Author's posts
Sep 23
Hawaiʻi-Style Saimin: Classic Noodle Soup Recipe & History
A steaming bowl of curly noodles in a light, savory broth topped with green onions, kamaboko, char siu, egg, or slices of Spam is one of Hawaiʻi’s great comfort foods. This is saimin, a noodle soup born in Hawaiʻi’s plantation era from the meeting of several immigrant food traditions. Saimin isn’t ramen, pho, or simply …
Sep 16
Traditional Hawaiian Lau Lau: Pork, Butterfish & Taro Leaf Recipe
Tender pork and salty butterfish wrapped in layers of soft lūʻau leaves and steamed slowly until everything becomes rich, savory, and almost meltingly tender—that is the heart of Hawaiian lau lau. Unlike many dishes that are casually labeled “Hawaiian” because they contain pineapple or teriyaki sauce, lau lau is rooted in Hawaiian food tradition. Its …
Sep 04
Tiki Artists: Carvers, Painters & Designers Who Shaped Polynesian Pop
Tiki art did not emerge from one studio, one artist, or one clearly defined school. It grew inside restaurants, hotels, theme parks, roadside attractions, home bars, ceramics workshops, sign shops, advertising departments, and backyard carving sheds. Some artists worked with chainsaws and massive logs. Others painted cocktail parties populated by sharply dressed midcentury figures. Some …
Sep 02
North Shore Garlic Shrimp: Hawaiʻi-Style Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
Plump shrimp coated with loads of golden garlic, melted butter, and a touch of spice make North Shore garlic shrimp one of Oʻahu’s most recognizable roadside foods. Served shell-on with hot white rice and a wedge of lemon, it’s messy, intensely garlicky, and exactly the kind of food you’ll want to eat with your hands. …
Aug 19
The Girl from Ipanema: History of the Bossa Nova Classic
Few songs can summon a place as quickly as “The Girl from Ipanema.” A softly syncopated guitar begins, the singing feels almost conversational, and a tenor saxophone enters without disturbing the calm. Within moments, the listener is transported to Rio de Janeiro in the early 1960s—to the beachfront neighborhood of Ipanema, where a young woman …
Aug 19
Polynesian Cultural Center Oahu: Villages, Luau, Shows & Visitor Guide
The Polynesian Cultural Center is one of Oʻahu’s largest visitor attractions, but calling it simply a “luau” misses most of what happens there. Spread across a landscaped property in Lāʻie on Oʻahu’s North Shore, the Center presents six island areas representing Hawaiʻi, Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, and Tonga. Throughout the afternoon, cultural presenters …
Aug 15
What Are Tiki Huts Made Of? Thatch, Bamboo & Tropical Building Materials
A convincing tiki hut is rarely made from one material. The spaces that feel richest usually combine layers: thatch overhead, bamboo along walls or ceilings, structural wood hidden behind decorative finishes, woven matting between posts, rope wrapped around joints, stone or faux rock near the base, warm lighting tucked out of sight, and dense tropical …
Aug 06
Kon-Tiki Museum Oslo: Thor Heyerdahl, the Kon-Tiki Raft & Visitor Guide
Few museum exhibits have traveled farther before reaching their display hall than the battered raft at the center of Oslo’s Kon-Tiki Museum. In 1947, six men climbed aboard nine enormous balsa logs lashed together with rope and sailed west from Peru. They spent 101 days at sea. They crossed more than 4,000 miles of the …
Aug 05
Moorea Travel Guide: Best Things to Do, Beaches, Snorkeling & Where to Stay
Moorea—or more accurately Moʻorea—is close enough to Tahiti that you can watch its jagged mountains grow larger during a short ferry crossing from Papeete, yet the island feels remarkably different once you arrive. Two deep bays cut into a mountainous northern coast. Sharp volcanic ridges rise above pineapple fields and thick tropical vegetation. A reef …
Jul 30
Pool Party Ideas: Easy Games, Food, Drinks & Decorations
A great pool party doesn’t require an enormous backyard, a professional event planner, or a shopping cart full of decorations you’ll never use again. What matters most is surprisingly simple: enough shade, plenty of cold drinks, food that’s easy to eat outdoors, a few activities people actually want to play, comfortable places to sit, good …
