wanderlust on the road : Hawaii Living

It's hard to believe I've been living here for close to two weeks, time seems to go by a bit slower here. I'm not sure if that is just Hawaii time or just slowing down a bit but it's been nice. Drean, who is the owner of the farm that I volunteer at, is a great conversationalist and whom I feel I have learned so much from already. Drean has had many different jobs throughout his life and it's been fun getting to know him more and talk about everything from politics to reincarnation to meditation to the universe to the history of Hawaii to organic gardening. This past Tuesday we went to Food Share, which is kinda like a small CSA/farmer's market in a small town nearby. I got to sample some local deliciousness and had the most amazing mango of my life. It was nice to meet other fellow farmers/gardeners in the community and to support what Drean started. None of these people contribute to Food Share for a profit, Drean certainly doesn't, but it's more the act of doing something as a community that betters ourselves as a whole and this beautiful spot many people get to call home which is quite inspiring.

I'm quite the foodie and have been thoroughly enjoying trying some Hawaiin foods and fruits. While I was in Kona, I tried Poke which is completely raw yellow fin tuna that is often marinated with sea salt to make it safe to eat. It's then mixed with different sauces, being the spice lover I tried some with habanero pepper and it was incredible. I've also had shaved ice which is what it sounds like, shaved ice with fruit sugary flavoring poured over the ice. I tried passion fruit and guava which was quite refreshing but I think I would have rather just eaten the fruit. I've been eating my weight in apple bananas which are these super small bananas that are a lot sweeter than regular bananas. If you're able to find them at your local grocery, I highly recommend them! I've really enjoyed acai bowls which are pretty popular here, it starts out with acai (berries that are sherbet consistency) and they add granola and all types of fresh fruit, cacao nibs, honey and mint. It is as delicious as it sounds and my favorite food I've tried yet! A dessert that is quite different but super yummy is a Japanese favorite here, mochi which are fruit or different sweets (brownies, cookies, etc) that are covered in this gummy rice flour consistency. I'm not explaining it well at all but it is really good and probably one of the more different desserts I've ever had. I'm loving all these new Hawaiin foods and I'm trying to eat as much as I can while I'm here. Hope you enjoy some photos!