OMG a Recipe: Adventures in Cocktail Garnishes

Summer, we just CAN'T QUIT YOU. And why should we? It's still lovely outside. The heat has finally calmed to a comfortable warmth, but with just enough coolness in the evening to warrant a cozy blanket while we watch the stars come out. While I've done the typical avoidance of a hot stove/oven for the last few months, it gives me ample time to get my Cocktail-Fu on -- the Way of the Drank. So let's get it on like Donkey Kong, we need to savor these warm Day Drinking afternoons while we can!

The Orange Lady Marmalade - or whatever I'm calling it today - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Vacation!! (I think...)

It's Summer Vacation Time!! At least, that's the plan. Just for a few days, don't panic, I'll be back to the bloggosphere in no time. I'm supposed to meet up with family and friends for a few days in the Hotzone that is Nevada, but there's also a fair chance I'll cancel my trip to be with Indy, if her health is wavering. Ah, the joys of a terminally ill dog. Anyways, with the Vacation Gods in my favor, I hope to be somewhere else very soon, seeing people I haven't seen in a long while.

Let's Go-Go on Vacation! (photo from Go Go's album, if you're a child of the 80s)

In celebration of vacations as a whole, I of course think of the great anthem for taking some time off by Belinda Carlisle and her Grrl army of Go-Gos. If you feel like chair-dancing to this 1980s classic, here's a video from YouTube -- pardon the long pause before it starts, it's in place so the copyright police doesn't take it down (unless it's already taken down). If so, boo.

UnRecipe: A Sweet Bon Voyage!

Cupcake Break. That's what my old workmates and I would declare after a particularly long, stressful, annoying day or week. One of us would to a nearby bakery and bring back some sweet treats. It would usually be multiple flavors, so we could cut them into smaller pieces and sample a little of everything, and just dwell in that drug-like haze of an extreme sugar high. At least before the crushing blow of Harsh Reality set in, and we'd have to get back to work. When Trophy Cupcakes first headed Eastside, to their spot at The Bravern, that became a regular on our Cupcake Break rotation. Which leads me to today's post -- sometimes you need not only a Cupcake Break, but a Real Break. So I'm having both!

Sometimes the day needs a chocolate cupcake. Likely more than one. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Viva Las Vacation

If you didn't already see from my Twitter Feed, I am in the exact opposite of the Evergreen State. I'm in the land Scorched by Fire. And Elvis. Yes, I'm currently in the Devil's Playground, aka, Adult Disneyland, aka, Las Vegas, meeting up with family and friends for a totally wholesome reunion. It is, after all, the Ninth Island, and you'll see more Hawaii people in Vegas than you will their home state. But fear not, I return this week, slightly sun-crisped, and ready for more bloggeriffic misadventures. I can already guarantee my Vegas shenanigans aren't as epic as a SyFy Original (Read: Cheesy) movie, starring Malcom in the Middle and Barry "I love this crazy town" Bostwick. Viva -- blog atcha soon, beautiful babies.

FoodTrek: Mahalo Plenty and Putting the "Wow" in Luau

I'm so not a luau person. I can count on one hand how many times I've been to a luau and I can now commit two digits to this achievement. I saw that episode of No Reservations where Tony Bourdain reluctantly attended a luau, and I felt his pain (at least until the tiki drinks kicked in, then it was all good times). That being said, it's sure saying something when I can say I came, I saw, I luau-ed and had a really fun night on our last evening in Maui, with the Runic Games crowd at the Old Lahaina Luau.

Rock-a-Hula, baby - swaying in the tropical breeze in Lahaina - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Total Party Pooper Confession: I had considered skipping the luau -- we missed our chance to try Star Noodle in Lahaina, along with many other restaurants that were on my Maui wish list. Committing a night of just eating at as many places as we could manage was awfully tempting. And the rush hour traffic, complete with a road-blocking accident made for a pretty wicked commute from Makena to Lahaina. Translated to full-on Pidgin with a touch of Maui dialect: Eh, dis one plenty kine pilau pauhana traffic! Dis some junk, eh?!  But this was the final night in Maui, we had so much fun on this huge group vacation with all of the Mister's workmates at Runic, and this felt like a proper way to end our very magical trip on a festive,  happy, gang's-all-here note.

1-2-3 - CAMERA TIME! Festive night and a special little guest-star - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Luckily, we were in the land of Island Time, so despite the traffic snarl, we didn't miss a thing upon our arrival to the Old Lahaina Luau. It's set up like dinner and a concert -- you have a little cocktail hour time, getting settled, enjoying the fresh flower lei they greet you with, and you continue to enjoy cocktail hour time until the buffet is opened. Then it's almost like going to a big banquet wedding -- each table gets up to go through the buffet line and it's done in a nice, orderly fashion so the line for dinner doesn't look like all hell's broken loose. Our group probably took up five or six tables, which were all within the same general area, so it was nice to have everyone sitting so close. We even got a special guest visitor -- a little gecko which scared the holy hell out of one of our friends. I'm pretty sure the gecko was just hoping for a sip of Mai Tai. The photo above is just a reenactment of what happened, as that picture was taken in Kona a couple of years ago, but believe me -- those geckos are lushes, every last one of them!

Eating the islands, one bite at a time - Photo by Wasabi Prime

It was hard to take a good photo of the buffet area while trying to balance my plate, but believe me, it was a very good luau meal. They of course had the requisite whole-roasted pig, fresh from the underground oven -- the imu -- with fall-off-the-bone smoky Magical Animal, but they also had mini pork laulau (pork wrapped in taro leaf, with a little piece of fish for extra flavor, wrapped in a ti leaf before being slowly cooked), two different kinds of poke (Hawaiian-style ceviche) -- one with octopus and the other with tuna, roasted alii potatoes (also known as purple Okinawan potatoes), fresh locally-grown salad greens, a tasty warabi and tomato salad (warabi is like a tropical fiddlehead fern), and more familiar items like teriyaki chicken, beef and roasted fish. There was poi, that old luau favorite of mashed taro root made into a thick, sticky pudding -- which I skipped -- not my thing, but very traditional and worth trying if you've never had it. I feasted on the island beasts from land to sea, and enjoyed every bite. Say what you will about buffets or even luaus -- this was really delicious and the food was fresh and genuine, not trying to adhere to some silly image of what Hawaiian food should be. The endless cocktails were nice as well, an option well-chosen for our party-hearty group.

The story of the Hawaiian islands, as told through music and dance - Photos by Wasabi Prime

We were happily settled in Food Coma Land when the sun settled into the sea and the performances began. The Old Lahaina Luau does a beautiful job, presenting as much of the mythical story of the Hawaiian islands as they do the history of hula itself within the islands. Several of the hula kahiko -- traditional or ancient style of hula -- are from the surrounding Polynesian islands, the original Hawaiian settlers who brought the cultures of the Marquesas and Tahiti, including their method of historical preservation by way of movement and song. The performances are introduced with explanations in English, as well as Native Hawaiian by a kumu, an elder and teacher.

