Just a short drive south, on the road down to Kealakekua Bay and the ancient site called Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (I did not spell that incorrectly) or Place of Refuge in English, there is a little road-side eatery with walk-up window that's painted yellow.
The place is called Kalama's and it looks a little unassuming from the road with a sign that announces some of the menu: hamburgers, hot dogs and shave ice (once again no "d" on shave...) but, once you get a look at the full menu you notice things like a kimchee burger, spinach ahi nori wraps and the laulau burger....the reason for our little lunch adventure.
After Mana's guidance with ordering (we ordered the laulau and a kimchee) I asked, "Exactly what is a laulau?"....
A traditional laulau, as I soon found out, is a little package of pork that's wrapped in laulau (aka taro) leaves, then tied in ti leaves (the kind of leaves you make leis out of). The little packages are then buried in an underground oven called an imu (like they cook the pig in for a lu'au) and is left to cook for an hour. The result is a steamy little package of meaty goodness. Makoto did say the traditional laulau also has a slice of pork fat slipped into the bundle, making the end product extra tasty and juicy.
The laulau burger at Kalama is pretty much as described above...laulau leaf wrapped pork...although I have no idea how they actually cook it. I do know you need to call ahead and reserve one as they are limited in number. These burgers were the juiciest, tastiest pork sandwiches I have ever had!
I'm not a bun person (eh-hem) but this bun is an integral part of this sandwich (soft and light) and, as I found again today--during our second trip there, this time with Barbara and papasan--the extra added chunks of pork fat were added in, and lots of 'em!...the juice ran down our arms....crazy good!
Chuck said he wasn't so much a fan of the laulau burger (too big and too close to a traditional laulau-which he's not fond of) but he ate the whole thing and all of us agreed the bun was exceptional. Should you ever get here, be sure to order the fries too, they are just as exceptional! I am a huge fan of McDonald's fries but Kalama's has them beat....hot, crisp, salty..FAB!
After last Thursday's laulau adventure with Makoto and Mana, we felt like we needed to have a little hike or we would have fallen into a major food coma. Makoto (whom I swear could be a very well paid tour guide) drove along the barren, hot and dry, four mile stretch of road that runs along to coast between Kealakekua Bay and Pu'uhonua o Honaunau where he stopped at a cattle gate that barred a path leading to the ocean. Since all Hawai'ian coastline belongs to the people (there is no private coastal ownership), land owners need to leave coastline access....so we hopped the locked gate.
Everyone we've met here in Hawai'i is always up for an adventure at the drop of a hat, and even though Mana was wearing heals she had purchased only the week before, she didn't hesitate to opt in on this last minute decision. Makoto, being the gentleman he is, gave his "slippers" (called flip-flops back home) to Mana so she would be more comfortable on the walk. This left Makoto barefoot to walk on the hot, black lava path to the coatline..without even the slightest peep of complaint...until the next day when the blisters popped and we teased him for hopping about like a sissy.
The fifteen minute walk to and from the coastline was certainly worth the moist clothes. No sandy beaches were to be found here however, only impressive, black lava rock cliffs that contrast so beautifully with the ever swaying, blue ocean. This section of coastline is interspersed with natural arches, cliff caves and blowholes caused by the surging surf.
An interesting note about the old lava flow that was under our feet.....it is chuck full of ovaline, that green mineral that makes green sand beaches. After tens of thousands of years, this area may one day be another green sand beach.
This third photo shows a few flecks of the ovaline that have worked themselves loose of the lava....it's starting!
Another fun aspect of this little hike.....Makoto did another cliff jump; this time I caught him on video. If I can get him to edit the video for me, and the blog will accept the size of the it, I'll post it here...check back!
This last photo shows Christopher and Mana standing on a cliff arch.
No comments:
Post a Comment