This morning instead of sitting down to blog as planned, I headed down to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. It was going to be a simple meal, but before I fully thought through what I was doing, I had bacon frying, onions, celery, and garlic simmering, and a pile of purple cabbage, cauliflower, and ginger on the cutting board. I added in pink salt, a few more veggies, water, and coconut milk, and set the burner to low.

This type of soup has been my favorite ever since a trip our family went on five years ago….

Going to Hawaii was something I looked forward to for a long time. Since we were going to get to go to Pearl Harbor I spent months studying up on WW2, because there’s nothing like seeing places from history in real life to make the past come alive.

I also spent a lot of time imagining and studying the culture, history, and people of the islands. I couldn’t wait to explore the state for myself. Several of my family members had gone six years earlier on a business trip and I’d been invited along, but had declined. (Seriously folks, I used to hate traveling, and besides, I got to visit my new nephew instead.) But after hearing my sister tell tons of stories, I wanted to get to experience it for myself.

What I wasn’t greatly excited about was the food. I figured it’s an island, so seafood would be a staple, and since I’m allergic to seafood….

As it turns out, seafood was a staple. But in addition to the seafood (which my family assured me was delicious), there was also a gigantic amount of other foods that set my tastebuds to dancing and my eyes to grow large with delight.

From the whimsicalness of McDonald’s selling rice and spam (which was delicious, unlike the gross canned stuff you can get at the store), to gas stations selling sushi, to fresh-made smoothies in Sams Club, the whole trip was a delightful experience.

One of my favorite food experiences of all times (and I’ve had a LOT yo), was when we went to a special restaurant in Oahu. The passage of time has dimmed my recollection of exactly what nationality the restaurant represented, but I think it was Taiwanese. We all enjoyed it so, so much, that my family unanimously voted to go back a second time several days later. That’s where we had the mouth-watering soup that I recreated this morning.

Experiencing foods from other countries/cultures is so much fun (most of the time) and I’m thankful for all the wonderful foods we got to try in Hawaii.

What I Listened To While Blogging:
This
Where I Blogged:
In my office, watching the snow 
Fun Fact:
Hawaii didn’t become a state until 1959
Question of the Day: 
What ethnicity has your favorite food?