The early settlers of Hawaii and the legends of gods who created the islands - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I loved seeing the performance of the story of Pele, Goddess of Fire, who lives in the Kilauea crater on the Big Island of Hawaii, and her tempestuous relationship with her older sister, Namakaokahai, goddess of water, ocean and rain. It's always the ladies with the complex personal dynamics and DRAMA, no? There's different variations on the story, that Pele put the moves on her sister's husband, or that like many siblings, they just couldn't get along, and so they fought -- fire and water, in a constant battle. But ohana -- family -- wins out in the end, they strike a balance, just like the way the ocean's waves crash against the cliffs of Kilauea, yet the volcano remains active and very much alive; neither force fully overtakes the other and so the islands continue to grow. All this through a beautiful song and dance? Well, just believe me, it's there.

From past to present, a history of hula - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Despite how cool it would have looked in a photo, there were no spinning batons of fire going on. That's a little more Vegas-y and less traditional, because really, how safe is that, spinning stuff on fire?? The later performances show the hula's history, definitely a sign of the European influence, with full muumuu style dresses befitting the modest British settlers that nearly made Hawaii their own (at least before America got their protectorate clutches into it -- but oy, what a bigger, more complicated story that one is). The popularized modern hula -- hula auana -- reminded me of the annual Merrie Monarch hula festival that happens every year in Hilo on the Big Island. Literally the Superbowl of Hula, with halaus traveling from as far as Japan to participate, all the islands literally drop everything to watch it and enjoy the cultural celebration. Hula auana style is more athletic and quick, with synchronized strong movements, especially the all-male performers, proving that men can make hula impressive and powerful. As an art form, hula continues to regain its cultural significance in people's minds -- it lost a lot of ground from too many years of trivialized fake grass skirts, bad tattoos and silly (but wonderful) Elvis movies. Well-done performances like the ones at Old Lahaina Luau are helping to set the image right. 

Cheers to you, Maui - and no, that wasn't my lei on the mermaid - Photos by Wasabi Prime

So yes, despite my not being a luau person, I genuinely enjoyed myself on our Aloha oi, Farewell to Maui night, rockin' the hula. It was a beautiful evening, and everyone looked so happy, relaxed and fully vacation-ized at the luau -- even the Mister and me! We all made our way back to the hotel for a final cocktail hour in their lounge, plus post-func room POG-tinis because we all bought waaaaaaaay too much alcohol (damn you, Costco!) and were desperate to finish as much of it up before we headed back to the Mainland the next day.

Mahalo Plenty to Runic Games for their generosity and heartfelt Aloha to not only the employees but their families, the trip organizers and team-wranglers, the gorgeous island of Maui and all the locals we met, the very patient and good-natured bartenders and staff at Makena Resort who served our every tipsy whim, the awesome Runic Gang for being such FUN travel companions, and even Mother Nature and the Hawaiian gods themselves, for blessing us with an incredible week-long experience. Aloha nui loa -- looking forward to returning again soon!

FoodTrek: Maui Part Deux - Pizza and Beer, With Aloha

What's a pair greater than pizza and beer? Yeah, that's right -- NOTHING. They were together long before peanut butter and chocolate, and way-way before those Twilight kids hooked up for some vampiric bump n' grind. And so it should be no surprise that in the lush paradise of Maui, Pizza and Beer: A Love Story, continues on...

Oh what a feeling... drinking beer on the ceiling... - Photo by Wasabi Prime

In the second installment of Mauianigans (Maui + Shenanigans - duh), we managed to fit a trip to a local brewery in Lahaina and a from-scratch pizza place in Kihei. Not in the same day, mind you, but these separate excursions were too good not to put together as tasty suggestions for your next visit to the island of Maui. I credit Mr. Wasabi for organizing a tasting tour of the Maui Brewing Company. Brock was talking to his beer pals and someone said, "So of course you'll be visiting the brewery, right?" To which the obvious answer was, "Of course!" with hasty Googling afterwards, to figure out where the place was, and whether or not the brewery was open to the public for tours. The answer to that is no -- they don't do regular tours, but if you can get at least ten of your thirstiest friends together and schedule a time with them, they'll do a personal tour of the brew facilities with a tasting session afterwards for $10, including a wooden token good for a full pint at their brewpub, which is offsite from the brewery, at the Kahana Gateway Center. 

Look for the big, shiny brewing equipment and follow the arrows! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Maui Brewing Company's brewery and tasting room is located off Brock's favorite highway to say - Honoapiilani Highway, which goes right through Lahaina, but it's a little tricky to find. It's a working brewery, so it's in an industrial area hidden behind a few other street-facing buildings. The best visual signpost to signal you're within spitting distance is the Sugar Cane Train station, which has a pretty distinctive vintage train engine sitting out on a lawn. The brewery itself is about a row of buildings back, and you'll see that they've used some of their brewing equipment tagged for signage to let you know where to enter. The tasting room is a cool, laid-back place to grab a beer. No food, since they have the brewpub for that, but it's a great hands-on experience to see how the beer is made. Maui  Brewing Company has been making the good sudsy stuff since 2005, and it's the biggest breweries on the islands in. They have several signature beers: Bikini Blonde, Big Swell IPA, Mana Wheat and CoCoNut PorTeR, which you've likely seen and tasted on the Mainland, thanks to the fact they use cans instead of bottles. Beer in cans is like wine in boxes -- there's a stigma that makes you think "bad" or "cheap," but Maui Brewing Company is working towards adjusting people's drinking mindframes and realizing it all comes down to blessed science and good economic sense. The cans are less expensive than bottling, and they maintain the beer's quality better than glass, which can still allow light to affect the beer. Given the traveling these mighty sixers have to do, going as far as the East Coast, a secure and lightweight beer-shuttle is a necessity. The cans also ensure more beer can be shipped, so that's a good thing as well.

