Hawaii's Share Your Table

Eating locally turns all of Honolulu into urban foraging grounds. It means perusing the vendors and chatting up farmers at the Blaisdell Farmers’ Market to cover the basic foodstuffs like tomatoes, greens and butter (yes, butter is a staple). It’s finding the hidden treasures in a (very) early morning at the Kalihi People’s Open Market with ulu, Waiahole poi, jade blossoms and bananas that come in shades of bluish-green, and then joining the crowds at the KCC market for heart of palm, figs and MA‘O’s vegetables for a taste of Lualeilei Valley terroir (even Wai‘anae has its own terroir!). It’s heading to Tamashiro’s Market for a colorful variety of island fish not seen in the chain supermarkets. It’s pushing your way through the aggressive old ladies at Chinatown to get to longan, mangoes and an array of Chinese vegetables.

But it’s not just in Honolulu where adventure awaits. Pick spices like green peppercorns, curry leaf and nutmeg at Frankie’s Nursery in Waimanalo, or spend a day in the country with a stop at Wai‘anae’s market on Saturdays for fresh pa‘i‘ai, or the Haleiwa market on Sundays for North Shore Farms’ tomatoes and heirloom beans. 

These little experiences exploring our island via food often leave me as giddy as a trip through a foreign country. And when I think about it, it’s a lot like travelling—there might be language barriers, unfamiliar surroundings, food that we’re not used to, but all these factors aren’t so much deterrents as they are what makes it all so fun. Even better, this kind of exploration on our own island roots us to where we live.