Kona: Last day of eating

By March 25, 2011 #CatTravels, Food, Musings, The Daily Dish, Videos

It was inevitable.

My midweek jaunt to Kona was coming to an end.

That meant is was back to work — not that I left that behind in Honolulu — household chores, morning traffic, crowded surf breaks, fast food and parking wars at Costco.

The trip reminded me what I love about Hawaii — its laid-back feel, a sharing of cultures, a storied history and a strong connection to food.

On our last day in Kona, we drove around looking for places to eat — and discovered something about my own heritage.

I know! Can you believe it?

Here’s what Thursday’s adventure looked like:

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Making Portuguese sweet bread

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Kona: Northbound

By March 24, 2011 #CatTravels, Food, Musings, The Daily Dish, Videos

One of the must-trys on my list of things to do in Kona was, literally, “Eat malassadas at Tex Drive In.”

I had never been. And being such a malassada connoisseur — OK, not really, but I do love to eat them — I figured I had to try this popular Big Island version.

Lucky for us, the restaurant opened a location in Kopiko Plaza in Kailua-Kona in January. That meant we didn’t have to drive out to Honokaa — about an hour drive from downtown Kona — to its original location, opened in 1969.

But we did anyway.

And not just because I was desperate to try Tex’s fried dough. I wanted to see all the sights along the way: views of the ocean from Hualalai, Waimea Town, Anna Ranch, Waipio Valley, Hapuna Beach.

So we hit the road early, hoping to reach Tex’s by lunch. Or at least before it closed.

Here’s what today’s adventure looked like:

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Dining at Tex Drive In

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Great Debate: pork chops at Manago Hotel

By March 23, 2011 Food, Musings, The Daily Dish, Videos

The other day I listened to two Honolulu foodies argue about the pork chops at the Manago Hotel.

One preferred them with gravy; the other declared that practically blasphemy.

So I decided to try it for myself.

Yesterday, en route to Honaunau, we stopped at the historic hotel in Captain Cook to try the famous pork chops and see what’s better — with or without gravy.

Here’s what the entire experience looked like:

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Kona: Driving around town

By March 22, 2011 Musings, The Daily Dish

The last thing I needed this week was a mini vacation.

I’ve got papers to grade, a website to build, freelance stories to finish and an event at Hawaii Theatre to organize this Saturday.

Then again, maybe it was the perfect time for a getaway.

My boyfriend, who hails from Kealakehe on the Big Island, had gone back home for Spring Break. (He’s a doctoral candidate at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.) So I decided to join him in Kona today through Thursday.

There were a few things I knew I wanted to do: see the damage caused by the tsunami, eat pork chops at the Manago Hotel and drive to Honokaa for malassadas from Tex Drive In.

Here’s what we did on our first day in Kona:

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Did this: Visiting Heeia fishpond

By March 21, 2011 #CatTravels, Musings, The Daily Dish

When I first visited the fishpond in Heeia years ago, I couldn’t believe the work ahead.

The hundreds-years-old fishpond located in Kaneohe was overgrown with mangrove, an introduced plant whose roots grow into the wall and loosen the rocks and corals. Invasive algae — particularly gracilaria salicornia (gorilla ogo) was growing rampant in the pond.

This wasn’t good.

But the nonprofit Paepae O Heeia has made huge progress in the restoration of the 88-acre fishpond. Much of the mangrove is now cut back and the wall is more than halfway completed. (The moi, though, died due to a spike in the water temperature.)

It was utterly impressive.

But ask anyone who works there and they’ll credit the help of volunteers. Many hands working together. That’s power.

Here’s what a recent work day with the staff looked like:

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Interested in helping out? Come down on Saturday, March 26 to participate in a community work day, held twice a month. Volunteers are needed from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (lunch is included) to remove mangrove and rebuild the seawall. Call (808) 236-6178 to make reservations or for more information.

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