Burger King uses “Broke da mouth” in its ad.

 

Absolutely delicious BBQ plate lunches.

Rainbows are so frequent many people in Hawaii take them for granted.

A shot from my lanai (back porch).

Tourist heaven.

Near Hanauma Bay.

Across from the Polynesian Center.

Some people call Hawaii, 'a rock out in the middle of the ocean'.

A dedication to Japanese immigrants who came from Okinawa, Japan in the 1900s.

Many families rent inflatable bouncers for children's birthday parties in the park.

Obon festival at the Mililani Hongwanji.

The Okinawa Center in Waipio on Oahu has several monuments celebrating the migration of Okinawans to Hawaii. This plaque explains the similarities between Okinawa and Hawaii. It states Hawaii has a

A special chirashi bento sold at Daiei to celebrate Girl's Day on March 3rd. The bento includes tuna sashimi, salmon eggs, crab, shrimp, and egg on top of rice.

A game from Japan at the Japanese Cultural Center festival. Kids try to catch as many goldfish as they can before the paper on their scoop breaks.

Symbols of the mix in Hawaii. The local pancake house flies the American flag, Hawaiian flag, and flags of each of the military branches.

A Hawaiian quilt displayed at a local restaurant.

The entrance to Manoa Falls.

The government reports over two thousand homeless live in tents on the Waianae coast.

Crosses and leis for the death of a loved one.

This Chinese meeting hall was built in China and assembled at Moanalua Gardens in 1905.

Hau trees are common in Hawaii. The branches were once used as outriggers on canoes.

The environment gets trashed in Hawaii.

Abandoned cars are not an uncommon sight in Hawaii.

The Governor is trying to address the graffiti problem in Hawaii.

Fine dining with traditional Hawaiian foods at the popular restaurant Willows.

Hele pela Yankee - Get out! Go away Yankee!

The September 10th Daikon Festival is put on by the Honbushin International Center in Mililani. Honbushin is an offshoot of the Japanese Shinto religion. In addition to daikon (Japanese radish), the

A local corner market sells Samoan and Tongan Polynesian foods.

A shopping area in Chinatown.

There has been a surge in the popularity of Korean culture as a result of the Korean dramas. This counter in the 99 Ranch Market food court sells Korean drama DVDs, Korean music, pictures of

Shave ice with a Chinese twist: in addition to the usual ice cream and sweet bean paste, there are toppings of fruit slices, jelly cubes and black pearls (like the ones in Chinese bubble tea that

The classic kalua pig being sliced up.

Kapu is the Hawaiian word for forbidden and keep out. Historically, kapu was an area restricted to the Hawaiian chief class. If a commoner entered a kapu area it was punishable by death.

A Hello Lobster machine: put in 50 cents, swing the claw over and try to grab a prize. The prize isn't the usual stuffed animal--it's a live lobster! The instructions are in Korean so it seems to

Homeless in Kaahumanu park on Oahu island in Hawaii.

The military presence on Oahu can be seen everywhere. The 'mothball' fleet is docked in the Middle Loch of Pearl Harbor.