Everyday things about Big Island life that make visitors go "Wha?" (Hilo: rental car, houses)

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

Here's one and I cheated by looking it up:

KFC. "There's fast food, but there's no KFC"

Ooops. Turnabout is fair play, I guess. There's one in Hilo at Prince Kuhio Plaza.

Most of the national chain fast food outlets in Hilo are within a block or so of the intersection of Puainako and Highway 11 (where Hilo Hattie's is).

[henry1]

i like some fast food but iam more of a greasy spoon type of guy where there food is good and the plates are heaping with the food for a good price and the owners know you by name and has your order ready after sitting down at the table that my type of place

i go to this one out here in Ca with it local mix group of people from all walks of life and i love the fact that the lady who get me my tea in the morning can remember my order without asking for it ..

it has a mixture of american and indian and mexican and southern china area style of foods all put togerther into one spot for breakfast or dinner ..

the guy who owns it mexican and his wife is from china and his son in law is from india and is daugther in law is american ..it funny as heck to watch all the style of foods beening cooked up at once and the family will have a line out the door at times on the weekend in the morning ..so it best to get there when they opened up to get in and out ..

when it slow as heck in the day when i go in there is funny to see the wife standing there bending his ear on something and he goes you cook it then ..they are super nice people and it so funny to watch them sometimes when i come in for breakfast after work ..

she allways saying to me get you a women so she will cook for you and i tell if i get a women i will not be comeing here to spend money on your cooking and her husband goes see he doing right by us by not getting married ..i have gone in there now for a little of three years and i love places like that ..it the only place i find that will let me keep a bottle of the sugar free honey i found and keep it there for me to use with my tea and it worth it to me to go in there then other places in the area.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by henry1

it has a mixture of american and indian and mexican and southern china area style of foods all put togerther into one spot for breakfast or dinner ..

Yeah, that's how a lot of the local "plate lunch" places are here. You go into a little shop and they have Chinese, and Filipino, and Korean, and Japanese and "Island Kine" dishes all on the same menu.

[OpenD]

"OK OK, so what the heck is "plate lunch"?

It's Hawai'ian soul food, sold everywhere. It dates back to plantation days, when the workers needed big, hi-carb meals for cheap, and plate lunch carts were everywhere.

The traditional mantra is "you choice dish, two scoops rice, one scoop potato salad or macaroni salad or cole slaw." And as an option, everything smothered in gooey brown gravy if you like. Potato/Macaroni salad is a recent innovation, as is the choice of brown rice at a few places, but the basic formula survives. And it's still big, high calorie, and cheap. For the price of a burger and fries and a drink at MickeyD's you can get a plate lunch weighing a coupla pounds.

Main dish choice varies by location, often varies by day of week. Some you might see: roast pork in gravy, laulau (roast pork and a piece of butterfish in an edible leaf wrap), curry chicken, Portugese sausage, teriyaki something, katsu (breaded and deep fried) something, fried something, marinated squid, etc. And almost by default, gooey brown gravy to pull it all together. Tell 'em if you don't want dat. Takes about a minute to get together. Plate lunch endures, and is the main reason mainland fast food chains don't have much presence here. Dese are da ono grinds* brah!

* Transalation: These are the good foods.

When in Rome, eat pasta. When in Hawai'i, eat the local ono grinds.

[roadfamily6now]

Speaking of Macaroni Salad, Hawaiian style is so much better then the crap they make and sell here in the Mainland.

Mahalo!

[henry1]

i know what a plate lunch is and love them ..the only thing i could never stomach is raw bait or susi type ..where iam from raw fish is bait for fishing or a stick of tnt work just as great when you do not have the time to sit and fish ..

[henry1]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Yeah, that's how a lot of the local "plate lunch" places are here. You go into a little shop and they have Chinese, and Filipino, and Korean, and Japanese and "Island Kine" dishes all on the same menu.

the fun part is watching someone who never been in there before try and tell the waitness what they want from the menu or figure out how the menu works there ..

for i have a couple of diff things i like and i will tell her as i pass i need a n12 with a n1 plates for breakfast and can you make a n4 to go and white rice only with sweet and sour sauce ..

i love a good old fashion plate lunch

[henry1]

the lady loves me when i bring in my grandkids to eat for they will eat about anything that you put in front of them along with two of my grandkids dad is from korea and they have both socalled asian features and blond hair and blue eye mix togerther ..

she trys to get my oldest girl to let her act as the marriage broker for them in the future ..one day i was speaking korean to my grandkid one day when she was asking for milk in korean and i answered her back in korean and that time on in the place i became a socalled member of the outer family that in the area..

[kukuicake]

Put "plate lunch" into google images and you will see much deliciousness

If you recoil at these pics you eat too healthy!

[henry1]

that way i chose hawaii over alot other places to retire because of all the mix races of the people there and they would get the socalled stange looks by people who will not look past there mixed race with beening blonde hair and blue eye and asian features that they have

i had one lady once ask me if they colored there hair to get the look or did they have contracts in or any person stared at us when we where in the mall in one place ..

so with me beening hawaii they least will not stand out as much or like we like to stay blend in with the locals ..