Poke Invasion

San Francisco, 10/30/2016 English German

Edition # 117
San Francisco, 10/30/2016

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Poke Invasion

Figure [1]: A tiny Poke booth on Market St in San Francisco.

Angelika A while ago, we reported on a traditional Hawaiian raw fish dish, called "Poke" (Rundbrief 09/2013), which is so common on the islands that every supermarket offers it in their fish section. Apparently, word has gotten out that Poke is delicious and even healthy, and still has a touch of exotic flavor, as Poke places are popping up like mushrooms in San Francisco. In our close neighborhood alone, there's two new shops offering "Poke Bowls". Those are tiny places, comparable to mom and pop takeout places in Germany. Seating is strictly limited, and there's no table service, instead customers order directly at the counter.

Figure [2]: A Poke bowl with salad.

This particular location let us customize our Poke bowl. Traditionally, on Hawaii, it comes with a bed of rice, topped with the raw marinated fish. When we ordered Poke bowls at "Poke Delish" in the Castro neighborhood, we were able to choose between rice or salad, and three different kinds of fish in combination with various sauces. Up to three different selections were permitted, and finally various toppings, like green onions, sea weed salad, pickled ginger, flying fish roe (Tobiko) and Edamame. We both enjoyed our Poke bowls! I'm not sure how many Poke locations can coexist in the city while still making a profit, and how long the trend will continue. But even if it goes out of style one day, we'll still have Hawaii, where Poke is part of the culture and will live on forever.