Island Style

After selling me a car, Rick, a rental car mechanic, invited me to a cookout. Having nothing better to do, I decided to go. The people of Guam are known for their love of food and hospitality.

Every Friday evening, nearly everyone on Guam goes to a cookout. Everywhere you look, at the beach, at the park, in backyards, in parking lots, on the side of the road, people are cooking out. They are literally everywhere. Not only are people cooking out with their families, but with friends and more often than not, random passer-bys. If you are walking by a cookout and merely wave, you will almost certainly be invited to join where great quantities of food will be heaped on a plate and pushed into your hand along with a cold Budweiser.

On my first Friday on the island (I arrived on a Friday, but it doesn't count), I joined my new friends Rick and Bruno at their mechanic garage for a cookout. I brought a 1/2 case of Budweiser, the unofficial beer of Guam. When I arrived Rick, Bruno, Bruno's family and others were already getting the fire started. Rick and Bruno left to buy food while I talked with the other folks. I spoke mostly with Bruno's nephew. Bruno and his family are from Chuk (also known as Truk), a small island atoll to the southeast, part of the Federated States of Micronesia (an independent country).

There are many Chukan people on Guam. Chukans, as well as Philippians, Chinese, and Koreans came to Guam for work. But, like everyone on Guam they observe the "Island Style." Bruno's nephew recalled how hard it was to live on Chuk. "Everyday," he said, "you spend most of your time hunting or fishing, just trying to find food to eat." Soon Rick and Bruno return and begin to cook the "chasers." Chasers are what I would call appetizers. For chasers, we have shushini - raw tuna with awesome homemade dipping sauce - excellent. Large quantities of chicken, beef, and thick bacon is put on the fire. Along with the potato salad, it is an enormous meal.

As we eat, Rick explains "this is island style." Rick says most people work six days a week on Guam, get paid little and struggle just to make it. Wages are low, prices are high and even with many people on government assistance, it can be difficult to make end's meat. Yet, everyone takes time out on Friday to chill, eat a lot of food, drink a lot of Budweiser and relax. During the evening, Bruno left two times to go to the store and purchase more food. It was nothing short of a tour de force of binge eating by everyone there (yours truly included). I can't remember the last time I was that full.