Kamuela Deli and the Chicken Curry Katsu

Teri Beef and Chicken Katsu Mixed Plate

It's been a long day of flying, driving and shooting and we're hungry. Other than the bibingka at Lorie's house, we haven't eaten anything since breakfast at Honolulu airport. The problem I've found with the Kailua-Kona area is the general lack of great places to eat.

Sure, there's lots of places for tourists to eat. Along Ali'i Drive you'll find all sorts of places like Hard Rock Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp, but I want to eat local food - not this cheap, frozen, gimmicky tourist shit. Once upon a time, there was a rundown joint on Ali'i Drive, but that's gone now. In the mid 1990s, the Kona Ranch House had amazing breakfasts but that's gone too. Even the venerable Sam Choy closed his industrial park eatery. I can only imagine that living in Kailua-Kona must be miserable.

But at least there's Kamuela Deli in the Kona Coast Shopping Center off Palani Road.


Chicken Curry Katsu Plate

Kamuela Deli is your typical Hawaii plate lunch joint. For a few bucks, you get your choice of entree with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. To someone from the mainland, the delivery of two starches is just odd. For the rest of us, it's the National Dish of Hawai'i.

While you can get all sorts of meats, the one meat that has come to the center of the plate in the islands is the tonkatsu derivative known as Chicken Katsu. It's simple: take some chicken thighs, debone and pound until thin. Dip in flour and eggwash, coat with panko breadcrumbs and fry until crisp. Serve with traditional tonkatsu sauce.

Roughly thirteen years ago (or maybe fourteen), a shop in Honolulu called I Love Country Cafe started pouring curry sauce over their chicken katsu. Back in 1994, they were the only place you could order this new-fangled thing called Chicken Curry Katsu. Today, you can find it at plate lunch joints worldwide.


Side of Fries

After a long day of shooting all along the southern coast of the Big Island, it was time to grind. Gerry went with the standard chicken curry katsu while I opted for the chicken katsu & teriyaki beef combination plate. The katsu on both was as it should be: moist and crunchy. Paired with the curry sauce and the katsu comes alive, but the teri beef was tough and dry - I should have stuck with the katsu.

While it's not the best plate lunch in the islands, it's pretty darn good - and perhaps the only choice in Kailua-Kona.


Kamuela Deli
Kona Coast Shopping Center
74-5588 Palani Rd # 10
Kailua Kona, HI 96740
808-334-0017

Ka Lae

Ka Lae - South Point. The Southernmost tip of the United States.

One of my favorite places on the Big Island is South Point, aka Ka Lae. It is the southernmost tip of the United States and the view (as well as the surf) can be amazing. Situated on Department of Hawaiian Homelands land, I can't help but peer off the sheer cliffs and be tempted by the deep blue waters below.

It's at least a thirty to fifty foot drop into fifty foot waters. On a hot day, the water looks so inviting and calm - and the climb back up the cliff seems simple with the human-mounted metal ladders. Each time I step the edge, I want to jump. I want to let loose and feel free. Feel myself soaring through the air and then splashing into the cold waters below. I imagine it would be an incredible experience.

That's about the time I remember that the locals like this spot because of the deep waters to catch deep water fish like aku or sailfish, which means the possibility of sharks, and who wants to experience the exhilaration of soaring through the air only to drop into a school of hungry tiger sharks?

Instead, we spend the rest of the afternoon shooting more segments for Barista del Mundo. Segments featuring the fishing at Ka Lae, nearly getting stuck off-roading in our rental Saturn Vue SUV, harvesting macadamia nuts, eating raw sugar cane and visiting Punalu'u Black Sand Beach.

But someday, I wish to soar into the deep blue Pacific waters at Ka Lae.

Rusty's Hawaiian Ka'u Coffee

The view from Rusty's Coffee Plantation. Elevation 2000 feet.

Darn it.

Sometimes flying by the seat of your pants bites you in the ass.

The plan was simple enough: fly to Kona, grab a rental car, drive to Na'alehu, pick up some sweetbread, visit Rusty's Hawaiian Ka'u Coffee, drive back to Captain Cook, visit Pele Plantations and then fly out on the last flight back to Honolulu.

It was a simple plan based on ignorance.

