Author: rodney

Every place I’ve visited, I’ve sampled or devoured huge quantities of the local food/cuisines I’ve encountered (ramen anyone??).
Honolulu is no different. It’s extremely warm here, even in January when the rest of the states are freezing their collective asses off. And since it’s warm here, shaved ice is very popular here.
Now, you’d think shaved ice is the easiest thing to make. You shave some ice. Plop it into a cup. Pour syrup of different colours and flavours on top. Voila, instant treat AND hydration. But like an In & Out Double-Double, it’s deceptively difficult to make it well.
Think for a minute. A Double-Double is made of of ingredients. Two beef patties and two slices of cheese. Lettuce. Tomato. Onions. Thousand Island sauce. Fresh bun. You can try making this yourself, using the same ingredients but it won’t taste the same. Same thing with the shaved ice thing in Honolulu.
I hiked up Diamond Head today. Why? Because it was there and it was nearby the Waiola Bakery (more about that later). Also, it was just to see if I could still do it.
Mental note: Do this climb before the sun comes up next time! But once on top, the views were worth it.

I think all of Hawaii is about great views…

The visitor facility is inside the crater. That’s what you’re looking at.
Like an idiot, I began this hike at 1100 and didn’t come down until after 1300. In the parking lot, there’s a snack truck that sells snacks and beverages for tourists that didn’t plan ahead and have whiny loud kids. They have burgers, beverages, bottled water. And they offer shaved ice. In a moment of weakness (since I finished my water coming halfway down the mountain), I ordered one. The shaved ice tasted good enough since it was drowned in syrup, but the texture of the ice was like little chunks. Not really smooth but in the condition I was in, it was refreshing enough. I didn’t think much about it until I drove over to the Waiola Bakery.

Dun look like much, does it?
The Waiola Bakery has a bakery on site, through the doors on the left. On the right, they make shaved ice. Back in the day, there were many local, family run establishments like this. Sadly, they’re an endangered species as the local attractions they served (such as the old Honolulu Stadium that used to be across the street) shut down or get demolished.

The menu for shaved ice. All sorts of options.
Besides the basic “rainbow” where you get three colors (flavors) of syrup on your shaved ice, you can get it topped with different toppings or even get ice cream or nuts or fruit inside the shaved ice. I got the “rainbow”.

Here’s a “rainbow”, 2/3rds of it gone!
It was very very VERY good! The ice is shaved finely, unlike my Diamond Head shaved ice. Because of the finer shaved ice, the syrup gets completely absorbed instead of just collecting at the bottom of the cup with the melted ice, nee water. So you get a sweet treat AND hydration! Because it’s hot here and you’ll need it. Just get here before 1830, because that’s when they close!
Waiola Bakery & Shaved Ice
525 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu HI 96815-3854
808-735-8886

It’s Sunday night and normally I’d be watching football. Instead, I was prowling Honolulu’s Chinatown for a place to eat.
But since I’m in Hawaii and Hawaii is two hours behind California, which is three hours behind New York, watching football becomes an early morning thing. Which means that if you can get up early to watch the games, you still have the rest of the day to do stuff.
Generally, the early Sunday game begins at 1300 EST. That translates to 1000 in San Francisco, which means 0800 in Hawaii. The afternoon game begins at 1100 in Hawaii. And Sunday “night” football during the regular season begins at 1500 here. That means if the game ends on time, it’s 1900 here and you can actually do stuff afterwards. Back in SFO, the late game ends around 2100 which means it’s time to clean up and to pack it in for the evening.
Tonight, I had dinner at the Green Door Cafe. It’s a very small restaurant with four tables and one chef/waitperson. I walked by this place and smelled the mix of spices and food wafting out the door and ducked inside to take a look.

The menu changes each day, depending on what’s available to cook and the owner’s mood
Inside, there was a redhead in a red dress who was waiting for a table and her two roommates for dinner. During the ten minutes she was waiting , she wound up with two more dining companions; a friend who saw her standing on the street as he was driving by and myself, for a total of five.
We ordered a LOT of food and devoured it. The Green Door Cafe specializes in Nonya cuisine (hailing from Malaysia and Singapore, primarily) which was not too spicy but with a lot of zing and punch to it. Yum!
There was roti canai, sticky rice, Nonya pork loin, Tai Tom Sum shrimp soup, Malaysian Chicken Curry, mixed veggie curry and fried tofu with bean sprouts on our table. Also two bottles of wine since it’s BYOB and no corkage here! WAAAAAH!

Fantastic food (often referred to as Chinatown’s best restaurant) and the smells and tastes here made miss Singapore (and a certain individual) that much more. Eat! But eat early, they close at 2000 and last orders are taken at 1930…
The Green Door Cafe
1145 Maunakea St.
Honolulu HI 96817
(808) 533-0606

Stumbled upon this ramen website via a story about Ando Momofuku, the father of instant noodles.
Apparently, there’s a guy who runs an appropriately named ramen fan site who has done the pilgrimage to Yokohama, like many of us have. Except his WIFE is also a ramen fiend. That’s hella cool, almost like having a g/f that’s into football and doesn’t mind riding on the back of the motorcycle…
Where do you find girls lidat??