Distribution Toast Hawaii was a typical meal for German families up until the 1970s and was a popular dish in pubs, party rooms, and bowling alleys in the 1980s. However, in 2015, the more commonly thought of pineapple-centric dish in Germany was Hawaiian pizza; unlike Hawaiian pizza, which is distributed globally, Hawaiian toast has remained a purely German phenomenon. About ten years after its introduction, Hawaiian toast also found its way into the Küche der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, but was limited to being served in restaurants. In home kitchens, versions of Carlsbad cut were more popular, using the more commonly available Jagdwurst or meatloaf and omitting the pineapple. In Austria, Toast Hawaii was seen as one of the markers of Americanization in the 1950s, but the Hawaii schnitzel even more so. The dish has also been available in Switzerland since the 1950s; the Zurich-Kloten Airport restaurant was one of the first to serve Hawaiian toast in Switzerland around 1960 and was one of the top ten most Googled recipes in 2013. Reception Toast Hawaii is considered a piece of German cultural history. On the 60th anniversary of its creation, the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that few other subjects had been discussed as passionately as the polarizing opinions on Toast Hawaii. Hawaiian toast brought a touch of the exotic into everyday life and was thus part of the conspicuous consumption of the post-war period in Germany. According to the journalist Gudrun Rothaug, the dish bundled the desires of an entire generation onto a few square centimeters of wheat bread, and according to historian Petra Foede, the dish also represents moving away from traditional meals primarily intended to be stomach-fillers (such as stew or dumplings). Ulrich Herbert points out the eating habits of the 1950s were not shaped by "modern" dishes like this one, but rather by bread, sausage, potatoes, and meat. Media scientist Gerd Hallenberger pointed out that the exotic fruit involved in the dish could also be interpreted as compensation for the continuing food shortage in the post-war kitchen and inability to afford vacations to distant countries. Toast Hawaii brought the initially internationally isolated German citizens a piece of new normality and connection to the culinary world culture. According to Josef Joffe, the dish is often associated with philistinism, but stands for a milestone towards modernity. Hawaiian toast also found its way into popular culture; Loriot satirically alluded to it with