Oahu - Hawaii with Kids - page 149

booths that sell everything from pizza and plate lunches to quick, authentic, and
inexpensive Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino dishes.
The best seafood fried rice comes from the woks of Malee Thai/Vietnamese
Cuisine, at the mauka (inland) end of the marketplace—perfectly flavored with
morsels of fish, squid, and shrimp. Right next to it is Tandoori Chicken Cafe,
a fount of Indian culinary pleasures, from curries and jasmine-chicken rice balls
to spiced rounds of curried potatoes and a wonderful lentil dal. On the other
side of Malee, Masa's serves bento and Japanese dishes, such as miso eggplant,
that are famous. A few stalls makai, you'll find the best dessert around at Pho
Lau, which serves haupia (coconut pudding), tapioca, and taro in individual
baskets made of pandanus. Walk the few steps down to the produce stalls (pun-
gent odors, fish heads, and chicken feet on counters—not for the squeamish)
and join the spirit of discovery. Vendors sell everything from fresh ahi and whole
snapper to yams and taro, seaweed, and fresh fruits and vegetables of every shape
and size. Wander around Chinatown, where the island's best produce is at Par-
adise Produce Co., 83 N. King St. ( & 808/533-2125 ); its neat rows of man-
goes, top-quality papayas, and reasonably priced and very fresh produce make
this a paradise for food lovers.
HAWAIIANA & GIFT ITEMS
The perfect gift from Hawaii? Bring back something from the islands. Here's
where I shop: Native Books & Beautiful Things, Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala
Moana Blvd. ( & 808/596-8885 ), a cooperative of artists and craftspeople cre-
ating “things Hawaiian,” from musical instruments to calabashes, jewelry, leis,
and books, including contemporary Hawaiian clothing, handmade koa journals,
Hawaii-themed home accessories, lauhala handbags and accessories, jams, jel-
lies, food products, etched glass, hand-painted fabrics and clothing, stone poi
pounders, and other high-quality gift items; Nohea Gallery, Ward Warehouse,
1050 Ala Moana Blvd. ( & 808/596-0074 ), a fine showcase for contemporary
Hawaii art, from pit-fired raku and finely turned wood vessels to jewelry, hand-
blown glass, paintings, prints, fabrics (including Hawaiian-quilt cushions),
and furniture; and Shop Pacifica, in the Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St.
( & 808/848-4158 ), offering local crafts, lauhala and Cook Island woven
coconut, Hawaiian music tapes and CDs, pareus, and a vast selection of Hawaii-
themed books.
MARKETS
Truck farmers bring their produce to 25 market sites in Oahu's neighborhoods
for regularly scheduled, city-sponsored People's Open Markets at various loca-
tions all over the island ( & 808/552-7080; www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/
programs/pom). This can be a fun outing for you and your kids as you wander
among the vendors and see the tables of unusual and exotic tropical vegetables
and fruits like ong choy, choi sum, Okinawan spinach, opal basil, papayas, man-
goes, and seaweed. Talk to the vendors, who'll be happy to explain the produce,
vegetables, and unusual fish—some will even offer free samples.
MUSEUM STORIES
My top recommendations are the Academy Shop, at the Honolulu Academy of
Arts, 900 S. Beretania St. ( & 808/523-8703 ); and the Contemporary Museum
Gift Shop, 2411 Makiki Heights Rd. ( & 808/523-3447 ), two of the finest
shopping stops on Oahu and worth a special trip whether or not you want to
see the museums themselves. (And you will want to see the museums, especially