Anyone new to the Islands is bound to be curious about menus and lunch wagon signs that advertise such local fare as laulau, haupia, malassadas, manapua, loco moco and kalua pig. These are foods that have developed out of Hawaii's diverse ethnic heritage and are firmly established in contemporary taste. Local foods or "grinds," as they are called, are generally more inexpensive and filling than they are gourmet and exotic.
A good way to get a sample is to order a bento plate lunch at almost any local-style restaurant or lunch wagon in town. A typical plate will include a hot dish (fried chicken, fish or pork), macaroni salad, two scoops of rice and lots of gravy.
Malasadas are eggy, tasty, fried pastries, akin to donuts and can be found at places like Champion's on Beretania Street and Leonard's Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue. Chinatown is the place to find manapua, which is a steamed bun filled with meat. Loco moco, a local breakfast favorite, is made of hamburger patties and fried rice filled with stuff like char siu, Spam, bacon and Portuguese sausage and served with eggs and rice. It can be found almost anywhere including Kaka'ako Kitchen in the Ward Center.
For Hawaiian food like laulau plate, kalua pig and chicken long rice, stop in at Ono Hawaiian Foods, 726 Kapahulu Ave. Another place to catch a little local flavor is a visit to one of Oahu's 25 People's Open Market sites where local farmers sell a wide variety of ethnic foods, fish and flowers at prices well below those set by large retail stores. Markets operate seven days a week at locations throughout the island.
