Hula, surfing, Kona coffee and Spam musubi are all at home in Hawai‘i. But did you know we have the only commercial vanilla farms in the U.S., or that cowboys roamed the Islands before the Wild West? Here are five things that are distinctive to Hawai‘i that you may not have known about. (We didn’t, either!) Rock-Walled Fishponds According to Hawaiian moʻolelo […]
*This story was originally published on Jun. 24, 2015 Where did the Spam musubi originate? What does “manapua” mean? We traced the history of five Hawaiʻi comfort food favorites all the way back to their earliest origins to decipher the roots of their modern-day multicultural appeal. Malasadas These chewy, steamed or baked buns, filled
In Hawaiʻi we love our noodles. You’ll find noodle dishes everywhere, from cold somen salad at 7-Eleven shops to chicken long rice on Hawaiian lūʻau plates. Here’s your primer to the different kind of noodle dishes you’ll see on restaurant menus, in grocery stores and at potlucks in the Islands. Saimin Saimin is a unique
Eating your way through Hawaiʻi is always better in good company. Whether that means with an adventurous friend who’ll try anything, or posted up across your social media to give your virtual circle a taste, these are all the local favorites we seriously love to “like.” 1. Hawaiian Plate A Hawaiian plate with poi, laulau,
Food and travel go hand-in-hand. That’s why it was so easy for me, a former food editor and longtime food writer, to make the transition to editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine several years ago. (I’m now the editor at large.) To me, there’s no better way to experience a new place than through its cuisine—and Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi’s culinary scene is one of a kind and robust. Here, you’ll find decades-old mom and pop restaurants with servers who know customers’ names and food trucks along the highway that serve some of the freshest seafood around. And one of the sweetest parts of the local food scene? You don’t have to spend more
It’s a nightmare that haunts every traveler: You’ve spent countless hours perfecting your ideal vacation itinerary, only to be welcomed by a downpour. Hawaii has its fair share of rainy days, especially this time of the year, but don’t let the cloudy skies get you down. Here are several ways you can make the most
It’s obvious when Mark Noguchi walks into Palace Saimin in Kalihi on Oʻahu that he’s been coming here for decades. Practically his whole life. “I’m a creature of habit,” explains the gregarious chef, who greets everyone in the kitchen with a hug and kiss on the cheek. “If you had to kill me, I would
Hawaii has often been called a melting pot of cultures, and nowhere is that more evident than in the culinary habits of its residents. In a place where you can get Spam and Portuguese sausage breakfast plates at McDonald’s, pounded poi (taro) at Safeway and Whole Foods or Chinese dim sum at any 7-Eleven, it’s
It’s raining, as it has been for the past few days on Kauaʻi. Cars swerve to avoid potholes and people are armed with hooded sweatshirts, umbrellas and newspapers held over their heads. The scene in Līhuʻe looks more like Seattle in the summer than Kauaʻi in January. Still, while the bus stops and parking lots
