A travel experience is not complete without sampling some of the traditional cuisines. Won’t Run and I enjoyed the local foods and drinks on our recent visit to Kauai! In fact, I think we could live on Ahi Poke! I think we could bathe in Ahi Poke!
Here are some of the highlights:
1. Mai Tai – the welcome drink – think of this nectar (made of rum, pineapple juice and orange juice) as a liquid lei with an umbrella. The Mai Tais pictured below were served on our flight to Hawaii.
2. Macadamia Nuts – those delicious nuts – for me the “you can’t eat just one” nuts – buy them at stores like Costco or Walmart rather than the ABC stores. They are available in many flavors – from chocolate covered to onion to wasabi.
Warning: Macadamias are toxic for dogs. see, Wikipedia.
Note: Costco and Walmart are known to sell much more than just Macadamia nuts – they have a full selection of Hawaiian souvenirs and food items for far less than most tourist shops.
3. Speaking of Costco, I found Hershey Kisses with Macadamia Nuts there! Yum!
4. Real Coconut Water – I’m a big fan of coconut water, so when I get a chance to drink it right from a coconut, I go for it. On our drive to the North Shore of Kauai, Won’t Run and I stopped in Kapaa at a fruit stand, where the lady asked us to choose our coconut and she proceeded to whack the top off of it with a machete, and hand us the coconut with two straws in it!
5. Ahi Poke – this had to be our favorite. If you like Sushi or Sashimi, you’ll love Poke! Poke typically consists of cubed raw ʻahi (yellowfin tuna) marinated with sea salt, a small amount of soy sauce… and other variations of ingredients. Won’t Run and I fell in love with Ahi Poke. It was so fresh and delicious. I truly believe I could eat it every day and be happy. Our favorite Poke, we bought at the Foodland Supermarket in Princeville. One-half pound was with soy sauce and scallions, the other half pound was “spicy” with a mayo base. We also bought some good Poke at the Koloa Fish Market in Koloa.
6. Shrimp!
Hawaii is known for its Shrimp Trucks – Food Trucks that sell fresh local shrimp prepared in a variety of ways, but most commonly with garlic and butter and/or hot and spicy. The shrimp is typically served on paper plates with a side of rice.
Won’t Run and I discovered Savage Shrimp – a truck turned restaurant, located in the Kukui’ula Village Shopping Center. We went here twice and had the garlic shrimp each time. Believe it or not, this was also my pre-marathon dinner (I ordered an extra portion of rice that night).
7. Taro Chips. Taro is grown in Hawaii. A hostess at the Kauai Grand Hyatt gave us a package of these chips as a gift.
8. Kauai Coffee! Thank god for coffee!
9. Beer! Hawaii is not at a loss for locally brewed craft beers. Take a look at this website: Beer in Hawaii.
10. Shave Ice. This is a traditional ice-based desert similar to a snow cone. I first had my first Shave Ice at one of the refreshment stops during the Maui Marathon last year – it was rainbow-colored, sweet and amazingly refreshing, especially after running about 17 miles in the heat. Shave Ice comes in a variety of local Hawaiian fruit flavors (such as Guava, Mango and Coconut) and is available at shops all over Hawaii. One such shop is Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice in Kapaa.
photo: http://www.hawaiianblizzard.com/
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
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