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Calling all mayo haters

By Catherine Toth Fox • April 16, 2013 • Food, Musings

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I didn’t realize a simple sandwich could be so controversial.

The other day I posted a photo on Instagram (above) of a sandwich I had made with a piece of teriyaki chicken and a scoop of macaroni salad.

I thought it was a clever idea to use macaroni salad in place of mayonnaise — since it IS mostly mayo anyway — and wanted to share it with folks on social media.

I didn’t anticipate such a backlash, actually. I thought everyone in Hawaii loved mayonnaise.

Turns out, I was wrong. There are A LOT of mayo haters in Hawaii. A lot. And they’re all on social media!

I was pretty sure most folks loved mayonnaise. And not just any mayo, either. Best Foods is king here. I don’t even know anyone who’s eaten Miracle Whip. (I’m considering doing a new blog post on that, actually.)

But surprisingly, a large number of people on Facebook and Instagram decided to unleash their distaste for the sandwich spread.

Like many local folks, I grew up eating mayonnaise — and on everything. I blame my mom for that. She raised us to believe that the more mayo (and this applies to butter, too), the better. She eats just about everything with mayo, including battered and fried eggplant, asparagus and green beans straight from the can.

I love mayo, too. There’s nothing that goes better in a teri burger, in a roast beef sandwich, with tuna, with chicken than mayo. So it was a no brainer, I thought, to put a dollop of macaroni salad, traditionally made with tons of mayonnaise, would be near genius.

Oh, not to mayo haters.

So I’m throwing it out there: you love mayo and all its gloriousness — or are you a hater of the mayonater?

Let’s take this to the blog!

Just wanted to send a shout-out to Ed Sugimoto, who was watching me blog while shooting a TV commercial for Oceanic Time Warner Cable Internet in Mililani. He couldn’t believe I was actually blogging while shooting. Hey, I’m a woman! I multitask!

FoodHawaiimacaroni saladmayo hatersmayonnaisesandwichteriyaki chicken
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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31 Comments

  • Reply Rose April 16, 2013 at 1:44 am

    I am back and forth with mayo. I will tolerate it on a sandwich and will not say yuck if it is there. Some things I just have to have mayo with like a burger but I can not use mayo as a dip or even think about eating it alone, that grosses me out. If the main flavor of the dish is mayo I won’t eat that either. It has to be just a lingering taste.

    Rose

  • Reply David Jackson April 16, 2013 at 2:02 am

    Mayo is on the short list of things I do not like. Same with maters. No like. Not sure why and plenty of stuff I like so I don’t worry about it.

  • Reply islandgirlinnc April 16, 2013 at 2:42 am

    I like mayo but not very heavily on sandwiches. When I first moved to the east coast, I was lamenting to my mom about not having Best Foods. Then one of her friends told her that on the east coast Best Foods is called Hellmanns. Crazy. Same looking label (I should have guessed) but different name. Anyways, we only have Hellmanns in our house. In the south, Dukes is the mayo everyone uses but I’ve never tried it. Hellmanns (aka Best Foods) is the best!

  • Reply jaydee April 16, 2013 at 3:34 am

    Mayo,preferably Best Foods, usually goes on every sandwich. Shoyu/mayonaisse is a great dipping sauce for veggies like asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower. And mayo mixed with Sambal Olek is a great dipping sauce for anything!

    Yes I am a mayo lover and proud of it. lol

  • Reply Dean Nakamaru April 16, 2013 at 4:50 am

    I love mayo and butter too!!!!

    Every sandwich is better with mayo.

  • Reply Makiki April 16, 2013 at 5:33 am

    Teri chicken with mac salad is pure genius. I hope to see it on the menu at Rainbow Drive-In soon! I don’t care for mayo on a sandwich but it has to be part of “salad” and as Jaydee mentioned Shoyu/Mayo is the Best for dipping veggies.

  • Reply Annoddah Dave April 16, 2013 at 6:11 am

    CAT: I like mayo. I am NOT on social media other than blog. I do NOT like ketchup. I am NOT on social media other than blog. Is there a correlation?

  • Reply M April 16, 2013 at 6:39 am

    Hello Cat, I’m a mayo lover but it has to be Best Foods. Gotta have mayo on sandwiches. Mix some mayo or the mac salad in the chilli and it’s winnahs.

  • Reply L April 16, 2013 at 8:03 am

    how can you grow up here and not like mayo? i agree your sandwich is genious. i must try that the next chance i get. and while i’d love to go off on the mayo haters as a bunch of granola freaks, since i’m married to one, i probably shouldn’t :p

  • Reply Menehune April 16, 2013 at 9:26 am

    Remember Charles Memminger and his worldwide I Hate Mayo Club?

  • Reply Gary April 16, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Cat…I’m a Heath foodie guy but I like mayo on many dishes. I gotta say that the best tasting one is not any of the ones mentioned. Try the Japanese one (Kewpie, I think). Once you try it, you’ll never go back yo the domestics.

  • Reply KAN April 16, 2013 at 10:10 am

    I like mayo, but it doesn’t like me. The only reason it’s in my house is for my parents when they visit (my dad is like your mom – mo’ mayo, mo’ bettah).

    My other half, who grew up on the Mainland, says Miracle Whip is a salad dressing, not a mayonnaise.

    Best Foods is known as Hellman’s east of the Rockies.

  • Reply John Book April 16, 2013 at 10:24 am

    I never thought of having a teriyaki sandwich with macaroni salad, but I would try it in a second.

    Anyway, I was someone who used to like mayo with some things, such as a tuna sandwich. Don’t mind that at all. Then I became iffy not about the tuna, but about other items. Then one day I was watching a cooking show and the discussion was about mayo and I thought “have I really been ignorant all this time?” I know there are many mayo fans back home in Hawai’i, but then again there are many hates. I guess it depends on who one hangs out with, I guess.

