A Day at the Beach...

Hey hey hey! Howzit everyone?! We're back again with another blog update! Just this past week we went to the beautiful Kamaole III (a.k.a. Kam III) beach park for our field trip. We had some delicious BBQ, played some soccer, and relaxed on the beach. Here's a short video showing off some of our student's soccer skills.

There's something about the beaches on Maui that make you forget all of your troubles and relax as soon as your feet hit the sand. I also feel that Maui has the best sunsets in the world. What's even more amazing is that you can enjoy watching the sunset on the beaches of Maui virtually everyday since we have warm weather year-round. There's nothing like spending the day on a beautiful beach with good friends and good food.



Speaking of good food, today I would like to tell you a little bit about the local cuisine here in Hawaii. If you have ever been here before, then some of these dishes might sound familiar to you. While Hawaii has cuisine from all over the world, there are some things that are unique to us.

In a past blog, I talked a little bit about the plate lunches that we have here in Hawaii. A plate lunch is basically a main dish served with macaroni salad and rice, but there are countless variations to be found all over Hawaii. Plate lunches are sold virtually everywhere in Hawaii, so it's pretty hard to miss them. Standard items for plate lunches are teriyaki chicken or beef, Korean style BBQ short-ribs, and chicken katsu (breaded, deep-fried chicken filets).

You can also find things like lemon caper mahi mahi and Hawaiian plates which consists of kalua pig (shredded pork traditionally cooked in an imu, or underground oven), lau lau (steamed pork wrapped in taro leaves), (lomi lomi salmon (a salad-like dish that consists of tomato, onions, and raw salted salmon), and poi. Many people have heard of poi, but only a few have taken the plunge and tasted it. Poi is mashed taro root which can vary in consistancy but generally has the viscosity of yogurt. Many people say that taste is rather bland, but is a great combination when eaten with other Hawaiian foods like lomi lomi salmon.

I can't leave today's blog without talking about a dish called "loco moco." A loco moco consists of juicy hamburger patties laid on a bed of rice, topped with sunny-side-up or over-easy eggs and rich gravy. This dish has even travel across the sea and has gained popularity in Japan. I actually ate it several times while I was studying abroad there. Although the Japanese version used either teriyaki or demi-glaze sauce instead of gravy. The buggah is mean!

I don't know about you, but this blog has made me hungry! If you ever come to Maui be sure to try all of these delicious delicacies. I'm going to grab a bite to eat, but I'll be back in no time with another update to satisfy your cravings. Aloha for now!