Where Maui beer is BORN - Photos by  Wasabi Prime

Maui Brewing Company is all about showing local love -- even the cans are locally produced. I learned on the tour that the ridges near the top of the can is like a branding from the can manufacturer, which in this case is on Oahu. If you see a can with the little ridges towards the top, that can was made in Hawaii, which would explain why I remember all those POG and guava juice cans having that unique feature. Ah, sweet, sweet knowledge! But back to the local ingredients, they integrate as much of the islands' flavors into the beers as possible, like the coconut for the porter, or for one of their special seasonal brews, the Aloha B'ak'tun, a spicy, smoky brew made with local chocolate. Their most popular beers are the lighter ones like the Bikini Blonde, Big Swell IPA and Mana Wheat, which you can find at most bars who serve Maui Brewing Company's tasty suds. They have a light, delicate flavor -- sunkissed, I dare say, and perfect after a hot day on the beach. And plenty ono with some pauhana pupus, like boiled peanuts and edamame. Our Pacific Northwest palates were more intrigued with their heavier, more complex CoCoNut PorTeR and that seasonal chocolate-spiced B'ak'tun, which I'm totally going to track down at our favorite Redmond beer shop, Malt and Vine.

Drankin' with friends and plenty aloha at Maui Brewing Co's tasting room - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It's good news to hear that Maui Brewing Company's doing so well that they're moving to larger facilities this year -- time to level up! No specific date announced, but it won't cause any slowdown in the production of their precious beer, and the brewpub will be open during the transition. I have to give a brewery operating in Maui a lot of credit -- it's a hot place, they're making a product that's extremely sensitive to temperature and moisture, maintaining equipment that is constantly exposed to some amount of salt spray that's nearly everywhere in the islands. They make a commitment towards sustainability, both in energy efficiency on their part with the beer canning, solar power usage, biodiesel made from their brewpub kitchen and used for their vehicles, as well as making sure their brewery waste is reused as much as possible -- they donate the spent grain to local farms for feed and compost. You know you're drinking to the Circle of Life when you're cracking into one of their beers. They make a quality product through a process with a conscience -- even if you're not a beer drinker, you have to appreciate that.

Enough beer-talk -- let's EAT. And drink more beer. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

We took our precious beer token to Maui Brewing Company's brewpub, which is maybe a fifteen minute drive from the brewery, give or take pauhana traffic. Really cool place. I loved the repurposed beer keg decor, from the entrance to their industrial light fixtures, complete with plugged bungs. Bung. Heh-heh. From a beer-drinking standpoint, the brewpub, along with food, serves more of Maui Brewing Company's beers -- small-batch, seasonal beers and specials like their Ginger Saison, which I very much enjoyed. Their food menu reflects the same locavore mentality behind their beers -- Maui onion soup, salads made with local hydroponic greens, and of course a lot of their dishes are made with their beer, like their chili or beef stew. I went for their beef stew made with their porter and locally-raised beef. I have to say, of all the beer-infused stews I've had, this one really retained that smoky-bitter porter taste in a nicely flavor-forward way. You weren't going to get drunk off beef stew, but there was no doubt they used that CoCoNut PorTeR in the gravy. And served with a scoop of rice, of course!

Beer-battered brie? Why the heck not? - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Brock ordered their Pub Plate, which was Hawaii pub-style: kalua pork, one scoop rice, one scoop potato-mac salad, and a side of their house barbecue sauce made from their porter. I snuck a bite -- it was ono plenty. We also had their beer battered brie served with caramelized pineapple sauce, which is just a fancy way of saying FRIED CHEEEEEEESE. Aside from the fact it was molten hot, as if Pele herself had flipped the bird at this cheese, it was delicious, almost like a slightly deconstructed fondue, with the creamy pineapple sauce, gooey brie and pieces of bread. One of our brewpub crew ordered the nachos, which the simple name doesn't do it justice. It should be called King Kamehameha Nachos because these were downright royal. A volcano-sized pile of kalua pork, black beans, fresh salsa and jalapenos... and maybe a few tortilla chips thrown in there for good measure. The thing was gloriously ridiculous, and even when the pile was mostly gone, no one wanted the plate to leave the table, continuing to pick at it and keeping the servers from taking it away. Damn, that's some good nacho.

There was beer... now there's pizza at Fabiani's - Photo by Wasabi Prime

And so the beer was had... what about the pizza? I'll admit, I had my heart set on a sushi night. Gorge myself like a fat seal on whatever fish we could get our hands on at one of the sushi spots in Kihei that other travelmates had recommended. I was ready to be harpooned for sushi. But as most days and nights spent with a group of friends on a giant company vacation, you settle in with an early evening cocktail and ideas get thrown about over where to go for dinner. Fabiani's Pizza and Bakery was a name that came up as a place to check out, so sayonara, sushi -- it's Italiano, Aloha-style!

Fabiani's is in Kihei, a little off the beaten path in a small strip mall off Lipoa Street. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, handmade baked goods -- a total gem. It's clearly a popular neighborhood spot, as it was busy on a weeknight and that's always a good sign. The owner, Lorenzo Fabiani, is from Italy, so it's not one of those places that just tacks on an Italian-sounding name on the sign. It's all legit, yo. The chef is from Chicago, but don't think the pizzas are thick, doughy pies -- their crust is crispy, cracker-thin Roman-style, but sturdy enough to carry weighty toppings like The Mauian, which is kalua pork, Maui sweet onions, pineapple and a sweet barbecue sauce to balance the smokiness of the pork. We also tried the Maui Meaty, which is just that -- Supermeat! Italian sausage, pepperoni and ham - chomp. A more delicate and elegant offering is the namesake Lorenzo, topped with fresh mozzarella, proscuitto and a finish of fresh arugula drizzled with truffle oil, which made for a wonderful earthy, bitter green flavor combination. This was not an unhappy table. We also nom-nommed some artichoke dip and I was tempted by their house salad, which was made up of fresh greens from Kula, tossed with a vinaigrette made with lilikoi and vanilla, but my eyes fixated on their Aloha-talian mashup, Tako Carpaccio. Thinly sliced raw octopus drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with fresh tomatoes and pine nuts. Unusual combination, but the fresh octopus with olive oil was heavenly; the briny earthiness of that cephalopod paired nicely with the richness of the oil. It wasn't sushi, but it definitely curbed my yen for seafood that night.

Aloha-talian -- I totally just made that up - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Italian food is the last thing I'd normally go for while in Hawaii, mostly because the majority of places are likely national chains -- not that I won't say never to deep-dish Pizza Hut guilty pleasuring. A pizza isn't something I'm going all the way to Hawaii to have -- HOWEVER, I would definitely go back to Fabiani's. It's got the local-transplant vibe of a neighborhood restaurant that took one culture's home cooking and adapted it beautifully to the islands, which is exactly how all the "Local" Hawaii foods came to be, from Spam Musubi (US military and Hormel) to kalua pork (pigs ain't local, yo!), even the sweet Hawaii-style bread and spicy sausage (god bless the Portuguese). My regret, as always, is that there wasn't enough time to go back and try their pastries and have more of their tasty food, but that's what finding a food gem is all about, looking forward to returning again.

