Our Special Guests

Aloha everyone! Today we have two special guests joining us on our blog. Our first guest is Eun Young, who is originally from Korea. Our second guest is Kentaro, and he comes to us from Japan. Eun Young and Kentaro were full-time students at the MLI, but eventually moved into the credit program here at the University of Hawaii, Maui campus. Through their hard work, they were able to improve their English skills and take classes at a college-level

I had the chance to talk to them between their classes, and found out how they felt about the classes that they took from the MLI as well as how they felt about the classes they are currently taking at UH – Maui College. Eun Young is currently taking English 21 while Kentaro is taking English 19 and English 21. Both of them said that the English classes at UHMC can be difficult at times because of the fast pace of the classes. However, Kentaro said that the classes at MLI challenged his critical thinking skills, which gave him the motivation to study harder. He also likes the fact that there are students from all over the world who attend the Maui Language Institute, and this diversity makes the classes fun and exciting. Eun Young said that she loves the MLI classes as well, because everyone there shares the same goal of improving their English. The camaraderie that the students have with one another provides an atmosphere in which she can be totally comfortable. In fact, many students say that they look forward coming to class because of the friends that they have made here. Both Eun Young and Kentaro had to get to their next class, but I would like to thank them for taking the time to talk with us!

As you can tell from some of the previous blogs, I love food! In a couple of the past blogs, I talked about some of the local cuisine that we have here in Hawaii. If you haven't had a chance to read those blogs yet, check them out! Be warned however... it might make you hungry!

Today I would like to talk a little bit more about the delicious cuisine of Hawaii. A dish that everyone in Hawaii knows and loves is saimin. Saimin is a dish consisting of thin noodles in a clear soup base. It is similar to ramen, a Japanese dish that originated in China. Many of you have probably tried instant ramen (especially starving college students) before, and at first glance, it looks exactly like saimin. However, the ingredients that go into making of bowl of saimin differs. Saimin is literally a melting pot of cultures. It has its origins from the plantation days of Hawaii, where Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Korean laborers lived close to one another. Elements from each culture were incorporated in communal meals, and this would eventually lead to the birth of saimin.

There are many other food dishes in Hawaii that have been born from the influence of the different cultures here. Many of these dishes have become local favorites that you should definitely try when you come to Hawaii. My recommendations are shoyu chicken (shouyu is the Japanese name for soy sauce). In Hawaii, we actually say "shoyu" instead of "soy sauce,” chicken katsu, mochiko chicken, spam musubi, and of course saimin!

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to eat now! So until next time, take care and aloha!