Local Knowledge

Ever wondered what it would be like to live in Hawai‘i? I found this list I wrote some time back and thought it would be fun to share here. The fact that I live in Hawai‘i is always a conversation starter with people – they’re curious!

• You cannot get over-sized containers of taco seasoning at Costco. However, you can get li hing mui in extra large containers.
• It’s commonplace for radio stations to play songs sung in Japanese, English, Hawaiian, and Tahitian, mingled with Christian praise songs and hot body songs. It’s all good.
• Poinsettias grow here like weeds, and yet at Christmas time, you can buy them in pots at the store.
• Care must be taken when ordering what you think is Mexican food. A taco is a taco, but tako (which sounds quite the same as taco) is squid. Tako is sold dried as a snack or more often, raw. Dried, it’s just fishy. Raw, it is chewy and not among my top choices for a meal.
• It is rare for a new business to open without a blessing. New homes, too, are often blessed. Kahuna (a religious leader) generally offer a blessing and chant in the Hawaiian language.
• People who live in California are called Californians. People who live in Texas are called Texans. People who live in Hawaii are NOT called Hawaiians. That term is reserved for people of Hawaiian ethnicity, no matter where they live.
• When someone offers you food, it is considered impolite to refuse. No matter what it is. Even tako.