Hawaii no ka oi

June was summer vacation time for my husband and I. We went to our son's wedding in Denver. There was also time to visit friends and family, fish trout near Steamboat Springs at Hahn's Peak Lake where we hope to build a cabin in the near future and enjoy the mountains. I hadn't been to the Mainland for almost two years so it was nice to get off the rock, the rock we call Oahu, Hawaii. We also spent time in Monterey and San Francisco. We thoroughly enjoyed Fisherman's Wharf in both places. Side trips to Pebble Beach and Carmel were quite nice too.
All in all, a wonderful vacation. It was time to relax and refresh our minds and bodies.
The bad thing about vacations is that you tend to overeat. Part of a vacation is trying the delicacies of each destination-the chowders, the seafood, the authentic Mexican dishes and much more. I try to be good but the delicious foods are so tempting. Fat chance that I am going to miss out on the wonderful meals.
But about half way through the vacation, home sickness began to set in. Maybe it's because I am getting older but I sure missed home. I guess I am lucky to have Hawaii for my home. And being away just made me appreciate Hawaii much more than I normally do. Yes, Hawaii no ka oi. That means that Hawaii is the best.
The whole nation is going through similar troubles. There's the gas price to worry about, the traffic on our highways, salmonella in our veggies, the bear stock market. And the list can go on. Poor California, they also have the brush fires to worry about. We can all get sick from worrying about all these issues. So for me, a glass half full than half empty kind of person, I thank the Lord to have Hawaii as my home. I am glad to smell the fresh Hawaiian air. I am awed to be able to see the 4th of July fireworks at Magic Island from my lanai so perfectly. I am glad to be able to see Kim, Keahi and Guy on the evening news. And I am happy to get set in my routines once again...until my next trip. Hawaii no ka oi!
[Honolulu Festival Official Site]

Father's Day in Hawaii

So how do the people in Hawaii celebrate Father's Day? We honor our fathers by doing something that Dad wants to do. We spent the day watching the U.S. Open. It was great entertainment with Tiger Woods, Rocco Mediate and Lee Westwood going at it to the 18th hole. Of course we all know that Tiger and Rocco tied and then played the following day. Tiger won.
The basketball game between the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics was also a Father's Day delight. Lakers won.
Yes, dads love sports. But they also love to eat. The restaurants are filled with families celebrating Father's Day. The people in Hawaii love to eat and enjoy the wonderful buffets around town.

Another great way to celebrate is by having a barbecue picnic at the beach or park. We went to Kaka'ako Park after the golf game and it was busy. Barbecues and surfing, friends and family relaxing and enjoying the water. It was a wonderful way to spend a lovely Father's Day.

Yoga, Sex and the City and Dinner

My girlfriend had a birthday last Friday. There are three of us that have been friends over thirty years. We all met when we worked together for a tour company here in Hawaii. So I thought it would be nice to celebrate this weekend by taking in the movie Sex and the City. I never watched it when it was on TV but my daughter just loves it. I thought that it would be fun, a chick flick with lots of laughing and fashion.
So Saturday morning started with the BD girl and I going to our regular yoga class. The yoga class is at a beautiful Korean temple deep into Palolo Valley. I never knew such a place existed until I started attending yoga there. I've been going to classes once a week for about four months now. I know it's good for me but it has been hard for my body, I'm not flexible at all. After a session of 1.5 hours and sweating profusely I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. Of course it takes me a few minutes to peel myself from the mat and then another ten minutes to get to my car. When I first started I would ache for the next week but not anymore, okay, perhaps just a tiny bit the next day.
So this Saturday it was yoga and then home to prep some food for our celebration dinner, shower and then movie. Since the movie opened the day before we knew that it would be crowded so we got our tickets early and even lined up. I love to people watch. There were few males in the crowd but there were many groups of ladies, just like us in the line. Oh, but before lining up we got our popcorn and mochi crunch and drinks. For those of you not from Hawaii, you're probably wondering what is mochi crunch. It is Japanese rice crackers flavored with shoyu. Hawaii people mix the popcorn and mochi crunch in the popcorn box and eat it together. It is so tasty. The saltiness and butter flavor of the popcorn goes perfectly with the shoyu taste of the mochi crunch. You must try this. The three of us shared a large popcorn and we were so busy talking and eating it in the line that we practically finished our snack before entering the theater.
SATC was a wonderful movie. The four ladies just clicked. Not only was the show hilarious it showed New York City well and the fashions were outrageous. Carrie was attractive and Mr. Big looked great on the big screen. The TV police show that he's on does not do him justice. And the storyline, each of the ladies had their story and they were all meaningful. I particularly connected to Miranda's story.
All in all it was time and money well spent. The best part of the whole thing is that the BD girl just loved it and she was so happy. That really made my day, making my GF happy on her birthday!

Hawaii's love for Spam

Growing up in Japan I recall my Dad, a local boy from the Ewa Plantations, making this particular dish for dinner on occasion. It was Spam Stir Fry and it included strips of Spam and sliced veggies such as onions, cabbage, won bok, carrots...I guess whatever that was in the refrigerator. Dad would season it with some pepper and a dash of shoyu. The Spam was already salty so only a little seasoning was required. This dish would taste so good with hot white rice. And if there was any left over we would eat it for breakfast by cooking it up with some eggs, kinda like an omelet.
After coming to Hawaii to live as an adult I noticed that a lot of people ate fried Spam as part of their breakfast. And then there is the Spam musubi (rice ball with Spam and nori on top). So creative, I thought. There's something wonderful about eating this Spam musubi at the beach and on the golf course! It really hits the spot.
I know that this luncheon meat is high in sodium and is not considered the healthiest of foods but my kids love it. When my son went off to college his care package always included cans of Spam. There was an article in the paper today about how the sale of Spam has increased recently. Hawaii has always been known as the state to eat Spam the most but lately with the food prices going up I guess Spam has become a popular staple for not only the Hawaiians but other people across the nation. Some popular dishes in the mainland include Spam fried rice, Spam macaroni and cheese and Spam sandwich.
Did you know that Spam is so popular here in Hawaii that each year it is honored with a festival called Spam Jam? This is where our famous local chefs will make Spam dishes and all the people would go out to taste it. There are also contests for participants to create their own dishes. Pretty interesting if you ask me. Only in Hawaii!