Discover Hawaii Tours Blog

One way to learn about another culture is by sampling the cuisine. Here in Hawaii, the cuisine consists of a medley of recipes and dishes from all around the world, as well as a few choice foods that have had their place in Hawaiian cooking for centuries. This blog addresses three specific staples that have existed in Hawaii’s kitchens for many, many years. They are the plate lunch, poi, and Spam Musubi.

Plate lunches can be found in pretty much every local restaurant. The most basic version consists of 2 scoops of rice, 1 scoop of simple macaroni salad (macaroni and mayonnaise), and a choice of protein for the main entrée. Loco Moco is the most popular type of plate lunch. A loco moco begins with 2 scoops of rice which are topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg, and brown gravy. Over the years, numerous variations of the classic loco moco have been derived with an easy switch of the main protein. You can find loco mocos that feature bacon, ham, spam, *Kalua pork, Portuguese sausage, teriyaki beef or chicken, mahi-mahi, shrimp, oysters, or other meats.

Loco Moco Plate Lunch

Poi is extremely popular in traditional and modern Hawaiian cuisine. Made from the stem or corm of the Taro plant, Poi is created by mashing the plant until a desired consistency is reached (consistencies range from liquid to dough like). Poi is traditionally eaten with the fingers, and oftentimes is referred to as either 2-finger or 3-finger as a description of its consistency.

Purple Poi

Spam Musubi is a low-priced snack that can be found at eateries like 7-11, grocery stores, snack stands, and movie theatre concession stands. Served either warm or cold, a musubi is composed of a block of rice with a small piece of spam overtop and wrapped in seaweed. Though not necessary, condiments can be used to offer more flavor to a musubi. Common condiments used include teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and *furikake. The spam in a musubi can also be cooked in jelly to add flavor to the snack.

Spam Musubi

“Do as the locals do” and make sure to try these traditional Hawaiian foods on your next trip to the islands! It will without a doubt be a great experience on your vacation…and tasty too!

* Kalua refers to the method of cooking meat with an underground oven or imu

* Furikake is a Japanese condiment made from a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and MSG

Here at Discover Hawaii Tours, we are always thinking of new and stimulating tours to introduce to our guests. So just recently we added two Eco Adventure tours to our list of Oahu excursions. Eco Adventure tours combine sightseeing with light exercise and education in a fun and exciting way.

Our two new tours are the Tour 15A: Diamond Head Guided Eco Hike and Tour 16B: Hidden Waterfall Eco-Adventure Hike. The Diamond Head Guided Eco Hike, as the title would suggest, is a visit to the famous Diamond Head volcano in south Oahu. Your guide will pick you up from your Waikiki hotel, take you along the scenic and easy hike to the 760 ft summit of the volcano, and educate you along the way about Hawaiian traditions, ecology, and more. Views from the summit are breathtaking and absolutely worth seeing on your Hawaii vacation.

View from Diamond Head Hike Summit

Tour 16B to the hidden waterfall also involves a leisurely hike, this time through the Ko’olau mountain range. Along the hike, listen as your naturalist guide teaches you about Hawaiian flora and fauna and much, much more. And the best part of this tour will surely be the hidden waterfall nestled deep in the Ko’olau mountain range. See what it is like to take a dip in the pool of this enchanting, hidden waterfall.

Nature Hike to the Waterfall

In addition to providing you with the opportunity to see even more sites on Oahu than before, these two tours are great because they are half-day tours. This way you can enjoy a relaxing break from Waikiki, and still have much of the day to schedule other Oahu activities. So join Discover Hawaii Tours on our new Eco Adventure tours and see how perfectly touring and exercising go together.