There's still more Maui love to come -- I've got adventure on the high seas where all I could think of was that insufferably cheesy line from Star Trek IV: the Voyage Home, where Scotty says, "Thar be WHALES, Captain!" With that totally awesome preface, I'm sure you CAN'T WAIT!!!! Mahalo.

FoodTrek: Wowie, it's Maui! Getting Onto Island Time

One of the first things I did before heading to Maui on vacation was adding the city of Kihei onto my iPhone's weather app. Oh, the joyful rapture of seeing temperatures in the high seventies to low eighties appear for the week, as compared to our dismal high thirties and mid forties "highs" in the Northwest. Blerrrrg. We have since returned, slightly crisped from sunburn, tired from many activities all over the island of Maui, and with a pirate's treasure trove of good times under our collective belts. And yes, somewhat lamenting the fact that it's cold, cold, cold in our home state of Washington. As I went about trying to organize all our Maui shenanigans (Mauianigans...?), I realized more than any time difference or insufferably long-ass time you spend on a cramped airplane, the hardest adjustment is going from Normal Work-Stressed Mode into Relaxed Vacation Mode.

Breathe in... breathe out... Karate Kid-style. Let's Miyagi-san this vacation - Photo by Mr. Wasabi

I'm not kidding -- the crossing of the International Rat Race Line into Let's Get Lazy for a Week is disconcerting. You're used to being glued to your smartphone, checking email/Twitter/Facebook every fifteen minutes, being constantly connected to your work and home life, but barely living presently in either. Being on a plane over open water helps, as some airlines like Alaska Air shuts down their WiFi when you're soaring over the ocean, so you're in a technology cul de sac, listening to saved-up podcasts or watching movies on your iPad before the battery craps out moments before you find out all there is to know about the Crying Game. It also leaves all the more time for you to make comparisons between you and the Oceanic flight that dumped all those dysfunctional fools on The Island for seven seasons -- could have been an in-flight drinking game, counting how many Lost references were thrown about. Sometimes a 5-plus hour plane ride is a good thing for no other reason than to cut you off from technology and just take a long-ass nap. Beer, wine and mixed drinks help, too, as did the free Mai Tais served right before we landed -- mahalo, Alaska Airlines! 

The freezing fog/inversion layer we bid farewell to while flying to Hawaii - Aloha, bitches! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I should preface this whole vacation-a-palooza by explaining that Mister and I traveled with his company, Runic Games, out to Maui for just shy of a week -- a very, very, VERY generous and wonderful show of appreciation for the employees and their game-widowed/widowered families who gave up many months of normalcy over last year to make the very successful video game Torchlight II. This isn't a typical thing, bringing a whole company to a tropical island as a thank-you, but it does wonders for employee morale, so if you're a small company wanting to show your appreciation to your workers for a particularly good year, consider this as an option versus the Jelly of the Month Club. You'll likely have employees for life, willing to give up plasma or even a kidney if you ask real nice.

Welcome to Maui - one of the prettiest islands to fly into - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The best view you'll ever see is the island of Maui appearing like Avalon from the mist -- tall mountains and lush green valleys below, contrasting against the island's iron-rich red volcanic soil. And you can't miss the crystal-blue water made bright and inviting from the shallow reefs below. You see this view and it's the first step towards transitioning into relaxation/vacation mode, so take in every second. The green fields are mostly sugar cane, some of the last few cane fields that the islands have. I remember summers at my grandparents' home "upcountry" in Makawao, driving through the cane fields during harvest, where they burn the cane to reduce the plant for more economic processing, so that the machines aren't doing extra work on unusable plant waste and soil. It literally looks like the island is on fire, it's alarming to see at first, and then you realize no one's in a panic and that it's totally normal. But it wasn't harvest time and the fields were lush and full as we flew in. It had been a few years since I'd been back to Maui and I saw the Kaheawa Wind Farm, right above Maalea Harbor, which became a good visual signpost to know which direction we were heading, and around this time, the humpback whale migratory season was in full-swing and for whatever reason, the deeper waters by that line of windmills were particularly flush with whale activity. Some people think the windmills are a bit of an eyesore, but knowing that it's a sign of the islands moving towards more sustainable energy resources, that's a pretty damn fine view. And clearly, the whales think they're awfully keen.

Checking into paradise at the Makena Beach Resort - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The first thing to do, even before checking into the hotel, is supply-up. Because the second you see a beach, you're going to want to frolic and never stop, and then wonder why you're sunburned from head to toe. There's a Costco within spitting distance of the airport in Kahului, so bring your membership card if you want to pick up perishables and the important stuff like copious amounts of boozeahol. We picked up a second set of snorkel gear and saved our supply-up for a Longs, which is pretty much the Everything Store for the islands. I held back on the Costco-sized handle of vodka, and picked up some of Maui's finest, a bottle of their own locally distilled (and organic) Ocean Vodka, which is good stuff, as well as a sixer of POG -- pineapple/orange/guava juice -- for hotel room cocktail hour POG-tinis! That's another crucial piece of the Vacation Mode Puzzle, have a signature tropical cocktail at the ready, at all times!

Feet in the sand, beautiful views, what more does anyone need? - Photos by Wasabi Prime

By the time we were settled into our amazeballs resort, the Makena Beach and Golf Resort, we were SO READY FOR VACATION. They have a beautifully open upper-level lobby area -- gorgeous vintage outrigger canoe on display, handmade Hawaiian quilts hanging on the walls, an open garden and koi fish pond below. Plenty of comfy sofas set up like a big lanai for just hanging out. We upgraded to the ocean view and it was worth it, displaying a beautiful view towards the north, looking right at Maalea Harbor and the line of windmills. And whales, if you stood on the balcony long enough to see spouts in the distance. But the beach called, and we answered, along with many of the Runic crew scrabbling out onto the sandy shores, pale and confused from the burning ball of light in the sky, hissing like Gollum, wailing, "It burrrrnsss ussss!!!" But then you put your feet into the pleasantly cooling surf, feel the foam of the Pacific Ocean (the warm part of it) swirling around your legs and you've achieved another level-up on your road to Vacation/Relaxation Nirvana.

Break the rules - have the breakfast buffet at least once - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Travel experts/snobs say: Never Eat at the Hotel. Most times I'd agree, but it's hard when you're in the middle of a beautiful resort and can sit out under palm trees and gorge yourself stupid on fresh papaya, pineapple and bacon. Despite the higher markup, we did the hotel buffet breakfast, which was delicious and covered our hunger needs for both breakfast and lunch for one day. I filled my plate several times like a big fat tourist, going for savory eggs, bacon, ham and these cute little shrimp quiches, along with fresh fruit and plain yogurt. Hawaii is the vacation favorite for a lot of Asian tourists, especially Japan, so most resorts will serve miso soup at breakfast, which is traditional. The Mister gave me a funny look, but whatever, I like it. Sure, it was pricier than a typical local-style breakfast, but we were paying for the convenience of having a relaxing breakfast close to our room and no sidelong glances from the staff because I was grubby like a sweathog from a morning workout.

