sf wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On Sun, 9 Aug 2015 17:56:25 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
> wrote:
>
> > On Sunday, August 9, 2015 at 7:56:29 AM UTC-10, cshenk wrote:
> > > dsi1 wrote in rec.food.cooking:
> > >
> > > > On 8/8/2015 8:54 AM, cshenk wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > What i did not like in Hawaii was the local shoyu called
> > > > > Aloha. Oddly sweet with less flavor. Preferred brand is a
> > > > > thicker Datu Puti.
> > > > >
> > > > > Carol
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > Aloha probably tastes weird to people not raised on the stuff.
> > > > Oddly enough, it's Hawaii's favorite shoyu. As an added bonus,
> > > > it's fairly cheap!
> > > >
> > > > It was Aloha that invented hydrolyzed shoyu product after the
> > > > war because we needed a lot of shoyu and we wanted it
> > > > yesterday. And the rest is history.
> > >
> > > Yup! It tastes sweet and sort of insipidly pallid compared to a
> > > true brew and sorry if that doesnt match what you'd hoped to
> > > hear. I'm not being mean, its just a developed taste to like it.
> > > Conversely you might not like a fuller sort.
> >
> > I expect nothing less than your honest opinion. My point is that we
> > like it and I'm fully aware that it tastes kind of weird. I don't
> > recommend that anybody use Aloha Shoyu unless they were raised on
> > the stuff. If they used Aloha on the table in restaurants on the
> > mainland, people would probably be put off but I'd be as happy as a
> > clam. Possibly they might use Aloha in L&L restaurants on the
> > mainland.
> >
> > People over here also like real shoyu too - Yamasa and of course,
> > Kikkoman. I also like Pearl River Dark soy sauce although it's hard
> > to find. I have to look in Chinese markets and if I'm lucky, there
> > will be a dusty shelf in the back with a forgotten bottle. I use
> > that only for cooking, there's no way I'd have that on the table.
>
> One thing I've found over the years that I absolutely do NOT like is
> Tamari.
>
> My current love is kecap manis, which is a sweet soy sauce. I
> substitute it every time I see both soy sauce and sugar called for in
> a recipe and it's right on the money. I don't want to spend a lot of
> time trying to figure out where I bought this when I run out. I'll go
> where I think I bought it and if they don't have it, I'll give Datu
> Puti a try. It would be a better match for Filipino style adobo
> anyway. I already have their cane vinegar, so hopefully I won't need
> to buy the set, which is the way my main grocery store sells them.
>
> I am guessing that the sweetness of the Aloha is a nod to the myriad
> of Filipino workers who flocked to Hawaii back in the days when they
> needed field workers to harvest sugar cane and pineapples.

Smile, not sure but I love the Datu Puti cane vinegar for pulled pork
and quite a few other things! Then the one with the floating peppers
and such (Suukim Maasim? something close to that, out just now) works
really well with a lot of things.

Carol

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