Do you know why Spam is number one in Hawaii? It’s because of SPAM Musubi. It is a popular snack and lunch food in Hawaii composed a slice of grilled Spam atop of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori in the tradition of Japanese omusubi. Inexpensive and portable, spam musubi is commonly found near cash registers in convenience stores all over Hawaii. Typical preparation begins with grilling slices of spam, sometimes with a light teriyaki flavor. An acrylic mold (often the shape of a slice of spam) is then placed over a long, narrow piece of nori and rice is pressed into the mold. The grilled spam is placed over the rice before the mold is removed. The nori is then wrapped over the top and around the musubi.

Sometimes you see scrabbled egg between the Spam and Rice for an easy quick breakfast. Also now you see different type of musubi’s not just Spam, there is Slice Hotdog and Fried Chicken musubi’s.

Watch a short video below on how to make a Spam Musubi:

Portland, Oregon Jan 10, 2012 Trailblazers defeated Clippers 105-97

Gerald Wallace led five teammates in double- figures with 20 points as the Portland Trail Blazers edged the Los Angeles Clippers, 105-97, at Rose Garden.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews contributed 18 points apiece, while Marcus Camby added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who have won two straight and improved to 6-0 at home this season. Raymond Felton donated 17 points to go with eight assists for Portland.

“We shared the wealth on both ends of the basketball court,” Camby said. “Going down the stretch we were able to get the stops we needed and knocked down a few free throws to save the game.”

Caron Butler led the Clippers with 20 points and six rebounds, while Chauncey Billups had 19 points and Blake Griffin contributed a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Paul netted 11 for Los Angeles, which had its three-game winning streak halted.

Plate Lunches are common in Hawaii. It consist of 2 scoop of white or brown rice and homemade macaroni salad. Here’s one of the all time favorite Chicken Katsu.

What is a Chicken Katsu? It is tender pieces of boneless chicken coated with special seasoning and deep-fried, served with tonkatsu sauce.  It taste so good on any size Mini or Regular and the macaroni salad is out of this world.  Recipe and direction below if you want to try this dish.

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Japanese-style bread crumbs (panko flakes)
• garlic salt
• oil (for frying)

sauce

• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon cooking sherry
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Bellows Beach, located along the windward side of Oahu offers some of the best beach real estate on the island. And it is owned by the Air Force! During the week, the beach is only open to those with military ID’s. However, on the weekend the beach opens up to the masses, and people flock to Bellows’ gorgeous white sands and aqua water that cannot be competed with anywhere else on the island. During the Summer it is crowded with swimmers, beginning board surfers, body surfers and campers. It has shallow waters and a small consistent shorebreak. Surfing is not allowed in the area between the two lifeguard towers, but this beach is a great place to practice surf boarding and body surfing where permitted.

The 985-foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range flank Nuuanu Pali Lookout, the name of which means “Cool Height Cliff.” Off to the northeast is Kaneohe Bay, where the cone-shaped volcanic island known as Chinaman’s Hat can be seen. The towns of Kaneohe and Kailua shimmer in the distance, and the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean serves as a backdrop to it all.

It is really windy out here, watch my short video and listen to the wind in the background.

The Missouri secured its place in history as the site of Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces on Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II. The ceremony for the signing of the Formal Instrument of Surrender was conducted by Supreme Allied Commander, General Douglas A. MacArthur.

Just how big is the Missouri? If you could stand the ship on end, it would be 332 feet taller than the Washington Monument.

Now you see the picture from above, let’s start the hike to the top.

Diamond Head is located on the South-east Coast of O’ahu at the end of Waikiki overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was originally named Laeahi by the ancient Hawaiians. The name meant “brow of the tuna” and looking at the silhouette of the crater from Waikiki, you can see the resemblance. The current name came was given to the crater by British sailors in the 1800′s.