Had I really thought it through and used a map, I would have realized that Lorie Obra's farm in Ka'u was actually closer to Hilo than Kona. So, instead of a two hour plus drive from Kona, it could have been an hour and twenty minute drive from HIlo. We'd get there earlier, shoot the segment, haul ass over to Captain Cook, shoot another segment, cut across the Big Island using the illegal Saddle Road and be back in HIlo for the last flight back to Honolulu (it's always cheaper to return the rental to the same place you picked it up from).

But no. I just relied on my old memory that Ka'u is next to Kona so it couldn't be that far.

Duh.


Farmer, Processor, Roaster Lorie Obra surveys the land.

My error resulted in our missing our window of opportunity to shoot at Pele Plantations. Originally, I had wanted to do a basic comparison of Kona and Ka'u coffees, but now that would have to wait.

All wasn't lost though. On the way to Ka'u, we ended up shooting additional segments for the show featuring lava and other unique and interesting factoids about visiting The Big Island - not to mention shooting a short segment at Kona Mountain Coffee's retail location just off Ka'ahumanu Highway near the airport.

I had been introduced to the owner of Rusty's Hawaiian Ka'u Coffee, Lorie Obra, by old friend Miguel Meza of Paradise Coffee Roasters. Over the past year, Miguel has been telling me about his ventures into this developing growing region of Hawaii and his efforts to find quality conscious growers willing to experiment with different techniques.

I won't talk about those techniques here since that's what this episode of Barista del Mundo is about. You'll just have to wait for the show to air or visit Lorie yourself. But what I will tell you is that I found their experiments to be wildly fascinating and daringly exciting.

Originally, Rusty and Lorie Obra were from New Jersey via The Philippines. At the turn of the century, the Obra's decided that they wanted to retire from their scientific and medical backgrounds and take advantage of the offer in Hawaii to rent old sugar plantation land as coffee farms. With that in mind, they moved to Ka'u and made it happen.

So committed to this project that Rusty dug the holes and planted each Guatemala variety coffee tree by hand on the upper part of the farm - some six hundred trees. If anything, these Filipinos are committed.


A planting of Guatemala variety coffee trees on the upper part of the plantation.

Unfortunately, two years ago Rusty fell ill and became a victim of cancer. However, instead of selling off the farm, Lorie took over the reigns of the operation and now runs the farm almost single-handedly.

When it comes to television personalities, it's hard to come by someone as animated, comfortable, relaxed and funny on camera as Lorie. She tells her stories, shows us how she processes the coffees and serves us freshly brewed coffee and bibingka without any self-consciousness about the camera. In an email following our visit, Lorie would ask if she really did say "Oh Shit" on the video.

We spent several hours with Lorie and her dogs and had a great time. Her and Rusty's story flowed effortlessly as we climbed either the rafters in her drying room or the hillside of the plantation. It was a wonderful time and I'm really looking forward to airing this episode.


Rusty's Hawaiian 100% Ka'u Coffee
PO Box 845
Pahala, HI 96777
808-928-8916
866-928-8916 toll free

Going To Kona

Gerry Chose Wisely: Spam, Eggs & Rice.

Getting up early to catch a flight can be a difficult proposition - especially if you've been out until late the night before. This morning we're on our way to Kona on the Big Island to shoot an upcoming episode of Barista del Mundo - the jet setting travel show about coffee and coffee professionals from around the world that I've been shooting for the past year.

At such an early hour, how can one expect another to make wise and sound meal choices? Like a fool, I went for the immediately familiar Burger King. Smartly, cameraman Gerry went for the breakfast plate of Spam, Eggs & Rice.

I would be off my A Game all day.


I Choose Poorly: Burger King Croissanwich and hash rounds.

Eating Ka'a'awa

Doc Rhee and Christine start the day off with a beer.

The morning after our after party, I noticed something without getting out of bed: relative silence. When I shut my eyes last night after a long night of partying, the sound of revelry and madness thumped outside just beyond my walls. Sunlight streamed through the windows and all was quiet.

As I poked around the downstairs half of the house, passed out reminders of the previous evening were scattered everywhere. Neil's nephews from New Jersey, female cousins from who knows where, the best man passed out in a bed, even Neil himself had passed out somewhere but was departing in the early morning sun to take care of his after wedding duties.

Everyone must have passed out because they even left The Volcano on.

