O.K. so I’m gonna take this time to be a little racist and stereotypical and I feel totally o.k. being this brutally honest because I’m here at home, safe, behind the screen of my laptop. I’ve devised this theory; Asian people treat their shaved ice the way White people treat their ice cream sundaes. I never come across an Asian that goes crazy over a sundae and vice versa, but Asians love their shaved ice and White people love sundaes, even on Mondays. Also White people go crazy with sundaes, they put all kinds of shit in it: strawberries, pineapple, chocolate, marsh mellow cream, nuts cherries, carmel, whipped cream, the list goes on and on. Well, same goes for Asians and their shaved ice. We put beans, mochi balls, tapioca, fruit, jelly things, condense milk etc.

Here are some pictures of some yummy shaved ice toppings from a Chinese shaved ice cafe in Los Angelos.

You get my point?

Now when it comes to ice cream for Asians, we keep it simple, ice cream and maybe one other topping, otherwise it starts to look like something I regurgitated back up and am still consuming only because I’m too cheap to let it go to waste. I don’t want to fuck up my ice cream by mixing all kinds of crazy shit into it and of course white people feel the same about shaved ice, just ice and flavored syrup. As a matter of fact, most hales have never even heard of shaved ice with anything else. Ray, my half white, half Mexican fiance, who mine as well be white, goes, ” Babe, I never knew Asians loved shaved ice so much and all that crazy shit that you guys put on it. You would hate shaved ice in Texas, just ice and juice. Beans as a desert, it just doesn’t sound right,” he says. Oh, but it taste so good. Now Ray, and Shane still refuse to eat my shaved ice, they just can’t get past the bean thing. Ignorant fools, such poor unfortunate souls. Shaved Ice is not just ice and juice. And yes, I can tell you right now honey, I will despise it in Texas, that’s why I’m here and not there. Shaved ice is an art that I take very seriously. It’s not just about the toppings, but also the consistency, texture, fluffiness, the amount of condense milk in ratio to the amount of ice. You get my point.
Now that I’m done ranting, I’ve found a place that so far is one of my favorites on this island. Tropicana has shaved ice as light and fluffy as the clouds of heaven.

My only gripe was that they didn’t have as many toppings as that Chinese place in L.A.
All their specialty shaved ice comes with azuki beans, ice cream, condense milk, and mochi balls. I ordered the #8 lychee berries shaved ice. It comes with vanilla ice cream and is amazing. Ice cream and shaved ice, the best combo ever. The shaved ice was perfect. The way it dissolved in your mouth, like butter on hot toast. One way of judging good shaved ice is the ice itself. If it’s at all crunchy, or hard, it’s no good, move on, you deserve better than that.

On a separate occasion I got the #3, strawberry flavored shaved ice with strawberry ice cream. This time it came in a different bowl, but still just as yummy.

I had to get another one. This time the #2, Mountain Coffee with coffee ice cream inside. Again, I loved every bite.

And this is what it looks like on the inside

Ray got shaved ice with two flavors for $2.00.

On a separate occasion I got the #12 Green Tea, with green tea ice cream, $4.50. If your a fan of green tea your gonna love this. Its cool, refreshing and who knows, might even be healthy.

Also, all prices include tax, so you don’t have to worry about factoring that in. The price you see is the price you pay. Now if shaved ice just doesn’t excite you, that’s cool. To each one own, right? They also have bubble drinks, floats and a nice selection of ice cream. I suggest the shaved ice. Even Ray agrees that it’s just better here, but he still refused to eat the beans.

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Tropicana
3036 Waialae Ave,
Honolulu, HI
(808) 739-2098

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli is the offspring of Kalapawai Market. Apparently business is doing well at the market so what else to do but venture out into the dining business.

This is seared marlin fish plate. The menu had a better description, but I didn’t memorize it and they don’t have to go menus because apparently it always changes.

Salmon Papaya Salad.

Roasted Potatoes

Salmon Bruschetta

This trip was taken a while back so I can’t go into too much detail about it. What I can tell you is that we all loved this place. From the outside it looked like an affordable deli; perfect for a quick, affordable bite to satisfy our hunger after a long day at the beach before we head back home. However looks are deceiving as we all know, so once we were inside we felt a little under dressed in our damp T-shirts, board shorts and left over sand that molded itself into the cushions of our tender, sun baked skin, so we sat outside in the patio. Service was great. The menu was, wow, really affordable. $8.00 for fish, sweet! I don’t have to force myself to order the cheapest thing on the menu. However, like I said, looks are deceiving, and when the food came out we were a little displeased with the inadequate portion size. I guess you get what you pay for, affordable, small, palatable dishes that left us wanting more. And that’s exactly what we did. It was so good, we order a bottle of cheap wine and another dish. Actually, we ordered this bottle because of its name, “Fat Bastard.”

