Contrary to popular belief, “aloha” doesn’t translate to “hello”
and “goodbye.” It simply means “love.” That is how I could best describe America’s
50th state: simply love. The
Hawaiian people share their own unique culture and language that makes it
completely distinct from the rest of the country. I felt totally at ease and content during my
10-day visit; no wonder it’s a top vacation destination. Besides spending every day relaxing on a
beach and catching up with my wonderful college friend, Rachel, and her family,
one of the best parts of my trip was the food!
The day my plane landed on the island of Oahu was the day I had just
completed my 30-day vegan challenge. I
was ready to indulge, and that is exactly what I did. Here are my picks, in no particular order, of
my 11 favorite Hawaiian eats.
1. “When In Hawaii…”
Hank’s Haute Dogs doesn’t look like
much on the outside, but this little diner is quite a star on Waikiki
Beach. Featured on one of my favorite
shows, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,
this hot dog stand boasts a unique menu starring the American staple. Some twists on the basic wiener include a
sausage made from wild boar, a “Fat Boy” wrapped in bacon and deep fried, and a
“Lobster Sausage” as seen on the DDD
episode. Their most unique dogs are only
served on certain days of the week, such as the famous lobster dog served on
Fridays and Saturdays only. Since we
visited in the middle of the week I decided to follow the popular Roman idiom
and ordered “The Hawaiian”: a Portuguese sausage smothered with a sweet mango
mustard and pineapple relish.
Accompanied by French fries and a coke, it was a pretty swell meal.
2. Alex vs. Hukilau Burger
Another notorious dive featured on 50 First Dates and visited by Adam
Richman of Man vs. Food, Hukilau Café
is not for the faint of heart. Its
appearance mimics a basement cafeteria and there were more flies inside than
people, but I was there to complete a mission: the legendary Hukilau Burger. The already significant patty of beef is
topped with thinly sliced teriyaki steak, cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled
onion, and a fried egg. Merely a quick
bite for Adam, it looked like Everest to me.
Buzzing flies and all, I conquered the greasy beast with pride (and
perhaps a clogged artery or two).
3. Waiki-cocktails
With it being the most popular beach
in the city, I couldn’t complete my trip to Honolulu without a visit to
Waikiki. Rachel and I went to the
popular resort restaurant by the name of Duke’s. It felt like a cliché Hawaiian honeymoon and
it was fantastic. An enormous endless
salad bar (three trips, thank you) was the appetizer. My main dish was the seasonal fish, a white
fish called monchong, grilled with a cilantro miso glaze and topped with a mango
salsa. No Hawaiian meal would be
complete without a fruity tropical drink.
Rachel had Duke’s special Mai Tai, and I went with the icy blended “Lava
Flow”. They were the perfect complement
to sunset on the notorious beach.
4. Leonard, M.B. (Master Baker)
If you ever find yourself on Oahu,
please, for the love of baked goods, find Leonard’s Malasadas! They are pastries sent from above. If I could meet the creator Leonard, I would
shake his hand with one hand while eating a malasada with the other. The original bakery is in Honolulu, but there
are several “Malasadamobiles” around the city frying the Portuguese
donuts. Instead of a hole in the middle,
these treats come filled with various custards, or left empty like the
original, and then are rolled in sugar.
We ate them fresh and hot out of the fryer and I think my feet floated
two inches off the ground the whole time.
5. Aoki Dokey!
Aoki’s Shave Ice is a landmark on
the North Shore of Oahu. It’s been
family owned and operated for more than 25 years. Hawaiian shaved ice is nothing new on the mainland,
but have you ever had it served with ice cream and sweet azuki beans? I regretfully declined the traditional beans,
but vanilla ice cream and syrup-flavored shaved ice is delicious! I felt like a happy kid eating the rainbow
snack out of the trunk of the car in the parking lot displaying warning signs
of falling coconuts and broken windshields.
Don’t worry, we parked in a safe zone.
6. Breakfast on the Big Island
Hungry and driving along the coast
of the Big Island, we impulsively stopped at a small café, which turned out to
have an incredible breakfast. I ordered
a fresh papaya, halved and filled with more fruit, creamy yogurt and sprinkled
with toasted coconut. It was served with
thick homemade toasted bread and a poached egg, at my request. Rachel had scrumptious breakfast sandwich on
the same thick bread. Although a little
foggy, we had quite the view during our meal, although my favorite part about
the restaurant was that the employees put out jelly tins for hungry
geckos. It was quite entertaining to
watch them scurry and slurp.
7. “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”
After completing our near-six-mile
roundtrip hike to the Papakolea Green Sand Beach, we were met with an El
Salvadorian man selling coconuts he had harvested hours earlier. Upon placing my order he promptly wacked off
the top with an intimidating machete, poked in a straw, and handed it over. He waited patiently while I sucked down all
the juice and with another quick machete strike, he split the coconut to reveal
the ripe meat. It was actually much bitterer
than the juice and the slimy texture kept me from finishing, but I hope it’s
not the last time I drink fresh coconut milk.
8. The Southernmost Cocoa Puff
Being on the south coast of the Big
Island, the majority of nearby businesses’ claim to fame is “The
Southernmost….in the USA.” The marketing
scheme worked on us. We stopped at Punalu’u’
Bake Shop, “The Southernmost Bakery in the USA.” Since I’d already eaten my share of
malasadas, I went with another Hawaiian favorite: the cocoa puff. A delicate pastry packed with milk chocolate
pudding and dusted with powdered sugar…it was the southernmost delicious dessert
in the USA I’ve ever eaten.
9. Aloha Beer!
Since I work at a brewery, I
thought it was only responsible to visit the Kona Brewing Co. and sample some
Hawaiian beer. I chewed on crispy wild
mushroom pizza while sipping on assorted ales.
10. Bubba Gump Would Be Proud
North Shore is famous for its
shrimp trucks. As Bubba said in Forrest Gump, “shrimp is the fruit of
the sea.” In a parking lot where the
shrimp trucks park bumper to bumper, “there’s shrimp kabobs, shrimp gumbo,
shrimp barbecue, shrimp sandwiches…” I
went with the shrimp creole from Dat Cajun Guy’s truck. It’s safe to say that it is the best shrimp
I’ve ever had. The Cajun gravy was
unlike any other, but the shrimp itself was so fresh and plump. “I do know what love is, Jenny” and it’s that
shrimp!
11. Onolicious Luau
For my last night in Hawaii, Rachel
and I attended a traditional luau.
Although extremely touristy, they still cooked the pork true to
customary form: in an imu. (Pronounced
“emu” they had me thinking they shoved the pig in a giant Australian bird, but
it is in fact an underground oven.) We
watched the ceremonial exhuming of the smoked pig and then loaded our plates at
the buffet with all the typical fare: kalua pork, macaroni salad, and poi
(mashed taro root). We watched luau
dancers and pyrotechnic performances as we finished off our sweet Mai Tais. As the locals say, it was “onolicious!”
Before catching my flight, I gave one final Kona brewed toast
to a Hawaiian sunset. Aloha, Hawaii!
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