It had been a good party. Empty cans of beer and killed bottles of Jack Daniels were all over the place. The two large coolers were still full of beverages. Not too long from now, the revelers would start to awaken from their coma - some of them without a car and wondering how to get back to Honolulu from this remote place.

Upstairs, in the main part of the house, the crew was stirring. Sree and Joey were already up and so was Rhee and V. Christine and Gabriella would soon arrive and it was time to get things rolling - especially since it was already 11am. Soon, Nikki and Neil would be back, and so too would many of our friends from the wedding. Each of us had done some shopping and brought some food, but it wouldn't be enough to feed the army that would be descending upon our house along Jurassic Park.


North Shore Cattle strip steaks ready for the grill.

With a list of provisions, The Bob and I roared into Kane'ohe town for a trip to Safeway and there she was: my ex. Standing there loading her extremely large SUV with stuff for her daughter's birthday. I hadn't seen her in over ten years. I talked to her every now and then and knew her whole story: married not long after we had broken up, had two kids, lived in a bad marriage to a husband who wanted her to be the idiot housewife and never pursue the medical degree she had always sought.

Thinking about her always made me a little sad. So much potential. So much that could have been achieved had she not married some dickhead asshole who got her pregnant because he worried losing her to me. We talked every blue moon or so, she to relate how much she thought about divorce and me, to encourage her to go and live her dreams.

I just walked up and said: "Hey!"

Shock. Absolute shock. That's how she looked. I live six thousand miles away. I'm not supposed to be running into her at the local Safeway. It took her a few moments to compose herself. She looked just as the last time I saw her (she'll be 30 this year). We chatted for a little while. She gave me her new phone number. Her daughter's birthday cake was melting (it was an ice cream cake). And then we were off. She to her daughter's party. Me to the Safeway. For a moment, I thought about pulling in for a smooch but then remembered that this was her hometown. God knows who might see us, and I'm not interested in causing her life more drama in case some family member should happen to see us making out in the middle of the parking lot at Safeway.


May's - a Hawaii institution. In frozen boxes of 24.

Inside Safeway it was time to get busy. While I normally prefer local, natural and organic foodstuffs, our mission here was for mass feeding. We needed food in bulk. A coupe of boxes of frozen chicken thighs, some seasoning, a box of eggs, milk, extra greens and a box of May's Hawaii Teriyaki Burger Patties. I had never heard of May's but they're evidently a Hawaii institution. They're frozen beef patties infused with teriyaki sauce. No wonder I wasn't familiar with them. I've never been a fan of frozen burgers and terkiyaki anything is usually down on my list of must haves.

After making our way back to Ka'a'awa, it was time to get down to business.


Doc Rhee's marinated chicken thighs.

The thing about cooking on the road is that you must deal with whatever cards are dealt to you. Strange pans, strange ovens, strange equipment - you never know what you're going to have to work with. I started some of the prep the day before by marinating the beef ribs. I had intended for them to be done in a kalbi marinade but the cupboard was missing some ingredients, so I made do with a little soy sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and red wine. Not exactly kalbi but hopefully something tasty.

I won't complain much because at least this rental house cupboard had some provisions. Stay at some other place and there's nothing in the cupboards. For the steak, I would follow my usual prescription: salt & pepper - keep it simple. Half the chicken I would marinade in commercial Huli-Huli sauce (a Hawaii staple) and the other half Doc Rhee would marinade in a shoyu pepper sauce. V. would make the rice and prep the vegetables and I would handle the grill cookery.


Frozen sweet Ewa watermelon

But before we got rolling, there was the little matter of the frozen Ewa sweet watermelon to handle. Yesterday, I had placed the watermelon in the freezer to get it cold. I forgot it in there and now it was icy cold - almost like a natural watermelon sorbet.

You know how sometimes you buy watermelon and it just isn't that sweet? This Ewa Sweet was amazingly sweet. Thick, rich, watermelon sweetness. It was how you dream watermelon should be. The interesting (but not surprising) thing about the frozen watermelon was that the freezing had broken the molecular structure of the watermelon meat. As semi-frozen slices, the watermelon was cold, icy and sweet. However, as it thawed and rose in temperature the damaged caused by freezing became evident. Slices of watermelon allowed to rise to room temperature were mealy and excreted lots of watermelon juice.