Treat Yo Self - Photos by Wasabi Prime

And that's another thing about being on vacation: Treat Yo Self. Don't go crazy and get a timeshare or a Gucci handbag for every day of the week, but don't be afraid to sprinkle little treats throughout a trip. We splurged on a pricier, but extremely relaxing resort buffet breakfast -- check. We also splurged on one nice dinner out -- we went with a small group to Nick's Fishmarket over at the neighboring Fairmont Kea Lani resort. It was an elegant restaurant, beautifully-plated dishes with as much locally-sourced ingredients as possible. The daily specials were fresh and lovely, and we were with a fun group, so we had a very nice evening. Was everything crazy-to-die-for? No, but I wouldn't say a nice dinner out for at least one night isn't worth it, regardless of where you go. It really put us into the mindset of, "Wow, we are in a really amazing and beautiful place -- let's enjoy every second of it." You're in the middle of a resort-bubble, which is to say it's a beautiful, well-manicured dream of what living in Hawaii is like, and it's wonderfully no-fuss, which was perfect for a large group like ours, with several people who had never been to Hawaii, much less Maui. The convenient thing about this little ghetto of fancy-schmancy resorts and shops around Makena and Wailea is that there's a shuttle that putters around the area, so that makes for an easier (and safer) way of getting from place to place, especially if you're planning on Mai-Tying one on for the night (har har). Makena is a little isolated; Kihei is the biggest city close by, and even that's a few miles up the road, so having a rental car is a must if you're wanting to explore the island. I did a little shopping at the nearby Shops at Wailea, at their Whalers General Store, which was like a slightly fancier ABC Store (which they also have). I picked up some Maui-grown coffee and souvenir-sized jars of local honey, while getting a damn fine cup of Lappert's coffee. It wasn't a shopping spree straight out of Pretty Woman, but I was plenty happy.

Party On in the tropics - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I didn't use the pool at our resort (because it feels weird to swim at a pool only steps away from a beach), but I sure as hell enjoyed sitting around it. There were several evenings spent around Makena Resort's pool, sipping tropical cocktails and the Gangs of Runic taking over their lounge chairs and sofas. Cocktail Hour is a must for fully engaging your vacation. Even if it's a mock-tail, even if it's a club soda -- sit out in the open air, enjoy the fact that you're not swaddled in three layers of sweaters and fleece, and watch the sun slip into the ocean in a tirade of color, light and fury.

Give yourself a few hours, you'll thank Yourself for it - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Despite being on a vacation with a bunch of friends, it was good to take a couple of hours for oneself. Even if that means waking up really buttcrack-early most mornings. Hawaii is the place to eschew sleeping off that hangover till noon -- you want to see the morning light creep up across the mountains and churn the skies into warm, dusky hues. The resort had morning yoga (Tues/Thurs) which I wanted to do at least one class. I figured no one would want to meet before 7am for stretchy-bendy times, but the class was surprisingly filled, and with many from the Runic crew, which was great. Doing yoga with a view of the ocean and the morning sky is about as personally indulgent as it gets -- foie gras wrapped in bacon... for the soul. I know this is a food blog, but you have to feed your soul as much as you feed your piehole, and this was my ultimate Vacation/Relaxation Nirvana moment, taking some time to absorb everything. Smell the flowers. Feel the breeze. Realize there is so much more than crap on a computer and a Facebook status. It was early enough to where the beach wasn't yet full of people, so I could do a quick run up and down the sand in peace, and catch the first rays of morning light hitting the rocks and surf. Heaven.

I have much more Maui finds and adventures to share, this was the premiere post that needed to get this blog into an Island State of Mind -- so stay tuned! Despite a little sadness to be back to the daily doldrums, I didn't feel like I left anything behind, I truly feel like I brought so much back with me and I can't wait to share it all with you!

Mixed Plate: Goodnight Bahamas

I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

The Prime is outta here like last year, but don't fret. I'll be back soon, and will most assuredly be Tweeing/Facebooking proof that the sun does indeed exist, as I'll be in a land where the sun goes when the Pacific Northwest shuns it for a good part of the year.

Mixed Plate: Happy Haunting on Halloween

Have a marvelously spooktacular, sugar-coated, pumpkin-smashingly good Halloween this week. It's a bit of a bummer when All Hallow's Eve falls on the middle of the week, but that doesn't stop anyone from binging on candy corn way back in September, in anticipation for October 31st.  And don't forget to practice your Thriller zombie dance, you never know when a Michael Jackson musical ensemble will happen.

This is a Wasabi-Dials-it-in post because as of this moment, I'm on vacation for a whole freakin' week! I'm leaving the homestead in the Mister and Indy the Pup's capable hands, and running away to Las Vegas, to meet up with the rest of the Wasabi Clan who's flying out from Hawaii, Oregon and even as far as Sweden to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We'll take our family reunion moments where we can get them! I've never been away on Halloween, nor have I been in Las Vegas during Halloween, so I fully expect to see some some crazy-ass crazy during my time on The Ninth Island, as Hawaii-folks lovingly call it.

I don't gamble, but rest assured, I will always bet on Wesley Snipes. I may buffet-it-up once or twice, so keep tabs on my exploits on Twitter. So till we meet again on the bloggosphere (first week of November, no worries), be safe out there, begging for candy like sugar-junkie-hobos and wearing that shirt "This Is My Halloween Costume" for the fifth year in a row. Because that never gets old.

Happy Halloween, Y'all!

FoodTrek: Island Vacation in a Day

Cloudless blue skies above a water view... a chilled, frosty beer covered in condensation sweat from the sun... a tall, ombre tropical drink with a wedge of fresh pineapple... I made a summer trip to the Island, but not the one you're thinking of... 

Being on Island Time for a day - Photo by Wasabi Prime

...No, not Hawaii, but Orcas Island! Yes, we stayed within our own state to get a taste of Da Islands. It had been something I wanted to do, visit Orcas Island for a day and just see if it was doable, since the San Juans aren't exactly a quick hop, skip and a jump away. Generally the challenges behind going to the San Juans for just a day is the travel time. You have to drive up to Anacortes to catch the ferry -- that's at least an hour drive -- and then you wait in a long line of cars, hoping you got there early enough during summer's peak season to make sure your car makes it on that boat. The ferry ride varies depending on the island you're trying to get to, Orcas takes about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on conditions. We left early in the morning, so the boat had to slow down when we hit a big fog bank. We thought we would be clever by doing walk-on for the ferry, which loads you super-fast and you don't have to arrive super-early to get your car in position, but the trick is always the ability to be mobile once you're on the island. There's a shuttle bus that goes around Orcas Island, but the problem with that is, if the ferry schedule is off (and it often is), the bus leaves without you and you're stuck for a while, since the shuttle pickups to take you from the ferry terminal to Eastsound are infrequent at best, with wait times being as much as an hour if you miss your pickup. Boo. Despite the good idea of the Orcas Island transit bus, I would say skip it and bring your own car, in case of ferry late-ness. We were stuck renting a car for the day (round trip cab ride to Eastsound was about as much as a car rental), negating the money we saved by doing a ferry walk-on, and it was a grumpy way to start the day, but whatever! I would not let our day trip be scuttled by a morning hiccup!

