How to Cut a Pineapple, Hawaiian Style

By Sandy Hu

I’ve just returned from my Hawaiian vacation two days ago and I’m already yearning for all the wonderful tropical fruits at the Hilo Farmers’ Market – especially the sugar-sweet, deliciously fragrant pineapples.

Last Saturday, I took my prize fruit back to our plantation-style vacation rental in Hakalau and cut it up on our lanai. I did it the way my mother taught me years ago, growing up in Hawaii.

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Gone Fishing

By Sandy Hu

Steve and I were considering a vacation to the Far East or Europe using airline miles later this fall. But in the end, we decided I needed a vacation now. I have been working nights and weekends for too many months.

As I thought about it, I realized that where I really wanted to spend my downtime was not on some foreign adventure, but in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii, where I am from. Normally, I thrive on big-city vacations to cities like Paris, with its multitude of art museums, great restaurants and fabulous shopping.

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A Fun Dinner Party Lets Guests Play with their Food

My stack, shot with my Blackberry

By Sandy Hu

Steve and I first met Holly and Carlos as we waited in an endless checkout line at a warehouse sale of beautiful, imported Provencal pottery. As we dragged our prized finds in cartons, inching towards the register, we began a conversation that has lasted over many years.

Holly, a calligrapher, and Carlos a judge, aren’t the kind of people we normally run into, our circle of friends being centered around food professionals, PR people and folks in high-tech startups. It was instant affection – we shared a love of things French, travel, kids and cuisine.

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Barbecue, Hawaiian Style

By Sandy Hu

Hot day at the beach…seawater and sunscreen. The aromas of teriyaki sizzling sets mouths watering.

“Barbecue” in Hawaii means teriyaki, that wonderful, soy sauce and sugar combination that makes beef, chicken or pork succulent and delicious. Teriyaki is the signature flavor of the Islands, ubiquitous at lunch wagons, fast food eateries, white tablecloth restaurants and neighborhood block parties.

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Fourth of July Memories and Boston Baked Beans

By Sandy Hu

Musing about July 4, John Adams wrote to Abigail, "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

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