Thoughts of more experimentation with freezing watermelon and vacuum sealing watermelon came to mind, but I just wanted another frozen slice to chill my teeth and we still had more prep and cooking to be done.


V. prepares the most important dish: rice.

Again, the vagaries of working with unfamiliar equipment worried me. We were going to cook most of the food on the propane grill on the back lanai. God knows I really dislike most home gas grills, they usually lack the raw power that I prefer. For my own purposes at home, I prefer using charcoal but I was ready to adapt.

Rhee fired up the grill and that baby roared to life - and when I say it roared to life, I mean it ROARED. That sucker was hot. It was blazing. It was an inferno whose heat rivaled the commercial MagiCater grill we used to use at the Ono Grill. This wasn't your typical wimpy home gas grill, this baby was angry. Hardcore, mother F'n angry.


Roasting Waimanalo Sweet Corn

It was so angry that I decided the best way to approach this would be to sear the chickens on the grill and then finish them in the oven. I dropped them in batches and worked my way through the twenty pounds of chicken we had marinated. Just drop them on the blazing grill, sear them, try to burn in the hash marks from the grill grate, turn, burn slightly, flip, color and then pull from the fire. Drop them in a roasting pan and into a 350F oven for ten minutes and done.

Some of our new friends from the wedding asked me how I knew when the chickens were done. The truth is that I really don't know when they're done, I just feel it - and use some simple math.


Short ribs on the grill

I've based my entire approach to cooking chicken on the method I use for making fried chicken. In 375F oil, dark chicken pieces will cook in about twenty minutes. White meat will cook in fifteen. It's this disparity in cooking times that usually mucks up the process, causing the white meat to almost always be dry and overcooked.

At fifteen minutes, white chicken meat is thoroughly cooked and so very moist and juicy. Take it to twenty minutes and it's starting to dry. Twenty-five minutes and you've screwed that chicken royally. Dark meat chicken is difficult to dry out - unless you're going over half an hour to forty-five minutes. But a few extra minutes won't hurt.

With all that in mind, I figure that I'm searing the chicken for at least ten minutes total on the grill. It's gotta be at least 400F, probably more. From there, I guesstimate that the chicken still needs ten to fifteen minutes in a 350F oven to finish correctly. Remember, I'm only using thigh meat here that's rich in fat. That's going to keep the chicken moist and will take a bit of abuse if my calculations are off. Working with dark meat is much more forgiving.


Kalbi-esque short ribs and new york strip steak from North Shore Cattle.

Ideally, one would use thermometers to measure the temperature of the chicken to determine when it's just right. But since we're cooking in foreign territory, we have to make do with what's at hand.

The ribs took a bit of a different approach. Since the meat is tougher, it needs more time to cook. First, a searing on the grill and then indirect cooking on the higher rack for the duration of the cooking. It's not the best way to cook the ribs, but it will have to suffice in these less-than-ideal conditions. If I were at home, I'd drop them in the smoker and slow cook them at 250F for five hours, that would be ideal.


Grilled Asparagus from Nalo Farms

When it comes to corn, I'm the kind of guy who prefers it roasted over a fire. Charcoal is better, but the heat from this grill will suffice. I just drop the corn onto the grill, with the husk still on, and let the grill work its' magic. Char the husk and then place on the upper grill to keep heating. Once the corn has developed nice color, it's ready. Add some butter, salt and you're good to go.

For the steaks, I took a simple approach. Just sear and burn in the hash marks, flip over, sear and done. With thin steaks, a sear on both sides means you've got a nice medium rare steak that's just right.


May's teri burgers on the grill.

Using a roasting pan, I did a quick saute with the asparagus and then finished them directly on the grill for color and flavor. I like to maintain the crisp snap so everything happens very quickly. Saute to soften slightly and then the grill for just a few seconds. Once the color develops: done.

The May's Teri Burgers were the easiest. Just plop them on the grill, burn in the hash marks and done. Pile them up and let everyone dig in.


A recovered Roy jams the guitar.

It was about this time that Roy finally arose from his coma. The best man had been worked. Celebrating his brothers' nuptuals, this guy had partied hard. He had spent weeks helping prepare for the wedding and let it all out last night. He didn't really recover until about 4pm or so.

But I gotta say, all that hard work was worth it and Roy gave the best Best Man Speech I have ever heard at a wedding. Just the right mix of love and humor. WIth Neil standing on stage adding commentary, these two were like a stand up comedy act. The guy deserved to sleep until 5pm.


