Spam Musubi, Loco Moco are Top Island Treats

Betty Shimabukuro, food writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, has reached out to Mainland readers to educate them on Hawaii’s favorite foods. And they’re not coconut and pineapple. In a special to the Los Angeles Times titled, “10 Hawaiian culinary specialties to sample” (guess the headline writer missed the AP Stylebook update on ‘Hawaiian’), she urges Hawaii visitors to “seek out these only-in-Hawaii foods in the true spirit of adventurous eating.”

Among her picks: spam musubi, loco moco, manapua, coco puffs (a la Liliha Bakery), and guava chiffon cake (a la Dee Lite Bakery). She suggests Longs Drugs as a good source for local coffee, and notes that you can get portuguese sausage with your breakfast at McDonald’s.

There’s even a photo gallery for the especially brave. Kudos to Betty for snapping sharp pictures of items that, however tasty, are not always the most photogenic!