Orcas Island Saturday Farmers Market - greens aplenty! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Day trip or not, Orcas Island is amazing year-round. And Eastsound, the most popular city to visit on the island, really blossoms during summer, since that's the busy season. The last time I was here, it was mid-season, so the weather was more unpredictable, rainy one moment, sunny the next -- status quo for island living. In the summers, the Orcas Island Farmer's Market sets up shop on the Village Green in Eastsound, which was a treat to visit for the first time. I was tempted to get a bunch of things, but didn't want to haul fresh produce around for the day. But I did admire the goods -- I saw beautiful little artichokes, plenty of fava beans and sugar snap peas, and over a grill, I saw the most enormous oysters on the planet being cooked up. They were locally harvested and the size of a pro-wrestler's fist. Pretty dang big. But we saved our appetite for an early midday snack at Rose's Bakery and Cafe. I love their baguettes. Not too big, not too small, just the perfect size to get one to go, which I didn't mind hauling around with me in a reusable shopping bag. I got a package of Lesley Stowe's Raincoast Crisps (the cranberry ones), which are pretty much my favorite crackers in the known universe. I know it's a bakery and I could have gotten some of their bread, but to avoid the indulgence of eating a whole loaf of bread in one sitting, I saved our fresh baguette for later and went with a small package of crackers that I shared with the Mister, along with some cured meats freshly sliced from Rose's deli to fuel us for the day.

Allium for a deck-side lunch and cocktails - Photos by Wasabi Prime

One of the nice things about the day trip was being Indy-free. I know that must sound heartbreaking to hear, but as much as I'd love to bring the fuzzy mutt with us everywhere, having a dog with you makes it difficult to browse shops and go where you please. We could tie her up outside of every store, but that makes her whine and be miserable, which in turn makes everyone miserable. Plus it was hot, so tying up a dog in the sun, especially one covered in black fur, would just be cruel. Indy got to spend the day likely sleeping on our bed while we were gone and I took advantage of being Indy-Free and shopped around Eastsound, getting all manner of crafty, beautiful and locally-made jewelry, cards, soaps and the like. Those were all intended as gifts for others, but I picked up a big bag of coffee roasted on neighboring Lopez Island for ourselves, which was a nice treat.

Another nice treat was visiting Allium Restaurant again, and saying "Aloha" to chef and owner, Lisa Nakamura again. Busy as always, especially with ice cream shop Lily downtstairs, we showed up early, before the dinner rush, to have a late lunch from their afternoon snack menu. It's a nice thing to visit a popular place during off-hours -- no waiting, it's late enough in the day to have cocktails without anyone giving you a judgmental stare, and you'll likely have your pick of the best seats. Of course we sat out on the deck. Sunny, beautiful and even more vacation-like when you have a tropical drink. So relaxed, you just wanted to kick back and never leave. All that leisurely wandering got our appetites up, so we had some of the marvelous goat cheese crostini, a hearty salmon salad and the buttery-rich truffled gnocchi that I know would probably make better sense on a chilly day, but their gnocchi is out-of-this-world good. We felt like we were going to roll down to the ferry terminal, we had such happy, full food bellies.

Tell me about the rabbits, Orcas Island - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Speaking of the ferry terminal, in my best Lenny impersonation from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, I have to say: "Tell me about the rabbits, George." We made sure to leave Eastsound and return the car in time to wait for the late afternoon ferry to slowly whisk us back to Anacortes and we were met with Late Afternoon of the Lepus. Seriously, the grassy park near the ferry terminal was rabbit-palooza; I had never seen so many bunnies lounging since the Playboy Mansion. They were adorable wild rabbits, all looking fairly healthy and well-fed, just lounging in the shade of a tree. A flock? A warren? I had to consult Mr. Google to find out it's just called a herd, which is boring. I was rather hoping it would be more poetic and exciting like an obstinacy of buffalo, or a flamboyance of flamingos. Nope, a herd. Well, the herd of rabbits were chillin' much like the rest of the people waiting on the late ferry, its lateness just being compounded from the morning's fog slowdown. But you don't visit the San Juans with a precise military-like schedule. You really are on Island Time, and "whenever" should just be added to timepieces everywhere. We didn't bring Indy, but judging from a very sleepy retriever snoozing in front of one of the stores, not even batting an eye when I took its photo, everyone is just super mellow and laid back.

By land or sea, it was a pretty nice way to spend a summer day - Photos by Wasabi Prime

We caught our "whenever" ferry back to Anacortes, enjoying the very pretty sights on the way back as the sun started to set. And we were still in that lazy Island Time frame of mind on the drive back home, and I think that was probably the best souvenir we could have had from this whole trip, just that sense of Letting Go. We arrived with a schedule in mind, it got sort of blown to bits, but we made things up along the way and still had a really nice day trip. I'm looking forward to going back to Orcas Island again before the summer's over, this time for a full weekend, but at least it's nice to know visiting for a day isn't impossible. And dude, what is up with those rabbits? A second trip will have to determine if that's a regular thing with the ferry terminal.

UnRecipe: To There and Back Again

Vacations can be stressful. I know that seems like a contradiction in terms, but I should specify: getting ready for a vacation is stressful. I think there's some fuzzy math involved, something to the effect of, it will take about the time you'll be taking off to prepare for the time you'll be taking off. Confused yet? I have some tips to share if you're in that whirlwind of getting ready to go on a trip and don't want to feel like you're behind the eight-ball when you return. Let's get some Wasabi-Wisdom on, shall we?

