Attention all Hawaii locals who attend school in the mainland, the semester is finally over. It has been a long and rough six months and we finally get to go home. The struggle of having to eat instant ramen, cold pizza and boxed mac and cheese is finally over and you are probably already salivating on the plane back home. As much as we miss our family, I know what we all miss most about being on the island: Food. We try our best to remake these dishes in our dorms and constantly talk about it with our mainland friends yet they don't understand what is so good about Hawaii food. These are just a few we grew up with and why we can't wait to get a bite of them when we get home.
Poke
Poke pronounced as Poh-keh are cubes of raw fish mixed with a variety of ingredients such as onions, cucumbers, avocado, imitation crab, limu [Gracilaria Seaweed], fish roe and many other combinations. The mixture of ingredients can be seasoned with sesame oil, garlic, ginger, wasabi, soy sauce, oyster sauce and/or Siracha mayo. Whether we stand in the long line at Tanioka's or get a quick fixed at the nearest Foodland, nothing beats fresh raw fish that packs a flavor punch.
Acai Bowls
Essentially a fruit bowl that contains a frozen blend of Acai berries and usually topped with granola, bananas, blueberries, coconut flakes and honey. It is almost always worth the long drive up to Hale'iwa just to snag a bowl of this heavenly goodness.
Leonard's Malasadas
Deep fried yeast dough coated in granulated sugar and sometimes filled with custard, chocolate or Haupia [coconut]. Similar to donuts but much lighter, fluffier and also has an elasticity to it due to the yeast. I'm sure to see a few returning students in line at Leonard's waiting to get their confectionaries.
Real Hawaiian Food
Not Ono Hawaiian BBQ, L&L Hawaiian BBQ or any restaurants that have the word "BBQ" after Hawaiian. Really real authentic Hawaiian food. An array of dishes that is brought to your table. The most common dishes include: Lau Lau which is pork and salted butterfish wrapped in Luau [Taro] leaves and is traditionally cooked in an imu or an underground oven. Kalua pig, is smoke pork also cooked in an imu and is similar to carnitas in Mexican dishes but has more of a salty and smoky taste. Squid Luau which is a type of stew that contains Taro leaves, slices of squid and coconut milk. These 3 main dishes are usually served with a side of Lomi Salmon [similar to Pico de Gallo but with salmon], Poi [Taro paste] and Pipikaula short ribs [similar to beef jerky].
Liliha Bakery's Coco Puffs
Creme puffs the size of tennis balls filled with a selection of flavored creams/custard including, Chantilly, Green Tea and Chocolate. Liliha serves other baked goods and also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. But Coco puffs are what they are famously known for and these make the trip to town and sitting in traffic for a few hours worth it.
P.O.G
This is the official drink of Hawaii. Not Hawaiian Fruit punch but Passion, Orange and Guava. By far the best drink and cannot be compared to Sunny D, Juicy Juice or Capri Sun.
Everything on the Zippy's menu
Times when you and your roommates were up late studying and had forgotten to eat, get hit by munchies or are just really wasted and looking for food at 2 in the morning, you run to Denny's or any 24-hour diner. Zippy's is similar to that but a more "boujee" version of Denny's. They, of course, serve different dishes such as Loco Moco, Korean friend chicken, Chicken Katsu, Chili and even Chili spaghetti. Locals know: "You go to Zippy's with your family but end up at Zippy's with your friends."
