Ah, Hawaii's colonization of the mainland continues as the west coast gets turned on to the joys of plate lunch. Lately, I've seen L&L Drive-Ins in Vegas, Pasadena and Gardena, and there's another chain called Ono Hawaiian BBQ too. But you know, it never quite tastes as good as the plate lunches back home...

One thing about living in Hawaii is that you get this weird habit that is absolutely unshakeable: Whenever you come back to travel to the mainland (or anywhere for that matter) you HAVE to bring something back for the folks back home. It's called "omiyage" or what i like to call "travelers' guilt."

Bringing back great omiyage is almost a competitive sport in Hawaii -- and it's challenging to think of that great gift that's 1) not available in Hawaii, 2) easy to carry back (isn't too fragile or perishable), 3) not too expensive and 4) highly desirable to the folks back home.

Lately, the default mainland omiyage is foodstuffs (candy, nuts, etc.) from Trader Joe's. There currently aren't any Trader Joe's stores in Hawaii (which is ironic since they have their staff wear aloha shirts), so it fulfills all 4 qualities that make for great omiyage. Now, if they ever HAD a Trader Joe's store in Hawaii... well, dammit, that would just make travel back home just that much harder.

 

This one came out last week -- about a week after Daylight Savings Time started on the mainland... or did it end? I'm so confused...

 

 

Searching for a rental can start to feel like you're on a blind date: You get the once-over, and practically asked to give DNA samples to try to convince the landlord/property manager that you're the best person to live in that rental apartment/house, even if, in the end, you really never wanted to live there anyway.

 

Thankfully, we did manage to find a place in Emeryville -- and lo, to my surprise, I found the Kilohana Grill just a few blocks away. I went on a Saturday, and they had the laulau/kalua pig plate WITH lomi!! Check out my recent "ohmygod I'm in plate lunch heaven" review on Yelp.

Holy cow -- I'm featured in this month's issue of Audrey magazine! Run out to your nearest Borders bookstore and pick up your copy of the February/March issue today!

Well, our quest for a new Bay Area home continues, thanks to our pals at Craig's List. The difference between what's advertised and what you actually get is always interesting...