Homecoming

Whew! Boy is it great to be home.  The slightly balmy, humid air; the green, gently rising Ko'olau's as you drive home from HNL (Waianae for those of you on the west side); and, most importantly, the food! My sole motivation for working out the last few days has been to justify the gross amount of local cuisine I intend on ingesting every, single day I'm home. While most visitors to our island home may ask: "What should I see? Where should I go? Which beach should I swim at?". Those of us who must now call Hawaii a homecoming look forward to two things (especially when the weather does not allow for a decent day at the beach): time with family and friends, and FOOD!
Mom and Dad asked where I wanted to eat after we threw my duffel bag in the truck, I quickly answered, "Big City!". Loco Moco w/fried rice quickly reminded me of all the pleasant times that my stomach and I had missed while living in Texas. I picked up a tasty bowl of spicy ahi poke and rice while shopping at Ala Moana the next day and proceeded to gorge myself on kalua pork quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and edamame at Ryan's that night. Sunday dinner with aunt and uncle meant Chinese dinner at Golden Eagle: honey glazed shrimp w/walnuts, cake noodle, shoyu steamed fish, hot and sour soup, sweet and sour eggplant, spicy fried chicken wings, and rice. Monday was Eric's (Meg's brother) beef stew, so ono! And Tuesday was a visit to the gastrointestinal paradise that is Choi's Garden for some traditional Korean cuisine.
Hawaii certainly has more to offer than a superb selection of local and asian inspired food. However, as far as I'm concerned, the only thing I miss more than my family and friends is the local fare.