Petting horses in the back yard.

By this time, a group of friends old and new had gathered at the house. Everyone eating and drinking and then drinking some more. Nikki and Neil had made their way to the house and since our rental was ending in an hour, they were planning the move to the house Duncan and Hana had left for us to use up the road a mile. The party would continue.

And as I pulled the sheets off my bed to leave in the laundry room for the Brazilian girls to clean, I could hear the familiar whine of The Volcano starting up for another session...


Sunset over Jurassic Park

Aftershock

Ilai, David, Hana and The Bob.

We hosted the after party at the house after the wedding. Many people came. Roy brought his truck loaded with beer and drinks. The Bob brought The Volcano and it erupted on everybody. I went to bed at 3am. They danced and partied until 5am. After you see the pics, I really don't think you need my narration to understand how the party went.


Duncan and The Bob


Who's that girl? And where was she going?


A new form of line dancing.


Best Man Roy.

Nikki & Neil Get Married

Gabriella wonders why the groom is wearing sunglasses and slippahs.

Neil is getting married and it's about time.

It was three years ago, after Al's bachelor party and during Polly's bachelorette party in Las Vegas (don't ask how I got wrapped up in both), that Neil brought Monica (Nikki's real name) around to meet our friends. Stoked, that's the word. The guy looked stoked. And rightfully so. Monica is just stunning. Who would have thought this schleppy guy we've known for years would have met and then married such a great girl?

According to Roy (Neil's brother and best man), they had only met just a couple of months before when Monica and her family were visiting Hawaii. They met, hung out, Neil cleaned their boat and a fairytale ensued. Back then, Neil worked as some sort of CSI guy for the Honolulu Police Department, but once he met Monica, he was off to New York City.


The Wedding Spot

Here's a guy, originally from Philadelphia, who once swore he would never leave the islands, ever live on the mainland again, setting up camp on the Upper West Side just to be close to Nikki. For two years, he lived in New York City and then it was time to get married.

Coming to the wedding was an interesting homecoming. Friends from all over the world were attending. Friends from different groups. Some were from Hawaii Loa College - friends who I haven't seen in over fifteen years. Others were friends from the days living in Hawaii. More were friends from home. Drop all of them on top of a hillside overlooking Chinaman's Hat island and the sea and you couldn't stage a more picturesque wedding.


Here comes the Bride.


Hana, Lisa, Ilai, Duncan, Muneko and David



That guy is stoked.


The last time I saw these guys, we were doing the same thing.


Tim, Dave, Me, Frank, Muneko, Bob, Neil, Lisa, Hana, Chris, Duncan and Ilai.


Neil with Mu and Lisa.


Lots of poke on my plate.


Is it Nikki or Monica?


Tilly and Seena


Christine, Michelle, Gerry, Polly and DJ Un-G.


Night falls over Kualoa.


Samoan Fire Knife Dance


Moonlit wedding.

Keneke's

Keneke's of Waimanalo with some local blalah and no t-shirt.

After spending the morning at the KCC Farmer's Market and rousting the hungover Doc Rhee from bed, we were back on the road again to Ka'a'awa. But with such a beautiful day at hand and an open-air jeep at our disposal, it seemed a waste to take the fast way over the Ko'olau mountains. Better to take our time and go around the east side and enjoy the weather.

The far east side of O'ahu is rocky coastline. Rocky and jagged cliffs plunge into rough and deep blue sea. The water is choppy in what is the Moloka'i Channel - the passage of water between O'ahu and Moloka'i through which the entire Pacific Ocean circulates through, making it one of the most dangerous channels in the world.


The Ko'olau Mountains and my Jeep from Alamo.

All of this angry coastline also makes for some great body surfing with famous spots like Makapu'u and Sandy Beach - where I once nearly drowned in 1991.

But past all of this, on the windward side of the island, in the sleepy local town of Waimanalo is a little plate lunch joint called Keneke's. I've been coming to Keneke's since we happened upon it back in May 1988. And while Keneke's has strong Hawaiian roots, for me, it's all about the pork adobo.


Lau Lau Plate Lunch

For the uninitiated, pork adobo is a Filipino specialty. It might as well be the national dish. Take some pork, cut it into cubes, pan fry with garlic and oil, add black pepper and then pan braise with soy sauce and vinegar - and a bay leaf, for good measure. Let it cook off for awhile and voila! Pork adobo.