Upon Arrival, Make Soup - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I wouldn't really call it Wasabi Wisdom, more like I'm Lazy and Don't Want to Worry What's For Dinner When I Get Home. So before any trip, I always make an extra batch of something simple, like stew, a hearty soup or chili. This time, it was chili because at any given time, I'll likely have all the basics to make a big ol' pot of the stuff, which is: dry spices, beans, ground meat, onions and whatever vegetables are lying about in the crisper drawer. I also like to throw in some beer for good measure when I'm making chili -- why not, they kind of go together, right? If you're gone for just a few days, like an extended weekend trip, leave it in the fridge for when you return -- big appliances like that run better when they've got stuff to keep cool, versus chilling an empty space. Gone longer? Freeze it in smaller batches for easy defrosting when you get home, and you can just heat-and-eat leftovers for a few meals, not worrying about grocery shopping until after that grueling Monday where you have to trudge back to work. Yes, you can also call the magical, marvelous Pizza Delivery Man, who we all love and adore, but I'm trying to give an alternative to hitting the Pizza Button. Especially after a vacation -- you've probably been on a weeklong bender of diet-busting proportions, why not ease back into balanced meals with something you made prior to your trip? And then call the Pizza Delivery Guy mid-week.

Beer and bacon chili - it's what's for the Mister while I'm away - Photos by Wasabi Prime

In my case, I made this batch of vacation-chili/stew/whatever for the Mister, as he stayed behind on my last trip. It's worth it to leave some food for whoever's staying at home. There might still be leftovers by the time you get home, but more likely, it's a way of keeping things on the rails if you've got a budget to stick to, or just don't want to leave that take-out temptation behind when you're gone. He's got a pretty good habit of taking lunch to work, and he's busy as all get-out, so having something quick to eat when he gets home is a saving grace. But I did see the leftover pizza sitting in the fridge when I got back, so I know the Pizza Button got hit at least once, but that's fine, I'd have done the same.

By the time I returned, we had a CSA delivery, so it was nice to arrive home to a fridge already stocked with produce. The Mister cooked with some of it, and there was plenty left for me to dabble with when I got settled back into Wasabi HQ. I just wanted something simple and rustic, so I made a big crazy soup, using a little of everything. I caramelized leeks and onions, threw in some Swiss chard, canned garbanzos, and added some pork sausage that Brock had picked up on a whim. I'm  not sure what this soup could be called; maybe it was a bit of a riff on Italian wedding soup, swapping meatballs with sausage chunks, but the week after you return from a vacation, you just want something delicious and easy to prepare. This was the perfect meal to get me back into the swing of kitchen duty while juggling work.

Building the perfect soup-monster! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

And bless the Mister's heart -- I came home to the Best Thing Ever. Fresh cornbread and my most favorite thing in the world -- no, not even Indy -- Chocolate Chip Cookies. Sorry, Indy. Cookies = Winning. I don't say this enough, but Brock's a really good cook and baker. It always comes down to time and how we wish to spend it. At the end of a long day, when the option of Cooking in the Kitchen vs. Playing Mass Effect 3 is placed before you, who you think's gonna win? But before I left, Brock had just perfected the seasoning of his cast iron cornbread pan and a pot of chili clearly demands such accoutrement. I'm sure the smell of just-baked goodness became infectious, so he made incredibly perfect chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, is he half Keebler Elf or what? I should make that guy live in a tree and bake me cookies all the live-long day! So I came home to tasty fresh cornbread, chocolate chip cookies and even a big ol' bottle of bubbly chilling in the fridge. It was the best Welcome Home I've had in a while! 

The best thing about all this good stuff is, it was just waiting for me - Photos by Mr. and Mrs. Wasabi

Mixed Plate: Tastes of a Journey and Local Bites to Cure Hawaii Blues

I meant to post the Hawaii-goodness sooner, but you know how it goes after you take some time off: the plunge back into the work week, battling an insistent cold likely picked up from the gazillion germs shared on the plane... you know, life. It's all the stuff that happens in that long space of time called Not on Vacation, which after a while, reminds you that you need more Being on Vacation time. Can anyone say "Hamster in a Wheel?" Bah, that's just the work week talking! Well, here's all the ono kine grindz that's fit to blog, plus my new outlet for when I'm feeling the craving for local flavor. Let the Hawaii Hot Tub Time Machine begin!

Pineapple in bloom -- who knew it could look like this? - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I spent the first part of my trip in Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu. Most of Wasabi Mom's family is on this island, so I get to spend a couple of days hanging out with aunts, uncles and cousins. I love it. It's nice and relaxing. I get to see how big my cousins' children are, get a slice of local politics, and of course getting caught up on what everyone's up to. And "what everyone's up to" of course means, "x-number of days until the next visit to Las Vegas." My family isn't the only ones obsessed with The Ninth Island -- anyone familiar with real Hawaii-livin' knows it's all about doing the waltz with Lady Luck and hoping you come home Big Winnahz. The one thing I've learned about traveling is that it's a very personal thing. Magazine covers showing off far-off exotic lands in East Asia or the urbane sparkle of Paris are showing that because it's what they think that you think you should be seeing. And they're not wrong. But no one's going to die of cultural malnutrition if you don't hike to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and try to Foursquare it like a d-bag. I go to Hawaii for the thing that surpasses its beaches, volcanoes and rainforested vistas -- the ohana of family. And oh yeah... dessert.

The best views in town - natural flora and fauna... and baked goods - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Hawaii has amazing bakers, both professionals and home cooks. I'd like to believe it just feeds into this mentality of celebrating the sweetness of life because in the Aloha State, people are so happy-go-lucky! It really does take me a day or two, just slipping into that rhythm of mellow Hawaii-normalcy, which is probably better for your health, at least until someone brings out the dessert tray. I got a chance to sample one of the award-winning cupcakes from Honolulu's Hokulani Bake Shop. They had just won on an episode of Food Network's Cupcake Wars, which had aired less than a week before I came. They were understandably on Cloud 9, selling out fast, but my cousin Deven was quick on the draw, getting a box of their signature sweets and their coveted award-winning flavor, a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting, topped with a Port wine reduction and a preserved cherry. The original version on the show actually had a bit of cow's tongue on it; it was treated like how you've seen some add bacon to a cupcake. Don't ask me, the Cupcake Wars show seems to take sociopathic pleasure in making their bakers use bizarre stuff as a challenge. They had one where sardines were an option. What is wrong with you? Do you secretly hate cupcakes? Because that's a surefire way of ruining one's sweet tooth for like, ever!

