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Aloha. Greetings from Hawaii. This is my last day of a two-week visit to O’ahu. It was a wedding that brought us here, and it’s been a fabulous family reunion. It’s been relaxing, rejuvenating and (I must admit) a bit indulgent. We’ve eaten a lot of great food, and I wanted to use part of our time here to get to know the local cuisine.
I spent a glorious Saturday morning visiting one of the big farmers’ markets here at the Kapi’olani Community College. For a state that relies on about 90 percent imported foods, there’s an amazing local foods movement going on. A new website HawaiiFoods.Hawaii.edu was recently launched by the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and the Cancer Research Center to…
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0sweet%20potatoes%20%E2%80%94%20a%20staple%20in%20the%20diets%20of%20the%20Okinawans%20who%20are%20among%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20longest%20living%20populations.%20For%20fruits,%20I%20spotted%20lychee%20and%20mangosteen.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIt%E2%80%99s%20nearly%20impossible%20to%20talk%20about%20local%20Hawaiian%20cuisine%20without%20mentioning%20the%20plate%20lunch%20%E2%80%94%20a%20throwback%20to%20the%20days%20of%20the%20carb-heavy%20meals%20served%20to%20the%20plantation%20workers.%20The%20traditional%20tin%20containers%20(called%20kau%20kau)%20have%20been%20replaced%20with%20the%20ubiquitous%20styrofoam%20clamshells,%20but%20the%20major%20components%20are%20basically%20the%20same:%20meat%20plus%20two%20scoops%20of%20rice%20(often%20with%20a%20scoop%20of%20macaroni%20salad%20too).%20They%E2%80%99re%20crazy%20about%20Spam%20here,%20but%20the%20other%20popular%20meats%20are%20pork%20(kalua),%20Portuguese%20sausage%20and%20Ahi%20tuna%20(often%20served%20as%20Poke,%20a%20raw%20version%20that%E2%80%99s%20been%20marinated%20in%20soy%20and%20spices).%20And%20many%20of%20the%20local%20dishes%20get%20inspiration%20from%20the%20rich%20culinary%20heritage%20of%20Japan,%20Vietnam%20and%20the%20Pacific.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20loved%20these%20Sushi%20Sliders,%20which%20featured%20Ahi%20Poke%20on%20top%20of%20a%20tempura-battered%20kale%20leaf.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EFor%20dessert,%20I%20was%20surprised%20(and%20delighted)%20to%20see%20some%20Middle%20Eastern%20sweets.%20But%20the%20real%20local%20treat%20is%20Shave%20Ice%20%E2%80%94%20which%20is%20somewhat%20of%20an%20art%20form%20here.%20This%20is%20no%20typical%20SnoCone.%20The%20ice%20is%20powdery%20like%20snow%20and%20the%20syrups%20are%20not%20your%20basic%20sugary-sweet%20toppings.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}