hilo (part 3)

Hawaii is not only a place for foodies, but also a place to enjoy nature. We were very lucky to be able to see Mauna Kea from the lanai of our hotel at sunrise one morning.

And a really faint rainbow--I've never seen one in Japan!

During our trip, my grandma went to visit with her friends at a senior center she used to frequent. Not only do they play "cards"--a Japanese game called Hanafuda...

Some were learning the hula, while others were sitting around chatting.

We also got together with some relatives who put together a delicious dinner filled with lots of local favorites, like pork tofu casserole...

California roll...

Crispy gau gee mein (no photo of the crispy gau gee..sorry~!) and there were other favorites like kal bi and mandoo, but I was too busy eating to take photos...sorry!

My grandma knew of a place that sold baked goods made with okara (soy bean lees) called Sputniks.

On Thursdays, they sell okara bread. These fluffy loaves come in 1/4 lb, 1/2 lb and 1 lb. We were able to place an order to be picked up the next day. Sputniks also sells plate lunches and okara cookies. And from other customers waiting in line, they also sell the best buttermilk donuts too!

The okara cookies were really crispy and delicious! Sputniks was also kind enough to pack up our order in a box. When travelling between the islands, a lot of businesses are kind enough to do this, you just have to ask.

Sputniks
811 Laukapu Street
Hilo
Phone: 808.961.2066

Another place to find good local food is KTA supermarket--the local market on the Big Island. Here in their deli section, they have freshly made makizushi (rolled sushi), inarizushi (sushi rice stuffed into fried tofu (soy bean curd) pouches.

And their original ogo namasu--seaweed prepared with bean sprouts, onion, sesame seed oil, shoyu, vinegar, sugar and chili pepper.

This was a great trip and I'm glad my grandma invited me to come along. (Thanks Grandma!) I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!