Our Island was first discovered in the early 18th century by a Dutch man, this was the beginning of the colonisation of our Islands. This was the introduction of processed food to Samoa. During the migrations of the war ships at that time, they carried easy to consume items, like corned beef, as this was a popular way to store meat to consume while at sea. Food stuff also a popular commodity for trade. This was the genesis of interest with canned food, corned beef and tin fish, into our Fa’a Samoa lifestyle. It did not take long for our people to enjoy these foreign produced products as they were affordable and easy to prepare.
In these early days, an obese person was seen as wealthy, because of having the capacity to buy imported food. You were seen as strong and healthy compared to skinny or toned people who were thought to be starving. People began to believe that “Big is Beautiful!” I do not disagree but it would be wonderful if we could be BIG and Strong so we can enjoy our beautiful selves later in life.