Monday, June 22, 2009

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!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Beauty of Words

Hello to everyone out there! I hope that this blog finds you in great health and the best of spirits.

Before we dive into more beautiful poetry, let’s have a quick Pidgin English lesson today. Here is a word that I'm sure you'll understand easily, since the meaning is similar in both formal English and Pidgin English. While there is a difference in usage, the biggest difference lies in the pronunciation. The word in standard English is "winner," but the word in Pidgin becomes "winna" or "winnas." Generally speaking, you would most likely say "winnas" to describe a noun. In fact, most of the time "winnas" is used to describe food as we will see in our examples.

Winnas - Amazing, great, it's a winner!

1. Joe: Ho how’s the food?
Larry: Ho the buggah is mean, especially the steak, it's winnas!

Translation: Joe: How does the food taste?

Larry: Oh it's really good, especially the steak, it's incredible!

2. Shaun: Ho I heard you wen go to dat new restaurant last night, how was? Fred: Ho was winnas!

Translation: Shaun: Hey I heard that you went to that new restaurant last night. How was it?
Fred: It was amazing!

On to our poetry! Today we will hear from our talented poet Ji Hun. So let’s get right into it with his poem called "The Girl."


The Girl

I don't know well about girls.
I can't feel some girl's minds.
You know why?
Because their mind looks like my mom.
You know why?
Because of their eyes seems like deeps rivers.
Even though we can't well speak.
I can feeling something about from your eyes.
Are you? ...
one of my favorite girls.





With that I shall wish you a farewell until we meet again...which will be soon so don't worry!

Poetry in Motion

Hello again! Welcome back to another blog filled with more Pidgin English lessons and creative poetry by our MLI students. So let’s get right to it! Today's Pidgin English lesson covers a phrase which is actually used all over the world. However, the accent and usage is slightly different. The phrase I am talking about is "for real," or in Hawaii it would be pronounced "fo real?” or even “fo reals?

Fo real? - Really? Are you serious? Are you sure? Is that so

1. Jack: Ho I found 100 bucks on the ground today! Pat: Ho no ways! Fo real?!?

2. Jack: Ho you heard that Dave going get married? Pat: What?!? Fo reals?

Now lets move on to our talented poets! Today we will featuring the the poetry of Akiko, who comes from Japan. Here's Akiko!


Mother Island

The soft wind in Maui
Breathes arounds us tenderly
Beautiful birds signing
The wind carries the birdsong
The ocean illuminates in seven colors
It lights up our heart
The sounds of the wave
Is like a beating heart
Giving us the power to live
Mother Island Maui






Miso Soup of Love


You wake up earlier than anyone
I wake up to sounds of cooking
From the kitchen
You cook different kind of miso soup
Everyday
It tastes of mother's tenderness
I learned how to cook miso soup
From you
Someday, I'll cook it
For my beloved somebody





:) I can't think of a better way to end this blog. So see you all again soon! Aloha!