Truth be told, adobo across the Philippines comes in many variations. There is no one way to make any adobo dish. It's interpretation is a direct representation of the people. That said, Keneke's version suits me fine. The pork is browned and tastes strongly of shoyu, with just a touch of acidity from the vinegar. Of course, the one aspect that draws you to it also repels you at the same time - and that's the oil. Keneke isn't afraid of oil. They embrace it. The pork adobo is coated in it. When they said to pan fry in oil, these guys didn't hold back. They went for the gold.


Pork Adobo Mini Plate

It's a major reason why I only order the mini-plate at Keneke's - not to mention the very generous portion sizes. Remember, this isn't just Hawaii, this is Waimanalo: Home of the Hawaiian. Local people expect their plate lunch to be generous and Keneke's doesn't disappoint. Order the regular plate and you're gonna be taking half of it home with you. Better to just order the mini and a side of fries for texture.

Doc Rhee decides to go for the regular Lau Lau plate. A traditional Hawaiian dish, lau lau is basically some sort of meat (typically pork and/or butterfish) that's wrapped in taro leaf, seasoned with Hawaiian salt, packaged in ti leaves and then steamed in an 'imu (underground oven). The result is soft, moist and sweet meat to go with rice or poi. You eat everything except the outer wrapping of ti leaves.


Yes, Keneke's will cater your funeral too.

Bear in mind, there's nothing fancy or fine dining about Keneke's. Remember, this is Waimanalo. It's just simple, rustic fare in very sparse environs designed to weather the weather. Tables are concrete. Benches are made of cinder block. You're outdoors under the sun. There's no frills but you're loving every minute of it.


Keneke's Divine Grinds
41-857 Kalanianaole Hwy
Waimanalo, HI 96795
808-259-9800
www.kenekes.com

KCC Farmer's Market

Brewed Coffee from Coffee Talk

There's nothing like a brisk morning hike through the local farmer's market to start off the day. I had heard about the KCC Farmer's Market but since I expected to be in Ka'a'awa this morning, I figured the one in Kailua would have to suffice.

Of course, with Doc Rhee going deep past inebriation last night and our resultant crash at Sree and Joey's house suddenly, the KCC Farmer's Market was within striking distance. With the sunlight peeking through the window and shining on my face at 7am, I was up and ready in no time. First stop: coffee.

Normally, I'm not a coffee drinker. Meaning, I don't need a cup 'o joe in the morning to get my day going. Like any sensible drug dealer, I don't get hooked on my own dope. Maybe it was the brilliant Hawaiian morning or maybe it was just a desire to sample as much of the local foods as I possibly can on this trip, but I made my way over to Kaimuki's Coffee Talk coffeehouse.


A Crowded Market

Coffee Talk is Honolulu's venerable coffee spot. It's been there since 1992 and has been a leader on Hawaii's coffee scene ever since. It's got one of the few La Marzocco's on the island and offers free wi-fi internet. The last time I was in town, I would park myself at Coffee Talk in the late evenings to catch up on emails.

Sadly, a coffee shop that doesn't keep its' portafilters locked into their groupheads at all times isn't worth risking a shot. I only want one coffee and I want it to be good - or at least try to find a way to mitigate it being bad. Instead, I decided to go with their regular brewed coffee, and since flavored coffee is not an option I would choose (goodness, no!), I opted for the Indonesian Sumatra coffee.


Oh So Sweet Watermelon

Finding a rich, brewed coffee is always a joy. One that has robust flavor and proper brewing parameters is exciting. When you come across such a cup you just want to savor it. To nurture it. To finish your cup and ask for another. Hell, it's such an exciting cup, you want to pay for another.

Unfortunately, my cup of Sumatra at Coffee Talk was anything but the above.

Instead, it was light. Too light, which meant poor brewing techniques and standards. The cup tasted about half the Gold Cup Standard. Instead of 3 ounces of coffee for every 48 ounces of brew, this was maybe two. The cup was light, watery and devoid of definitive flavor. Disappointing isn't the proper descriptive. It's a crappy way to start off your morning. I couldn't wait to find a rubbish bin to dump it into.


