Three things I learned at the Dole Pineapple Plantation
Nothing says “Hawaii” like pineapple. A cooking segment on national television yesterday featured pineapple recipes as part of a luau theme. And yet, even while living in Hawaii, I learned three things about the fruit when I visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
First: Pineapples do not grow on trees.
Until then, my closest encounter with a pineapple was from a can or in the produce section of a grocery store. Even after moving to Hawaii, I found pineapples at the weekly Farmer’s Market. (They were a product that I could identify without photos from the Farmers Market Cookbook.)
When my sister visited from the mainland, we stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation on our tour of Oahu. I was introduced to pineapples in the wild — on short bush-like plants. Not only were they much closer to the ground than I imagined, they also came in many varieties. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that pineapples come in different types, like apples, but I always equated the name with a standard yellow icon. Twenty varieties are grown in a display garden near the entrance with helpful nameplates.
Second: Pineapples are not native to Hawaii.
The plantation has a series of signs that tell the history of pineapple in Hawaii. Although the fruit seems almost synonymous with Hawaii, it is not native to the islands. In fact, the Hawaiian name for pineapple means "foreign fruit" (halakahiki). Wandering around the pineapple display garden and reading the signs is free and, for me, the most interesting part of the stop (except maybe getting a photo of my sister and me with our heads stuck through a board so it looks like we’re in a pile of pineapple, also free – and priceless for embarrassing our children).
Third: Sometimes you learn more as a tourist than as a local.
I would not have driven out to the plantation on my own – at least partly because I now think that driving 30 miles is SO FAR AWAY (a consequence of living on an island). But there is a lot of information presented in an entertaining manner aimed at visitors who are interested in Hawaii but don’t know a lot about it. Sometimes, that’s more valuable than an authentic “local” experience.
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
Entry Filed under: Customs, Practices and Pastimes,Fun Stuff,Oahu
July 29th, 2010
7 Comments Add your own
1. paul | July 29th, 2010 at 9:32 am
its amazing how many different varieties of pineapples there are.
2. Bruce Fisher | July 29th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Mahalo for sharing your perspective. Nice to hear they have an educational experience. A lot of people end up just going for the pineapple ice cream and the maze and never discover the history that’s associated with the pineapple in Hawaii.
3. Cindy | July 29th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
We didn’t try the maze, since I had just gotten us lost inside the Ala Moana shopping center
4. lin | August 2nd, 2010 at 10:50 am
Everyone gets lost in Ala Moana, I can’t keep it straight these days, everytime I go there, geez it’s different, I spent 1 hour trying to figure out where in the heck they moved Shirokiya, lol, they didn’t I just had no idea the difference between up and down, by the time I found it, I was at my wits end. LOL. I highly agree about locals not knowing everything, I’ve been here my whole life and I didn’t know there are 20 varieties of Pineapples. Honestly I’m a fruit freak and I love just eating them.
5. Fresh food on your Hawaii&hellip | September 29th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
[...] double the size of any I saw on the mainland. They taste different, too, just off the farm. Fresh pineapples are a completely different flavor than the canned variety. The array of flowers is also [...]
6. Erin | November 29th, 2011 at 8:41 am
Loved going to Dole! We did the maze, took all of an hour! But it was a blast! Lucky I had good sense of direction, or am just good at doing mazes. Also the train ride is very informative!
7. Bruce Fisher | November 29th, 2011 at 8:55 am
You must be good Erin, I am still lost in the Maze LOL
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