This weekend was spent in Maui, Hawaii for my brother's wedding. He's marrying a Japanese woman and it's every Japanese girl's dream to have her wedding ceremony in Hawaii, so that's why we're here. In my travels around the island, I noticed a great deal of fruit stands and fruit smoothie carts and other similar things. The thought of trying everything offered from every stand was tempting. As well, I was amazed to find the flatland in the middle of the island covered by seemingly endless fields of sugar cane. In our condominium, we have a full kitchen so naturally we are stocking it with groceries so as to not have to eat out for every single meal during our stay.
Although a lot of food and other goods need to be imported from the mainland or abroad, things like fresh fruit can sometimes be acquired right here, including a mango I ate from Yee's Orchard right here in Maui as well as most of the fruit or fruit-based products offered at the many roadside fruit stands. I did not actually go and get sugar cane juice directly from a plant in one of the fields but that sugar cane clearly gets used in some way or another. Much of it probably gets exported, as do mangoes, pineapples, and macadamia nuts. Even in this society infested by corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, cane sugar still gets a lot of use. Look no further than "organic" or "new age" pop or soda in North America or any pop or soda anywhere else, not to mention the myriad other things made with real sugar.
Although Hawaiian islands such as Maui are dependent upon other places for many consumer goods, the other places are dependent upon the Hawaiian islands for sugar, other raw materials, and fruit. None of these places can exist on their own. We are all interdependent and the infrastructure necessary to maintain this balance is mind-boggling. But as long as each participant does its part and takes care of business, everything can run smoothly like a well-oiled machine. I find it both beautiful and humbling.
John 15: 1-8
No comments:
Post a Comment