Poke: which types it suits

Poke, from the Hawaiian for 'to cut into pieces', is raw tuna or octopus cubed and tossed with sea salt, seaweed, roasted kukui nut, soy sauce, sesame oil and onion. In Hawaii, supermarket and fish-counter displays hold rows of poke in different seasonings, sold by weight to be eaten over rice as a meal or set out at a gathering. On the mainland it spread as the build-your-own bowl shop, where you move along the counter choosing a base of rice or greens, then fish, sauce and toppings step by step.

People who love it design their own solo meal. They move along the counter building today's combination and quietly compare what they changed from last time. It suits people who are fussy about the freshness of the fish and the balance of the sauce, but want the meal itself to be light and quick. It is rarely the centre of a gathering, but as a lunch carried off alone to a park bench, few things beat it.