An Invitation to the Reader

Statistically Blogger tells me that people are reading this blog, so I am extending you readers an invitation.  If there is something in Hawaii (oh Oahu) that you are dying to know about, let me know.  If it doesn't cost an arm and a leg (preferrably if it's my favorite price, FREE!) I will do what I can to find out and/or experience what it is you want to know about. 

So go ahead readers!  Make your requests!

Melt Truck: good ol' grilled cheese!

It's kind of a fantasy of mine to run a lunch truck, and the choice of menu includes variations on what I believe is the greatest of sandwiches--the grilled cheese.  Unfortunately for my personal fantasy, but fortunately for all of us, someone has already filled this niche on Oahu. 

The Melt Truck menu is as simple yet elegant as the truck's appearance.  Okay, so I guess this is turning into a commerical, but really I have no complaints about this small treasure.  Scratch that, I have one.  It only operates four days a week for about three hours, and they often run out of stuff way before the three hours has passed.  Yes, it is just that good and that popular.  Last time I went, they had the usual Triple Melt with white cheddar, gouda, and gruyere.  It is a fantastic base, delicious on it's own.  But then there are the specials.  This weeks were the pastrami with spicy mustard.  Chorizo and grilled chard.  Olive tapenade with tomato and basil.  An insane two sandwich deal with a high quality beef patty squeezed in between called the Melt of Shame.  So you see why the grill cheese is the world's most brilliant sandwich.  It's simplicity leaves room for countless mouth-watering variations.  My chin is dripping with saliva just thinking about this stuff. 

Anyway, if you get to Oahu any time soon, make a well worth it trip to the Melt Truck.  If I ever magically get a surplus of money, I may be opening my own grilled cheese truck somewhere some day.  I can dream, can't I?  Until then, at least I have the melt truck to keep my cravings in check.

Tough Times

Some of you may be asking yourself "what happened to this guy? He hasn't posted in over two months..." 

Yes, we are still in Hawaii.  Yes, I am still working at my new (not so new) job.  And yes, we are still struggling in many ways. 

I wouldn't say that we have island fever, the place still feels pretty darn big to me.  But I would say that we have a severe case of homesickness.   Unfortunately, home for us is California.  And few states are seeing worse effects of the recession than California.  Unemployment continues to climb, and so many people are out of work or underemployed that it is questionable whether or not California ever will recover.

Mind you, Hawaii (and other states) have their troubles too, but no where near the scale of California.  And the more I grouse about wanting to go back, the more my friends tell me the obvious.  I am working. 

Our troubles in Hawaii seem not so substantial when I think about not having a job again.  But nonetheless, they are still quite substantial.  We are still basically living off of one income, and everything here is more expensive.  Worst of all, we are worried about our son's future.  Hawaii schools are very bad.  Only a few elite public schools rate high on any education scales.  These are in affluent areas that we cannot afford to live in.  The alternative is private schools, but once again the costs are prohibitive.  Because of the high demand, the charter schools here are placed by lottery, and anyone with common sense knows the likelihood of winning a lottery. 

I know that it would be foolish to leave when I am gainfully employed, especially to a place where there is hardly any work.  But it makes my heart sick to see my son suffer.  Kindergarten should have been a year of fun times.  Instead he has a teacher who is on her cellphone in the morning when I drop him off, and on her cellphone when my wife picks him up.  Instead he has classmates who constantly bully and pick on him coupled with a teacher who is utterly oblivious to the comings and goings of her students.  This does not feel good.  This does not bode well.

For now, I fear I will have to stick it out and hope for better opportunities for all of us.  Where those opportunities will come, I do not know.  But I certainly hope we find them soon.

Kimo's Surf Hut!

I love this picture--amazing color and variety at Kimo's.

As you can image, there are a ton of cool little places hidden throughout the island.  Kimo's Surf Hut in Kailua is definitely one such place.  He buys and sells new as well as used boards, and avid surfers love his shop because he is A) extremely knowledge about surfing and boards, B) all he carries in his store is boards--no clothing or accessories--just boards.  And supposedly he has a ton of them to offer.  His sons work in the store as well, and they are all experts at refurbishing old surfboards.  Once in a while they even get a vintage board or two.  So Kimo's is definitely worth checking out! 

Their website is a bit dated, so send them an email and tell them to update it!

A Hawaii Blog that Gives Back!

In the midst of my eternal internet browsing, I came across a blog from a guy named Erik Blair who is a recent Hawaii transplant (just like me).  He also has created a blog about his life.  The nice thing about his blog is that it actually has a purpose.

In his own words:

"In July of 2009, I quit my job in Nevada and moved to Maui with two important goals in mind: (1) a fresh start for my financially strapped family in the place we love, and (2) to give back to the community.  This year I'm wearing a different T-shirt every day on the year to promote awareness about Hunger and the important work being done by the Maui Food Bank.  You can learn more by going to my website, http://www.theyearoflivinghumorously.com/".

Erik Blair on his quest to help the hungry!

His challenge began on January 1st of this year, and the way I understand it he is wearing a different shirt each day which he takes a picture of daily for the blog.  Each shirt is a donation by whoever is willing to help his cause.  The shirts are subsequently raffled off on ebay.  The proceeds of these sales are given to the Maui Food Bank to provide food for the hungry.  How cool is that???

PLEASE check it out, and tell your friends!  Donate a shirt or bid on one, if you want to help hungry people in Hawaii!  MAHALO!!

The Flags of Hawaii

So I was driving around town one day and I saw the Hawaiian flag, something I have seen quite a bit since moving to Hawaii.  I often find myself wondering why in the world it has the British Union Jack on it anyway.

History says that King Kamehameha I had the flag commissioned in 1816 as a sort of hybrid between the British and United States flags--his way of showing favoritism to neither (and perhaps loyalty to none).  The eight bars are said to be representative of the eight majors islands of Hawaii.  The Union Jack itself is thought to be an indirect reference to the flag that was flown before the modern flag was created.

Called the Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiian) flag, the center image represents the ali'i or the chiefs.  The horizontal image is a kahili, which was usually some sort of feathered standard.  The two diagonal crossed images are of course paddles to represent the voyages of the Hawaiian people.  If you compare this with the Union Jack, you can see how they are similar.  The Union Jack contains a horizontal center bar with two diagonal crossed bars behind it. 
It should be noted that many Hawaiian natives hold disdain for the modern flag and consider the Kanaka Maoli the rightful flag of Hawaii.  I supposed it should also be noted that many of these people would like to see Hawaii return to a sovereign state, as opposed to remaining a part of the United States as well.

The Mighty Iz!

You know an artist is good when you cannot pick a favorite song by that artist.  In other words, he has a ton of really great songs.  Iz is just like that.  He has so much variety in his music that it's impossible to pin him down in a certain style. 

Iz initially became famous outside Hawaii with the release of his album Facing Future  in 1993. His renditions of  "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World" have been featured in several films, TV programs, and commercials.

Through his ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres such as jazz and reggae (to name a few), Israel Kamakawiwoʻole continues and will continue to remain one of the major influences in Hawaiian music.

Sadly, Iz died in 1997 of respiratory failure at the young age of 38.  His music can be heard all over the islands.  Some of my favorites are the traditional Hawaiian tunes, and the songs he wrote from his own imagination.  It is impossible to say how vast his impact would have been on the music world should he have lived to a ripe old age.  His fame had just begun before he was suddenly taken away.  No telling what collaborations he would have made, what albums he would have given to the world. 

Here's a link one of my favorite original songs written and performed by the Mighty Iz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV2WNGjrCEE