Ono Grinds

Aloha Friday!! It is Friday right, lol.  The summer has been a great time for me to relax and spend time with my family, but I have been doing a lot of school work. It's been the fun kind of work though!! This little blog sure got busy last week with my Giveaway and then the Theme Linky party!

I have loved looking at everyones ideas, and getting a few more for myself. I almost wanted to change what I was doing!! If you haven't linked up please do at any time, I would love to see your classroom!

 I am going to take a little vacation today away from teaching to bring you a little preview of some of my favorite grinds (food) since I have moved here to Hawaii.

When we first moved here from San Francisco I immediately lost 10lbs! In the city you can walk out the door of your house and there is every  type of food in the world within walking distance! If I was craving Ben and Jerry's at 10pm, I just walked to the corner store and got it.

Well once we moved out to the country I had to get used to everything closing at 6pm and the high price of food! I also had to adjust to some new foods, some that I love and some not so much.

 So you may remember this picture from one of our tours...Spam Musubi is a favorite for kids and adults, but not one of my faves.  I do like them made with Teriyaki Chicken though.

 Have you ever tried Poke? It is one of my favorite things to eat, especially with seaweed salad.

It is Ahi tuna raw, like sashimi, cut into these delectable little chunks.

 It is seasoned with soysauce, seaweed, green onion and usually sea salt.  You just eat it

right out of the container with chopsticks.

It comes in other varieties too. Limu is seaweed, tako is octopus. If you are a sushi lover then you would love poke.

There is a huge Japanese influence in the islands and much of the food reflects that.  In my lunch box I usually have a pair of chopsticks, I hardly ever eat with a fork.

Bento boxes are popular here for a quick lunch.  It usually is some kind of meat and vegetable over rice.

This is not one of my favorites. I am not a huge meat eater. I am a fruit and veggie type gal, so red hot dogs, spam and portuguese sausage over rice is not really for me. But if you are
a meat lover, you could stop at 7-11 and find these there.

Another favorite.... Plate lunches.

A plate lunch usually consists of a meat, usually fried and greasy, 2 scoops of rice and a side of macaroni salad.

This is one of my favorites, Kalbi ribs. I only eat this on occasions when my hormones

seem to rule the roost. You can go to any little local place like L&L Drive In or sometimes you can find a plate lunch truck in certain areas.

Have you ever had a LocoMoco?

I have NEVER eaten this! Looks like a heart attack on a plate. This one doesn't even have the gravy on it!

One of my favorite dishes though is Kalua Pork and Cabbage!

 

Can you say yummy! They serve this at most traditional luaus and in the school cafeteria twice a month:)

Okay so I am not a big meat eater, but I do eat a lot of local fresh fruit, especially when we can just go and pick it from our yard.

Pineapple

Lilikoi

Banana

And of course avocadoes, coconuts, mangoes, guava and tons of other exotic fruits brought here from many places all over the world.

I have already shared our favorite desserts...

Chocolate Haupia Pie

Shave Ice

These are just a few local favorites that I have shared with you. Honestly we probably eat just like your family, Pasta night, Taco Tuesdays, Pizza, and BBQ.

 We are lucky we have access to fresh fish especially tuna which is my favorite. Sometimes we get big chunks from friends who have fishing boats.

We mainly shop at Costco for a lot of our staples, its just sooo much cheaper,

but I bet you don't have this at your Costco!