I’m a big believer that you can be a traveler wherever you are.
You don’t have to fly to Hong Kong or hike across the Alps or bike through southern Italy.
We have incredible food, festivals, cultural sites, vistas, hiking trails and experiences right in our own backyard.
Don’t get me wrong: I love to travel. I think we gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the world we live in by traveling abroad. But I do like to “play tourist” in my own home state. I like to check out new restaurants and revisit old-time eateries. I like to try out new surf spots or wander around neighborhoods I’ve never lived in.
I mean, we live in one of the most popular visitor destinations in the world. Why not explore our own islands?
So on Saturday my mom and I took off to Waipahu — I know, SO exotic! — on a quest to find the best fried noodles. We had heard — thanks to many of you and friends on my Facebook page — that Sato Okazuya in Waipahu was in contention, so that was our goal. In the meantime, we wandered around the old plantation town. My mom shared stories about Arakawa’s and Big Way Supermarket; I got to see another part of our island. It was all good.
So this is what our Saturday looked like:
12 Comments
this is a keeper. i hope you’ll ferret out more such places in the future. you and Mari T are both gastronomic gansta byatches from the hoods of Honolulu. and you both are always eating something good.
You should have also visited Ishiharaya, the senbei makers. It may be my imagination, but the senbei purchased from the factory always seems much fresher.
I went there a looooong time ago, just when the grandson (or great-grandson) was about to take over. Very cool place!
I would have to say Sato’s Fried Noodles are the best. They epitomize the idea of keeping a dish simple and just making it taste mighty darned oishii. The noodle doneness is perfect. The stickiness perfect. The sauce. Seasonings. The garnishes. This my friends is fried saimin noodles 101. The buck starts here at Sato’s!
Oh, by the way, Matsumoto’s Okazuya also has excellent fried noodles.
one more vote for sato’s fried noodles….. btw do you always travel with your own pair of chopsticks (refering to the green ones in the last pic)? lol
This is completely silly but when I was growing up we had banana trees in our yard. My dad used to tell me this story that if you drank the sap from the banana tree flower you would turn into Superman at night or something like that. He told me this was a Filipino tale. Crazy. My dad worked for the sugar plantation and heard this from his friends at work or maybe growing up.
CAT: Aaaiiiyyyaaahhh! Fuud Pix! Tenks! Your Mom is definitely old school. Aku was the fish choice for most families in the old days because it was meaty and cheaper in price to feed the whole family. Did you know that the former Hawaiian Tuna Packers used mostly aku in their Coral Brand Tuna cans? The tuna they use nowadays is whiter and less flavorful, ask any old timer. When I lived in Europe, I asked my Mom to send me Coral Tuna..it blew her mind because tuna is world wide…yeah, if you like albacore..the stuff they pack Coral Brand with these days. Big difference in taste.
CAT: If you didn’t know, aku is known as Skip Jack Tuna.
Got to go there… mouth watering big time.
banana flower is eaten in asian cuisines. not sure how, but I’ve seen it selling in vietnam and hong kong
manini is delicious. flakey white meat. kind of like kole but a little softer (kole is better but a little bit but manini is good, too).
I actually prefer aku over ahi (but won’t turn down either one). for poke. a little fishier (good thing, imo)
What did your mom make with the aku?