The irony of life today is that, amid all the ways we can stay in constant touch with people and events across the globe, we are often more isolated than ever from folks who are literally right next door. Whatever happened to borrowing a cup of sugar from the neighbor?
Tamara Kong is trying bring that type of connection back into people’s lives with the Honolulu Food Swap, wherein participants exchange food they grew, foraged or prepared.
“It’s going back to basics,” said Kong, 37, who grew up in Makakilo and now lives in Honolulu. “It’s not just about exchanging food. It’s about putting your phone away and taking two hours from your busy weekend to interact with people face to face, and learn how they made the food — the story behind what they brought, how they selected the recipe.”
Kong believes the sharing aspect of the food swap encourages people to think about where their food comes from and to have a more intimate connection to what they eat.
“When you bring something to share, you know which farm it came from or which distributor brought it to you. Everyone has some idea of who made their food,” she said. “In Hawaii it seems everything revolves around food. But it’s usually ‘I’ll stop off at Zippy’s or Safeway,’ or ‘I’ll get sushi.’ When you make your own food, people tend to remember that more. There’s a deeper connection to the food you’re eating if you see in front of you the person who created whatever it is you have.”
In addition to awareness, she says, the swap is one way to expand cooking knowledge as well as the home pantry.
“The ladies who cook for this food swap do not make simple things. Lots of thought goes into the recipes they make,” Kong said. “I’ve had head cheese, Norwegian fig and lavender cake, chocolate chili pepper cookies. This is not your grandma’s mochiko chicken recipe. They go beyond what they know and try something new.”
That’s one draw for Stacy Daly of St. Louis Heights, who’s been attending the swap for almost a year.
“You’re going with only one food, and there’s at least four or five other people,” she said. “Sometimes you hit the jackpot. It’s almost like you’ve gone grocery shopping. People get really creative.”
A swap that was themed “spicy,” for instance, yielded everything from jalapeño cornbread to a spicy tomato chutney and Thai chili paste with tamarind and lime.
“It makes me try to cook new dishes. We all share recipes,” said Daly. “As a cook, you get new ideas all the time. Once, someone brought a lime cordial. You can make that into a drink, put it in water. I researched. (The offerings) are diverse.”
Sometimes the food swap leads to deeper connections within the food community.
Jill Nordby of Holoholo General Store, a community-supported agriculture delivery service, met Kong when she delivered produce to the school where Kong works. The women hit it off and Nordby attended a swap.
“Since the theme of the day was ‘spicy,’ I delivered some arugula from one of the farmers who heard about the food swap and wanted to share the produce,” said Nordby. “She even included a recipe on the bag. It’s neat how the produce went from the farmer directly to the swap.”
Kong heard about the food-swap concept from a friend living in Los Angeles who heard about it from a friend in Portland, Ore. A swap there was inspired by one in Brooklyn, N.Y., she said.
The format for most mainland swaps has participants perusing each other’s offerings and then deciding with whom they wish to swap items. But Kong said that model doesn’t work well in Hawaii.
“If someone brings five of one thing and nobody wants to swap, their feelings get hurt. So at my swap we bring enough for everyone, plus a few extra in case guests come,” she said.
Kong’s swap is a small affair with usually no more than 20 people. She sets a theme and sends out online invitations. Invitees, who RSVP through Twitter, are allowed to bring guests.
Kong says she loves the concept of the food swap and wants to see it grow in Hawaii but wants controlled growth for her own swap, which is limited to Honolulu-area residents.
“There was an issue of someone coming in and trying to implement their own rules. Everyone can run their own swap their own way,” she said.
Kong’s approach is to hold the events somewhere outdoors where folks can bring their families and relax while conversing about the food.
“I like that it’s a community event with a small, close-knit group. The kids come and they play together,” said Nordby. “The women discuss what they brought, and everyone’s tasting and they talk about what they do with different things. There’s emphasis on sourcing locally. People will say, ‘The mango came from my tree,’ or they will describe the farm where they got something.”
“It’s more about sharing and community, and the fact that people out there would want to build community,” said Daly. “One woman harvested her herb garden and gave it away. It’s very sharing.”
Though Kong doesn’t want her swap to be filled with strangers, she’s thrilled when a newcomer attends.
“One woman came who didn’t know any of us — I was so excited,” she recalled. “We all got to know her, and at the next swap she’ll be bringing her new baby! She’ll be bringing along a brand-new person.”
