The Word of the Day is "Malihini"

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy aloha Friday and hope you’re enjoying 2Honu.com’s Hawaiian word of the day series!!!  I’ve selected the word "malihini" (pronounced mah-lee-hee-nee) that pertains to a visitor, tourist, or a newcomer.  Doesn’t malihini sound exotic, rather than "tourist"? I’d like to elaborate that even us locals are referred to as "malihini".  For example, let’s say that I went to a new church, a dance class, or a farm, just to check it out…. I’d be called a "malihini".  Throughout my life, my family has hosted an array of visitors.

One of my favorite things about Hawai'i, and that I encourage our malihini to try,  is the delicious FOOD, of course!  With our mixture of cultures in Hawai'i, we have a wide variety of favorites that everyone in Hawai'i knows of, such as: Shaved ice (forget about the snow cone, shaved ice is the real deal!), spam musubi (We consume the most amount of spam!), plate lunch (my favorite is the teriyaki chicken, that comes with 2 HUGE scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad), loco moco (rice, hamburger patty topped with a fried egg, and some gravy), li hing mui (Chinese preserved plums), and chocolate covered macadamia nuts etc. Whoa, I’m getting hungry all of a sudden!!! *giggles*

Loco Moco

Keiki (children) and Shaved Ice (not real)

Before you leave us, I do encourage you to try out some authentic Hawaiian food.  There is laulau (pork wrapped in taro leaves and steamed), Kālua pork (shredded pork that is usually cooked in an underground imu), lomi salmon (a mix of diced onions, salmon and tomatoes), haupia (how pee yah….coconut pudding), and poi (ground up steamed taro…..it maybe a little bland to you, but it’s a prized staple for us!!!).  

Kālua Pork

Poi

If you happen to hop on over to Hilo on the Big Island….. the best Hawaiian food is found at Bayfront, a lunch wagon called "The Hawaiian Delights Wagon"….. Trust me, you may need to pull out a blanket and crash out after you have a feast. Save some for me o.k.!!!

A hui hou,

Haunani