Fresh and Wholesome, Island Eating



Farmer's stand in Haliewa, O'ahu



I have never had a bad meal in Hawaii.  As far as I’m concerned, enjoying wholesome tropical foods is as much a reason to go to Hawaii as to snorkel with sea turtles, get sun burned, hike through rainforests, and stand on the edge of a steaming volcano crater.

Even to a tourist like me, the strong local agricultural movement is obvious.  It takes on various faces:  food security, organic, buy local, sustainability. A two-page spread in a recent edition of the Honolulu Weekly spotlighted young farmers who are committed to producing locally grown produce for a living.  In Generation Next:  Food Growers, (February 15, 2012), author Tiffany Hervey interviewed 36-year-old Jonny DesRoches of North Shore Greens who is using raised beds to ensure that his salad greens are organic (“I don’t know what’s been done to the soil before I got here”).  According to the article, DesRoches supplies area restaurants with vegetables year-round from his farm.  Another youthful interviewee, Josiah Hunt, 31 is trying to recreate age-old methods of growing genetically un-modified papayas on his Big Island plantation.  At a clothing store in Haliewa, I picked up a publication, Edible Hawaiian Islands, with articles about rooftop gardening, sweet potatoes (“the complex flavors of an island staple”) and recipes like mahi mahi, pa’i’ai, Ma’O roots & pickled limu.

Musicians entertain during Wednesday
farmer's market at Blaisdell Center

Everywhere, fresh foods present themselves.  Throughout Honolulu, farmer’s markets spring up daily on street corners, tables overflowing with fruits, vegetables, fresh sauces, and homemade treats.  On the North Shore of O’ahu, locals sell plates of shrimp scooped out of ponds that same day.  On the Big Island and elsewhere, pineapple, banana, avocado, coffee, macadamia nuts, and guava groves grow along roads, in parks, and in fields surrounding rural communities.  How can you possibly go wrong eating in this place?

During our February escape from Alaska, my husband, Matt, and I once again discovered and savored Hawaii’s decadence.  Here are some of my favorite food experiences from that visit.

Wanted: Whole Foods on the Fly



Chicago high rises:  Are there fresh
fruit and vegetables anywhere out there?

I didn’t have to wait long for service at the Anchorage International Airport Starbucks on concourse C.  The barista had just opened her counter and only one other traveler stood between me and my coffee.  I’d been up since 3:30 a.m. in order to catch a flight to Chicago for a conference and was mentally hazy and unfit for decision making.  Yet, I’d given myself a challenging blog assignment for this trip and needed to rise to the occasion.  The barista awaited my order.

My assignment was to report upon the availability of whole foods and the practicality of eating healthily while traveling on business. Business travel presents particular difficulties because the schedule if often grueling and food choices at airports, on board airplanes, during conferences and at hotels are limited.  Add to that the fact that one’s focus during these trips is on networking, learning, meetings, and keeping up with emails from the home office.  With all of these hurdles, it’s easy to slide into a program of overly processed food from vending machines and retail stalls.

During this Chicago trip I developed several recommendations to help travelers maintain a moderately healthy diet, even while jetting across the U.S. attending to business.

Go ‘Bucks!

For the business traveler, Starbucks is far more ubiquitous than the Wall Street Journal.  Starbucks stores appear on every corner of every U.S. city to which I have ever traveled.  They are in malls, airports, hotel lobbies, casinos, office buildings, and conference centers.  The value of this is that once you’ve found a healthy meal or two at Starbucks, you will always have a standby.