Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong has been documenting the foods, ingredients and cooking styles of the islands for several decades. She is the consummate Honolulu foodie. Joan (and her publisher Bess Press) graciously agreed to allow Hawaiirama to post several excerpts from her new book, "Food Lover's Guide to Honolulu". I highly reccomend this book for locals and visitors alike.

Chinatown, bordered by Beretania St. and Nimitz Hwy., River St. and Nuÿuanu Ave., is a vibrant section of Honolulu abundant with ethnic flavors and adventures for the food lover. Chestnut brown roast ducks, caramel-colored chickens and red barbecued pork hang in street-side windows. Fresh papayas, bananas and pineapples are displayed in open-air bins. Asian greens are piled high. Noodlemakers bustle about in their flour-dusted shops. Pig carcasses are carried to a butcher’s stall. The aroma of just-cooked char siu wafts in the air as a full pan passes you in the arms of the maker. Leimakers nimbly string fresh fragrant flowers into Hawaii’s welcoming garland.

Chinatown is filled with grocery stores, herbalists and acupuncturists, jewelers, fabric and clothing shops, video stores, lei stands and dozens of restaurants. Maunakea Street is considered the main street of Chinatown. Everyone seems to be in Chinatown at midday: a good time to be there to experience the vibrancy of the area, though it can get crowded and difficult to maneuver the sidewalks. Most shops open around 7 a.m. and close by 3 p.m. There are three “shopping centers” within Chinatown—Oahu Market, Kekaulike Market and Maunakea Marketplace—and dozens and dozens of shops in between (Map)

Kekaulike Market:
This is an assemblage of vendors of various food items, including farm-raised fish, meats, kim chee and mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. The aisles are tight and quality and prices vary among vendors. The Cheap Market at one end generates a lot of activity: Sue Law and her family provide reasonably priced freshly grown vegetables from Kahuku, Ewa and Waianae farms. They have been selling produce for more than twenty years, obviously to a happy clientele.

TO BE CONTINUED...

—Alex, 08/24/06