Things Local Kids in Hawai'i Love to Eat

There's a definite Asian influence to what kids in Hawai'i eat.  I'm limiting this list to snack foods although, argue-ably, fried chicken with ketchup might be a full-on meal item. Also, yes, our kids eat fruit and veggies! I'm just listing these snacks that are particular to Hawai'i.  Here they are in no particular order:

1. Li Hing Mui anything, especially sour candy or fruit. The wiki I've linked to states that mui is the dried plum but lots of "li hing-ed" products here say "li hing mui" and then the candy/food/etc.

2. Spam Musubi: 'nuff said but here's more info if you need it. Spam musubi is a great post-soccer game snack!

3. Shave Ice

4. Mangoes off the tree: a kid showed me how to eat the mango so that it doesn't make a mess.  First you roll it on the ground a bit until it softens up.  Then you bite a small hole at the top and suck all the juice and pulp out of it.  'Ono!

5. Mochi cracker: in and out of popcorn.

6. Top Ramen: (called saimin) dry from the package with or without the soup base. Cooked or "raw", this stuff is not good for you so I try not to keep it in the house.

7. Fried chicken with ketchup.

8. Rice candy

9. Nori: my kids will eat this right out of the package.

These are just the ones that I know about.  Can you think of other Hawai'i-specific treats that Local kids love?  Here's a simple recipe that delivers the nostalgic kid-friendly flavor of Hawai'i. Enjoy!