  • Reply uncleb April 16, 2013 at 10:26 am

    Sometimes I make my own but otherwise it’s Best Foods for me. I like mayo with shoyu to dip my asparagus spears. I recently went to my friend’s house and they were making ham sandwiches. They didn’t have any mustard so I figured I’d opt for mayo. No mayo, they had Miracle Whip (oh barf…).

  • Reply hawaii2000 April 16, 2013 at 10:38 am

    Yes, that mac salad teri sandwich was genius. How did I not think of that myself?

    Mayonnaise is a must, for me, but in moderation. Too much of it in mac salad or a sandwich or a burger spoils the dish. Best Foods is the king of mayos. Others aren’t terrible but they just don’t compare.

  • Reply rayboyjr April 16, 2013 at 10:44 am

    Hey Cat … like many other locals … I grew up with Best Food’s … but I’ve never eaten it the way others do … let’s see … I’ve mixed it with tuna or egg for sandwiches … or in mac salad … errr … that’s about it for me … I’ve never been one to spread it on bread for sandwiches or as a dip … yeah, what kind local me??? …

    … I don’t mind if it was added to anything I’m eating … just maybe that to be more health conscious I’d avoid it …

    … there are a lot of common mayonnaise-like or mayonnaise based sauces or dressings out there anyways … like tartar sauce for your fish (or McD’s fish burgers, haha) … shoot, the Big Mac special sauce is probably mayo based … and many other sandwiches for that matter … Ranch dressing is probably filled with mayonnaise … Thousand Island …

    … there’s probably many more that I can’t think of right now …

  • Reply rayboyjr April 16, 2013 at 10:51 am

    … btw Cat …sorry to be so nit-picky … but I’d say mac salad is mostly macaroni … you added a whole lot more carbs to the sandwich is what I think …

    … where are all the carb haters!!! …

    … haha … looking at that sandwich … reminds me of the times I see someone ordering a spaghetti plate lunch with rice and mac salad … whew … talk about carbs!!! …

  • Reply soogs April 16, 2013 at 10:52 am

    moa mayo, moa betta! growing up, my salad dressing used to be a dollop of mayo (best foods only) and shoyu. but I agree with Gary. kewpie is the bomb! although I gotta say, the folks from my motherland messed up on the container it comes in. That flimsy plastic bottle is so not representative of the land that makes such imaginative and cool containers.

    btw, dont even try miracle whip. i fell for those mainland commercial’s once and bought it. couldn’t eat another bite of the sandwich I made with it and threw the rest of the bottle in the trash. bleagh!

  • Reply NEO April 16, 2013 at 10:58 am

    I <3 Mayo… when mama makes Teri Beef at home, a little salad, and a slathering of mayo on white bread, and it's GOLD!!! ONLY BEST FOODS in my house… Kraft isn't the same… and MiracleWhip *blegh* MAYO FTW!!!

  • Reply M April 16, 2013 at 11:12 am

    We have a tube of the Kewpie mayo from Japan and it’s better than Best Foods.

  • Reply Gene Park April 16, 2013 at 11:29 am

    it looks like pus.

  • Reply Willy Baum April 16, 2013 at 11:36 am

    I hate mayo too but only when it’s Best Foods 🙂

    Only Miracle Whip for me!

  • Reply Rodney April 16, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Das’ why it’s called Best Foods! Plus Japanese salad dressing, mayonnaise and shoyu. A late friend told me that when he was a sales rep for a food wholesaler, he offered the owner of Rainbows another less costly brand of mayo. Told him are you crazy? He would lose all of his customers! 😉

  • Reply Art April 16, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    I used to eat mayo sandwiches when I was a kid! Good ole Love’s white bread with mayo, yummy! Haha, not so much nowadays since its basically all fat, but I still use and eat it on moderation. Yes, Best Foods is the best. Miracle Whip is bleah, and the Japanese style is, I dunno, too strong?

  • Reply J April 16, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    I use Mac salad as a condiment/topping when available…on sliders, hot dogs, chili, etc… and often as a side to saimin. Hmm, slight overkill on that last one? Not sure…

  • Reply A April 16, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Not a hater but I eat it in moderation. I won’t eat it by itself on a spoon but a smear in the sandwiches or a few tablespoons in the egg salad is a must. Think some of the haters probably ate the cheap brands? I’ve tasted some of them before and it made me avoid mayo for a few years. I stick with Best Foods and I’m a cheapskate. No generic brand for me. Kewpie is a must on okonomiyaki and the stuff Ba Le uses in their banh mi is delicious! Can’t have garlic aioli sauce without mayo. 🙂

  • Reply QuarryLaneFarms April 16, 2013 at 1:57 pm

    @thedailydish Screw the mayo haters. They all have daddy issues. #Mayoinmypants #MacSalad4eva

  • Reply Krystal April 16, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    You know whats awesome on a turkey sandwhich — kimchi and mayo!

  • Reply bumper April 16, 2013 at 10:48 pm

    A little mayo is good. It definitely tastes like Hawaii to me. I started eating Miracle Whip later in life, and I like it for different reasons. It’s a very different taste — lighter and tangier.

  • Reply Nakeli April 17, 2013 at 1:27 am

    Love mayo! I grew up on it too and only Best Foods. I was surprised to learn Best Foods is called Hellman’s here in the south. My grandma used to have watercress and mayo as a dip at every family party, lol.

    And yes Miracle Whip is disgusting.

  • Reply Craig Horwitz March 6, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    The anti-mayo numbers have been growing exponentially. Even more so after this weekend’s premiere:

    https://www.renewtheaters.org/blog/films/mayo-conspiracy/#.UxkfbvldWSo

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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