Waiäkea High School in 1985 and left Hilo to play volleyball at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Southern California. During his studies there he worked at United Parcel Service and later got a full time position where he was a driver trainer for 14 years.

He visited his parents in Okinawa who moved here in October 1999 after graduating from high school. Weightman’s mother Uchinänchu, one of six boys and four girls, is from Miyazato, Okinawa-shi. Like me, he met a lady from Okinawa while he was there, got hooked, and got married. As I performed Air Force Reserve duty to support preparations for the G-8 Summit to be held at the Busena Terrace Beach Resort in Nago, Weightman hosted a wedding ceremony and reception at O’ahu in June 2000. Once the formalities were completed, he returned to his mother’s place of birth where he has lived since.

In 2016, Weightman began selling poke, made mostly from fish caught in his own boat, in the back of his car as “Okinawaiian Poke”. After many questions about his name, he changed the name of the company to Donald’s Poke. A few years later, he couldn’t catch enough fish to meet the demand for his onolitic poke. This was easily overcome when he learned that his friend was a buyer during a block auction.

Tidal conditions were ideal for him to open a small location on a 10ft by 12ft property in Okinawa-shi that once served as a bar. Two cousins ​​from Okinawa, a niece from Okinawa, a niece hänai (adopted) from Nänäkuli and an Air Force dependent help him sell around 100 bowls a day at his shop open Tuesday through Friday. 11am to 1pm What a small world Okinawa, like Hawai’i, it was when I found out that Hilo’s wife from another friend I was playing guitar with in a few sessions of kani ka pila (relaxed music) at I was also part of his team. Justine, his other niece hänai, helped him run the shop until the other month but took a break to give birth.

My favorite menu item is his “lu’au” combo from the “Da Bomb” plate series, which features’ ahi poke in a inari sushi style cone with macaroni salad. The Donald’s Poke Shop crowd, however, prefers the best-selling spicy ‘ahi bowl with Korean chicken.

Weightman has always had a deep connection to his Okinawan side of the family. His father sent him and his sister to Okinawa every year from grade one through grade 12. He must have been surrounded by Uchinäguchi (Okinawan language) growing up in Hilo because he thought it was Nihongo (Japanese language) until he befriended Japanese people from Tökyö and Ösaka while living in Los Angeles.

He enjoys spending time with his mother two to three times a week, attending church services with her, and then going out for coffee or lunch. When he visits her, he brings her fish or sometimes, of course, his poke. Not only is his store used to sell poke dishes, but Uechi’s location served as a gathering place with his roughly two dozen first cousins ​​for their monthly reunion. moai meetings where he would close the shop and they Yuntaku (spoken story) for two to three hours before the COVID-19 pandemic.

His family time with them several times a year at beach parties and camps where everyone came and went according to their schedule reminded me of how I used to get together too. with my parents on the north coast of O’ahu. How lucky for her 9th grade daughter to also enjoy both worlds by attending an off-base public high school until recently, then transferring to Kubasaki High School on Camp Foster to learn English in order to better communicate with her grandfather. American father.

Weightman cherishes his birthplace and hometown of Hilo, but also plans to enjoy Okinawa, his little slice of heaven, for many years to come. According to him, “Okinawa people are down to earth, warm and very family oriented and give just like the people of Hawaii. He adds: “I was really lucky to marry my wife because we share a lot of the same family values, but more importantly, she has supported me in everything I have done for the past 21 years. years of our marriage. “

Once I’m done writing this story, I think it’s time to go to Donald’s Poke Shop to buy myself a bowl of poke. I hope he will be there so that we can also catch up on his childhood stories on the Big Island that my late father also shares.

Visit his Facebook page facebook.com/gotpoke for more information.

Colin Sewake is a keiki o ka ‘äina from Wahiawä, who was posted to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa in December 1994 to fulfill his US Air Force ROTC engagement. There he met his future wife, Keiko, and decided to make Okinawa his permanent home. Colin is now retired from the Air Force and Air Force Reserves. He and Keiko have two children and live in Yomitan.