Honolulu foodies’ market

When I woke up Saturday morning, I started having second thoughts about going out to the farmers’ market at Kapiolani Community College. For one thing, the day was gorgeous and I kind of felt like just throwing on my swim trunks and going for a long swim. For another, the market is far enough from Waikiki that it would necessitate driving, which meant getting my rental from the valet and that whole hassle. But I kind of kicked myself in the ass and took a quick shower and humiliated myself into going by calling myself a lazy ass.

It was a good decision. I’ve been to farmers’ markets all over the world but this has to be one of the best. Even though there’s really not all that much in the way of fruit or veggies. It’s more about the food. In fact, they should probably call it the Honolulu Foodies’ Market to better reflect the experience. Absolutely everything here has to be grown or produced in Hawaii, which is very cool.

photos by David Lansing

photos by David Lansing

The thing to do is to make a circuit of the market and check out the vendors, kind of letting your nose and your eyes guide you, before you start eating. Otherwise, it will be like loading up on the rolls and potato salad at a buffet bar before you get to the prime rib table.

If you’re going to have breakfast here (and you’d be crazy not to), you have to decide whether to pace yourself and go with some finger food like a little mangobread or sweet potato Danish or go for something heartier like fried rice with Portuguese sausage.

My head told me to grab a cup’a Kona from Koko Crater and a banana muffin from Happy Cakes, but then my heart (or was it my stomach?) spotted the Styrofoam containers of food fronting Hawaiian Style Chili Co. Kim chee fried rice, kalua pork, taro mochi. In the end, my gut over-ruled my brain and I got the loco moco chili—a big scoop of chili on a mound of rice, topped with a fried egg.

Plenty ono grinds, brah. 

Tags: , , ,