Howzit

"Howzit": meaning "how are you". This common phrase is one of the first things said when greeted by someone. It is actually short for "how is it going". The funny thing about using "howzit" as a greeting, is that the person who asks, doesn't actually expect you to respond. The appropriate response is, "howzit". Haha isn't that funny? I think "howzit" is actually pidgen (or hawaiian creole).

I made myself a list of all the funny things I've wanted to write about. The first, being mongoose ('lole manakuke). Since hawaii has no squirrels, (thank goodness, I am apparently terrified of squirrels). I have not been able to take one picture of them, because they are super fast, but I see them all the time. They are very scared of cars and people, when spotted, they get really close to the ground and run away into the bushes. The first time I saw one I freaked out. It was in Kona at the hotel with my Dad and Cheryl. I was like "WHAT WAS THAT" and we poked and prodded the plants, we had thought it was a ferret. A few days later I saw another one by the pool. Now I see them all the time by my apartment. 

Now. Spam. Gross. What is spam? Spam in Hawaii is referred to as "The Hawaiian Steak." For those of you who don't know, Spam is a canned precooked meat product. "Mystery Meat" is how most people refer to it. There are many varieties and different flavors of Spam: Spam Classic, Spam Hot and Spicy, Spam Light, Spam over roasted Turkey, etc. Spam is sold all over the world. It took me a long time to find out why Spam was so popular here in Hawaii. The answer? World War 2. I learned this in my nutrition class. When Spam goes on sale at Walmart, they are out within hours. It is almost considered a "delicacy". Burger King in Hawaii actually sells Spam, to compete with McDonalds. In my nutrition class, we had to write up and keep track of our food intake for three days. We turned in our papers, and our instructor shared some with the class. This is where I learned of "Spam Musubi". A very very very popular dish. I had no idea what everyone in class was talking about when they would say "I had Spam Musubi for breakfast, lunch and dinner". I couldn't even figure out what they were saying! Finally I looked it up- It is cooked Spam with Rice and Seaweed. Within my class, I also discovered what Deluxe Spam Musubi is: Spam Musubi with furikake (seasoning) and a scrambled egg. They actually sell Spam Musubi at the 7-Eleven stores. Which is a whole different story. 7-Eleven's are super clean, it's weird. Here's a link to the Spam Musubi at 7-Eleven, if you want to check it out. It only costs like $1-2. http://7elevenhawaii.com/more%20spam.%20more%20nori.%20more%20ono