Recent critiques of deficiency explanations of minority behavior have suggested that frequently used methods in delay of gratification research are culturally biased, and employ culturally irrelevant behavior classifications. The present study attempted to show that among Hawaiian-Americans the immediate consumption of resources (immediate gratification) could be most meaningfully interpreted in terms of the relation of resource usage and cultural values rather than psychological deficiency. Hawaiian and Japanese-American adolescents were asked to indicate what they would do with a $1,500 windfall. The Hawaiians were more likely to indicate immediate consumption than the Japanese. There were no group differences in designations for personal use, or for "save/invest." However, comparisons of intended use of the money showed that Hawaiians would share with family and others most frequently. The Japanese more often earmarked money for education. Although there were significant differences in socioeconomic status between the two cultural groups, there were no within-group correlations between socioeconomic status and intended use. The relative effects of culture and socioeconomic status were discussed.