[Sca-cooks] Farmers Market, Hawaii

[Laura C. Minnick]

Ok, my three pence...

I lived in Hawaii for awhile during high school. It was indeed an
experience. Interesting, in many ways. Lived on the North Shore of Oahu,
in Laie, which is where the Polynesian Cultural Center is, BYU Hawaii
Campus, the Hawaii Temple, and more Mormons than you can shake a stick
at. Many of them locals but not all. For haole girl with very white skin
and Pentecostal parents, this meant no dates. At all. :-( (Somehow I
captured the attention of a young marine at our church though, but that
is another story...)

It was my experience that if you were in and around anywhere tourists
might go, you would find tourist food- bland, oversweetened, with
coconut shreds and gummy pineapple on everything. Especially in the
city. If you want real food, head out into the residential areas, to the
little local groceries, or the little produce stand next to the station
where the surfers put two bucks into their Honda so they can get home.
Out along Kamehameha Hwy (called Kam Hwy) there's lots of little spots,
not quite villages, but they have names. Some Auntie might have mangoes
in a box next to the road with a hand lettered cardboard sign. I once
bought some from the lady with the "SICK OF CANNING- MAKE AN OFFER"
partly because I felt sorry for her. My mom once went out fishing (near
Hanauma but not in it- it's protected) with a lady from church who
though mom should go out for squid with her. Mom and I share the seasick
gene. But Mrs. Tuiiana (Samoan) pulled in squid and some fish that were
pretty good cooked on the beach wrapped in ti leaves. But I don't care
for squid. If I thought fishy rubber bands were good to eat, I would eat
them!

I learned to eat lychee nuts and fresh guava from the kids at school.
And pickled mango and salt plum. Church potlucks were a real treat. Had
my first Adobo. Tried this rubbery stuff made with rice that was sort of
like jello but not. Ate sushi. Like it with shrimp and green onion.
Don't like raw bits. And I don't really like nori either (much to James'
chagrin- he loves Japanese food). And I have eaten enough Spam for a
lifetime, thank you!

I suspect that just about anywhere, it would be the same. Real food,
fresh food, food without 'stuff'- find the real people. Nope- you can't
get real guava juice here mainland. I drink the frozen stuff sometimes
just for the shadow of the memory, but for the real stuff, you need to
go to Pastor Sasaki's when the tree is bearing, and help pick- he will
press juice and you can drink it until you slosh... but that tree is in
Kahuku, and how many thousands of miles?...

Ok, it was four pence. Did you get your money's worth? ;-)

'Lainie