Just like we ordered “Bitch” wine from, coincidently, its mother market Kalapawai Market because of its name.

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli is a great place, with good atmosphere, food and service at a decent price. One plate wasn’t enough for any of us, so come here with good company that makes taking of more interest than eating.

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Kalapawai Cafe & Deli
750 Kailua Rd
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 262-3354

O.k this is for all you skinny cows, I found a place that is definitely worth mentioning. It’s healthy, scrumptious and they have cute little employees – females, to serve you. The first time Ray and went to the health bar was a few weeks back after hiking Diamond Head. We had originally intended on going to Bogarts, a cute little cafe right next door, but they were way too busy. We were famished and decided on going next door to the Health Bar.

The place had an artsy island atmosphere. The menu was written on chalk board above where young, inviting employees worked. Now I didn’t say the place was cheap. Actually, I thought, as most health places are, a little overpriced. Throw organic, or health on something only means more money. I was going to order a smoothie for 5.25 but Ray notice this bowl that two girls at a near by table was munching on. It looked like a smoothie in a bowl, with stuff in it. I went over and asked them what they were eating and if it was any good. The girl’s eyes popped out of her skull as she said, “it’s the acai bowl and it’s sooo good.” Alright, I’ll have one of those. If it had the power to do that to her round little eyes just think of what it could do to my slanty wide screen vision eyes. I had to know. Da Cove Bowl is like a fruit smoothie, with acai fruit, mixed berries, banana, strawberry and granola and topped with honey for $6.50. The Mana Bowl is two dollars more, $8.50 because it has more acai fruit and includes bee pollen. Now, if your like most people your probably thinking, “what the fuck is an acai fruit? And bee pollen? No thanks, I have allergies”

I’ll start with the acai fruit. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is from Brazil’s Amazon rain forests and is the fruit of a palm tree. Here are some benefits of acai berries.

• Greater Energy and Stamina
• Improved Digestion
• Better Quality Sleep
• High Protein Value
• High level of Fiber
• Rich Omega Content for Your Heart
• Boosts Your Immune System
• Essential Amino Acid Complex
• Helps Regulate Cholesterol Levels
• 33x the Antioxidant Power of Red Grapes and Red Wine

Acai is also loaded with Vitamins B1, B2, B3, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Fiber, and Proteins, all essential to your daily well being and health.

As for bee pollen, the nutrients found in Bee Pollen include polyphenols, enzymes, beneficial fatty acids, free amino acids, vitamin complexes, chelated minerals and trace elements, as well as a large array of phytonutrients. Since the nutrients in Bee Pollen are extremely concentrated even a small amount will complement any diet. Perhaps it’s worth the extra two dollars for the extra acai fruit and bee pollen.

Uhh, not when you cheap. Ray got the Da Cove Bowl, and I splurged and got the Mana Bowl. We sat outside and waited and waited and waited. I went inside to see what was taking so long. Did they forget about us? I mean, the only other people in there were the bug eyed girls. I stood in front of the counter making sure my presence would go unnoticedd. The two girls behind the counter chatted away, taking their sweet time, even stopping every so often to make hand gestures or stop in awe of what the other had to say. Hello, Blondie, and Miss Asian Persuasion, are you dense?. You throw all the ingredients into the blender and press the button. After 30 minutes of waiting we finally got our order. One word, orgasmic. I forgot to add that you get an option of chewy or crunchy granola. We both chose crunchy. Not only do they put granola atop but also there is granola at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about trying to make it last. The bee pollen has a subtle sweet taste that you probably wouldn’t even notice if you didn’t see it. This is the ideal treat for a hot day. It’s light, refreshing and healthy. The Health Bar is close to Diamond Head so after your vigorous hike you can reward yourself to a healthy treat and still feel good about it. Now if smoothies aren’t your thing they also offer other items such as, fish wrap – $9.25, veggie omelet- $8.00, fish salad – sm $10.25, lg $13.50, hummus – $8.75 and fresh squeezed juice for $6.50. $6.50? I could buy at least two cartons of juice for that much. I never said this place was cheap and they definitely don’t have supersonic service. Here’s my advice, order one Mana Bowl over the phone ahead of time and share it. One is large enough for two if your not hungry. The number is 808 732-8744, Drink water, it’s free, healthy and, thank God, self serve. If you want more information, here’s a link to their web site

Diamond Head Cove Health Bar Directions