But sweeter times won out, and I did enjoy Hokulani's goods and very glad they were victorious in Cable TV-Land. Their cake consistency is fluffy, really light; it's different from the heavier cake consistencies that the Seattle area cupcakeries lean towards. Hokulani's consistency that's very in-tune with Hawaii cakes -- fluffy and airy. Chantilly cakes, chocolate Dobosh/Dobash -- these are all signature cakes you always find in Hawaii bakeries and they're really delicate and spongey. I'm sure it was a result of living in a hot, humid place where you don't want your sweets to weigh you down. If you do want something truly rich, hop a few islands over to the Big Island of Hawaii and visit E-Claire's Bakery, in Hilo. E-Claire's is right next to the Hilo Library, perfect for walking to after trying to teach my mom how to use the internet and learning how overwhelming modern technology is. We admired the lovely cakes, but erred on the side of restraint and picked out a couple of their perfectly-sized mini eclairs. They're about the length of your palm, but with a punch of richness, since it's a split pastry filled with thick, chilled Bavarian cream, and the top is covered in chocolate ganache. Much like the Hawaii-style of creampuffs, the filling isn't light and fluffy,  it's more like a thick mousse or pudding. Oddly, the baked cakes are light as air, but the cream fillings are heavy like a stone -- go figure. I wasn't complaining because the eclairs of E-Claire's were lovely and I was glad we got the minis to-go, I'd probably have eaten like five more of 'em. *burp*


The only volcano you ever want to enjoy, one filled with melted chocolate - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Even when I was wandering the lava fields, marveling at Mother Nature's majestic power and the awesome might of Madame Pele... I was thinking of dessert. I rode shotgun with my friend and old UofA pal, Lauren King, who writes for the Virginian Pilot and is an awesome person. This was her first visit to Hawaii and she very wisely chose The Big Island to explore. We of course went to Volcanoes National Park, which pretty much takes the whole day to get a basic exploration of it. If you want more details about the park, I have a much bigger post here, from an earlier trip. On this trip, we did our exploring and finished off our adventure back in Hilo, at the fabulous Hilo Bay Cafe. Tasty ahi tuna poke, cold Kona Brewery beers and sweet, sweet molten chocolate cake in the shape of a volcano. We didn't just explore a volcanic natural wonder... we ate one, too!

Hawaii loves pink food, you should know this - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I arrived on the Big Island on 3/3, which is traditionally Girl's Day or Hina-Matsuri in Japan, if you're up on your obscure international celebrations. It's not so obscure in Hawaii or anywhere that has a fairly large Japanese-origin population. A springtime festival meant to celebrate young girls and bestow blessings for a happy future, it's generally marked by the decoration of special ceremonial dolls depicting the imperial family and eating girly-looking mochi. While living in California, on Girl's Day, we all brought our ceremonial doll collections into school and could wear our kimonos. It was fun. Girly Halloween with toys we're not supposed to touch. It wasn't until I moved to Yee-Haw Arizona that I realized how totally weird I was and nobody did that kind of crazy thing in Red Blooded America-ville. Lesson learned. But being in Hilo on Girl's Day, I had a lovely tray of fresh mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen waiting for me. And it was my favorite kind -- simple, no filling, with pretty colors! Their amazing shop gets featured on TV or articles because they do the real-deal for traditional mochi making. And they make these beautiful fresh whole strawberry-filled mochi cakes, but it's seasonal, so just keep an eye out for those if you happen to be in their shop.

Beyond Girl's Day, there is a surprising amount of pink food to be had. I had some fresh mochi from KTA, the local grocery store, which should honestly be the model for all local grocery stores. KTA sells a lot of locally-made products, in particular, the cute little wedges of pink Chi Chi Mochi (sweet milk rice cake) made by Gladys Harada. She's an amazing cook -- she makes the mochi for KTA as well as for local fundraisers, all in her home. She also makes her own strawberry-vanilla ice milk, which is like the Maui-style guri-guri ice cream. Normally it's not my favorite, but her secret recipe is perfect; not too sweet, just right. She made a special batch for us when she came over for dinner -- Gladys is also one of my dad's classmates and there was much discussion over their next high school reunion. In Vegas, of course. Welcome to the city of Hilo -- everyone's either related and/or went to school together. It's just that kind of town.

Shopping the market for hooker soap and sending some Aloha home - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Of course I went to the farmers market, and after admiring all the fresh tropical goods, I went for my usual stops, getting some Kau coffee (Kau is the new Kona, don't you know?) and the Filthy Farmgirl folks, who always have labels that make me L-O-L. I bought an armload of coffee and soaps, which could have been roughly stuffed into my carry-on bag without prompting the ire of any TSA worker, but I opted to do my usual Hawaiian Suitcase and mail everything home in a handy-dandy USPS box. Even the US Postal Service has some serious Hawaii Love, as they have special boxes just for Da Islands. They know everyone has to ship stuff Priority Mail if you want something sent without spending a month on a barge.



It's spectacular, but it's no Spam Musubi - Photos by Wasabi Prime

 I'm always sad to leave. And it's not because I'll miss spectacular waterfalls and incredible ocean views. Like I said before about travel being a personal experience, I go to paradise for personal things that will likely never appear on any Top Ten Lists. I looked forward to every morning taking a walk through the neighborhood with my mother. I loved sitting in a crowded living room with all my family, having dinner and having our typical "couch family portrait." I even appreciated seeing the high price of gas being offset by a Vienna Sausage supersale at Longs. It sounds so mundane, but it centers me. And having a locomoco lunch that my dad cooked for us is pretty awesome.


The everyday views of Hawaii that I love best. Maybe not the gas prices or the bugs - Photos by Wasabi Prime

So of course I return to Washington with a Hawaii Hangover, a yearning for simple pleasures, the familiar sound of Pidgin, and that kind of home-cooked flavor that's an umami unlike any other. What's a Hawaii-bereft, katonk girl to do?! I was so glad to have found The Box on Wheels. Adding another patch to a delicious quilt of food trucks in the Seattle area, The Box is like a trip to Hawaii without spending all your frequent flyer miles. They make stops all over the Eastside; check their Facebook page for the most updated schedule. Chef and owner Reis Llaneza is not only from Hawaii, but born in Hilo -- super-duper awesomeness. He makes fantastic food with local Hawaii roots and a nod to the Northwest's love of mixing flavors and super-fresh ingredients.

The Box's Chicken Karaage - so ono kine! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I don't have to say much, because The Box's food will speak for itself. It's just wicked tasty, or "some good!" if you were from Maui. Chicken Karaage - crispy, sweet with a little spice: so ono! Newest menu item, Kalbi Kushiyaki, with marinated beef skewers and their house made sunomono pickles: plenty ono! Their pork hum bao, one is smoky shreds of kalua and the other is a sweet, rich slab of pork belly: ridiculously ono! Really wonderful food and I'm just super happy to see local Hawaii folks who can bring the cuisine style to the Mainland and get more people to really dig into Island-style grindz. True, it's not exactly like what someone else would make at such-and-such a spot on this particular island, but that's the point, people are innovating with food all the time, and these dishes are perfect for the crowds here wanting something different and really flavorful. It's something unique -- not all Hawaii and not all Washington; the perfect blend of both places, and it all tastes like Home.

Find the Box on Wheels. Eat lots of yummy food. Repeat as necessary - Photos by Wasabi Prime