E Komo Mai

So I've decided to start a blog.

Now you may be thinking this this is not an uncommon occurrence. In this day and age after all, blogging is as commonplace a pastime as reading a book or going for hike. But if you're thinking that, then you are failing to comprehend my total aversion to blogs in general.

I for one have always thought that blogging is one of the most inane activites known to man. My former boss put it very succinctly when he said, "Why the Hell do I want to read about how you woke up in the morning and brushed your teeth?" Indeed, I am amongst those who look at Wil Wheaton with utter bewilderment and disdain regarding his career transition. And while I, like many other people, dream about joining the ranks of the historically significant (at least enough to warrant my own Wikipedia page), it seems utter vanity that anyone would discover my long lost journals after I'm gone and want to research my life and times.

So why then, would I willing subject myself to an activity that, in general, makes my brain ache? What could possibly be so compelling that I would find myself willing to embrace this form of expression? The answer, which is almost always the answer for these things, is passion. It all starts with living on an island. When you grow up in Hawaii, once you hit college age, most people find themselves feeling full of wanderlust, feeling like we're trapped on a rock. Then, if you can afford it, you go off to college on the mainland, and you realize just how much you really love that rock in the middle of the ocean, and start longing for the tastes and sounds (particularly the tastes) of home. These waves of wanderlust and homesickness are almost cyclic. Having recently had 2 beautiful sons, travel opportunities have been limited for me, and I found myself itching to explore.

Having limited avenues which to explore, I, like most of the masses, turned to television. In particular, I found myself enamored with the works of Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern, who have become like personal idols to me. Not only do they get to travel the world, but they get to try all of those fantastic foods from other cultures. This filled me with longing, jealousy, and hunger (literally). Food to me is so much more than mere sustenance. Good food tells you a story about the place it came from, the story about the people who made it. What was at hand at the time. Who where they influenced by. What hardships did they have to undergo. To me the truest mark of a good cook, is being able to take something really humble, and turn it into something really special. When you share a meal, it's about the good times and the happiness that you're sharing. The food is one of those memory triggers that instantly brings you back to those good times. It's about culture. It's about history. And ultimately, it's about pure pleasure.

So I had my great time watching Tony and Andrew galavant around the world, and then they stopped in my own backyard. Here in Hawaii. And I gotta say, between the 2 of them, they did a halfway decent job. But to me, it was like scratching just the tip of the iceberg. So here is where the wanderlust ebbs and the love of the island springs again. As much as I love traveling and seeing new things, whenever my friends come from the mainland, I LOVE playing the host. You know how it is, when you really really love something, you just want to share it and have other people enjoy it as much as you do. I love sharing my favorite things about my island home with them, particularly the foods. So where Tony and Andrew left off, I felt compelled to continue.

So that's what my blog is going to be about. I'm going on a little quest, to capture and share all the different tastes of my beloved island. This is going to be a little trove of memories, of childhood, and growing up here, and festivites, and happy times. I'm going to share some of my favorite places and foods, both recent and far past. I'm not a food critic, so don't be expecting me to give anyone a harsh rating. And I apologize in advance for what may be poor photography. I may have succumbed to writing a blog, but I just can't convince myself to be one of those people who take pictures of all their meals. Any pictures I supply will be subtly captured with my cell phone. Do I really expect anyone to read this? Honestly, not really. But, like siphoning my thoughts into Dumbledore's Pensieve, I just want to capture some of these memories that I can share with my sons years from now.

So.... E Komo Mai, sit back and enjoy the tastes to come...

-Jus