Pineapples and Papayas

I figured that maybe I could buy a cup of coffee at whatever coffee vendor was at the farmer's market. In the end, I was too spooked to drop another buck fifty on a cup at Koko Crater Coffee Roasters booth. That's not to say their coffee isn't good because I don't know whether it is or not. All I know is that the first cup of coffee was so bad that I just wasn't willing to risk more of my hard-earned money on unknown coffee.

However, if the first cup at Coffee Talk had been good, I probably would have been game to try another cup at Koko Crater. It's a shame since I would like to have tried their coffee, but the first cup compounded with the long line just burned my resolve.


Fresh Edamame

Visiting a new farmer's market is always exciting and KCC is a good one. Staged by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, their rule is that all the product being sold at the market must be produced in Hawaii. This bodes well for my shopping adventure and the market is chock full of all kinds of local goodness.

The market is packed. To the gills. Even though Kapiolani Community College has plenty of parking, it's tough to find a space. The place is jamming. The produce looks beautiful. First order of business is to get the lay of the land. I spend the first forty minutes just wandering the aisles looking at product and planning my assault.


Manzanillo from Hale'iwa.

Early on, I spy some incredible looking oranges. Oh, and how about that butter lettuce? There's the ubiquitous kettle corn vendor, but next to him is a lady selling Filipino baked goods like hopia, puto and bibingka. Locally grown baby bok choy? This ain't Maryland, folks. And what about those papayas? Not to mention the array of wonderful flowers that make me wish I had a home to decorate.


Baby Bok Choy

But there's something slightly off about this farmer's market. I've gotten used to the whole "let's be green" nature of the Baltimore farmer's markets and while there's that "green" feeling here, I can't help but to feel a disconnect with the widespread practice amongst the produce vendors that bag all of their produce in plastic bags. I mean everything from baby bok choy to lettuce to mixed greens to tomatoes are packaged in plastic, with printed labels. Mind you, these aren't the slick packages you see at the supermarket from commercial producers, these are simple plastic bags.

I just have to wonder why these local farmers would use so much plastic.


Kamuela Sweet Tomatoes

With my reconnaissance complete, I start the buying. First, is a small box of puto, a form of sweet rice cake, from the Filipino lady. Then, it's back to that organic farmer selling the beautiful butter lettuce. A package of Waimanalo sweet corn, some yellow swiss chard, a package of baby bok choy and Kamuela tomatoes. Some thin asparagus for the grill, and finally some sweet watermelon from Aloun Farms in Ewa.

And not to forget: a couple of pounds of beef short ribs and a couple of New York Strip steaks from North Shore Cattle Company. As far as I can tell, they're the only 100% grass-fed and pasture-raised beef on Oahu and I'm excited to give them a try. Note: I went with the New York Strips only because they were out of ribeye and bought what little ribs they had left.


Thin Asparagus

My biggest problem at the farmer's market is that I never travel lightly. No matter how carefully I may choose my purchases, I always seem to end up with lots of bags and piles of ingredients. By the time I got to the watermelon, I was swamped. I needed a cart or at least another set of hands. This made for a very long walk back to the jeep.

But no matter, I'm buying groceries for our merry band of party people at the beach house. The nice thing about traveling with Sree, Joey and Rhee is that they have an appreciation for fine foods and are pretty darn good cooks in their own right. I left the market with the jeep loaded and confident that these great ingredients will be handled carefully and thoughtfully by our crew.


Looking for Lau Lau?


Roses


Bananas


Yellow Orchids


Filipino Baked Specialties


Shopping for Flowers

Coffee Talk
3601 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-7444


The Saturday Market at Kapiolani Community College
Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation
4303 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96816
808-848-2074
www.hfbf.org


Nalo Farms
41-574 Makakalo Street
Waimanalo, HI 96795
808-259-7698
www,nalo-farms.com

Ho Farms
PO Box 569
Kahuku, HI 96731
808-206-4392
www.hofarms.com

Aloun Farms
91-1440 Farrington Highway
Kapolei, HI 96707
808-911-9202
www.alounfarms.com

Ma'o Organic Farm
86-210 Puhawai Road
Wai'anae, HI 96792
808-696-5569
www.maoorganicfarms.org

North Shore Cattle Company
PO Box 2339
Ewa Beach, HI 96706
808-685-6400
www.beefhawaii.net