By Wade Kilohana Shirkey
Special to The Advertiser
It’s as local as rubber slippers and a shaka sign: a lunchwagon convention. A veritable "food court" on wheels. A culinary cavalcade. A lunch-"wagon train," a gravy train. A smorgasbord of sushi, a plethora of plate lunches, a kau kau caravan. Culinary gypsies.
Yet Star Market’s Food and New Products Show "Lunchwagon Challenge," going on through Sunday at Blaisdell Center, offers local lunchwagon operators a real opportunity to scope out the competition’s secrets - like Simply ‘Ono’s Fruity Ice Tea and how to eliminate the onerous cleaning of the rice cooker.
Both ‘Ono’s owner, Harris Sukita, and Kahalu‘u Shrimp Shack’s owners, Irene Theofanis and Dawna Robertson, admit to regularly checking out the locations and fare of their lunchwagon competition. "I haven’t eaten at home in years," Sukita joked.
Oddly, lunchwagons’ own "territorial loyalty" presented the biggest obstacle to this weekend’s event, said Hammond.
"They’re usually mom-and-pop operations - all very devoted to their (usual) locations," Hammond said. "Many can’t afford" to pull up stakes, even in return for the publicity.
As organizer, just ferreting out lunchwagons was difficult, she said: "I was jumping out of my car at stoplights," to sweet-talk operators.
Lunchwagon "groupies" of Elena’s, King’s, Pee Wee’s, Bee’s and Pongo’s will most likely show up in support, Sukita said. "Everyone will know about (these lunchwagons) after this," Theofanis said.
Organizers hope the lunchwagon challenge will become an annual, free-standing event.
"We want to make this grow," said Hammond.
Selections from each wagon’s signature dishes will probably produce the expected, said Hammond: stew and teriyaki, chicken katsu and hamburger steak. The Shrimp Shack had planned to roll out local pan-fried shrimp, rock crab and Kahuku sweet corn if they could participate. Simply ‘Ono was choosing from a "gourmet menu" the likes of bay shrimp pasta salad, seasonal salad with chicken Cordon Bleu medallions, and cucumber dill shrimp sandwiches.
Sesame chicken, stuffed ahi, hamburger curry, pork adobo, guisantes and bread pudding fill out other wagons’ offerings.
Winners of the friendly competition will be decided by the scrip collected by each wagon.
But put any two lunchwagon operators together, and they immediately start divining "trade secrets" - like Sukita’s trademark Fruity (and free!) Ice Tea - a different fruit juice and tea each day - and the "Jarnet," an imported mesh bag from Cherry Co. Ltd., that allows successive washing, cooking and removal of pots of rice necessary for lunchwagon operation, using one bag. "And no washing the pot between," beamed Sukita.
"Awesome!" proclaimed "Local Kine Grindz" food maven Lina Girl, evidently saving her "Killah grindz!" trademark remark - and appetite - for this weekend’s "winnah’s chance fo’ pound."
The Advertiser’s Wade Kilohana Shirkey is kumu of Na Hoaloha O Ka Roselani No‘eau hula halau. He writes about Island living.
[back to top] |
