You can't mail Hamura's saimin.

Or Takamiya Market's hamburger mix, for that matter.

On Monday night in Lihu'e, Hamura Saimin Stand was packed. There was a line out the door and people milling around outside in the dark or waiting in their cars for a spot at the counter. The pots were steaming away in the kitchen and the phone was off the hook, the receiver dangling down the wall, because so many people were calling for takeout.

Usually, that kind of crowd scene means a Friday night high school football game at Vidinha Stadium or some big keiki concert at the Convention Hall.

But this week, it's because the kids are home from college, and Hamura Saimin is just one of those things you dream about all those months away, and the first place you run to when you get off the plane.

On an island that doesn't have Zippy's, first stop Hamura's.

Especially during winter break if you've been freezing all semester on the Mainland. And yes, it gets pretty cold even at West Coast schools.

There are ways to get through those long stretches in the dorms, with rice pot cuisine, trips to the Asian Market, care packages of arare and hot ika, and package-mix haupia for special occasions.

But there is no substitute for Hamura's saimin.

Or Takamiya's hamburger mix, for that matter.

Adding hot water to a foam cup of powdered broth and a noodle clump just doesn't cut it.

You can get frozen S&S Saimin on the Mainland, but the broth is still from a powder mix.

Besides, you have to walk through the squeaky screen doors and face the stares of everyone hunched over their bowls at the Formica counters to get the full Hamura's effect. That's part of the deal. You have to brave the crowd and walk the "Who you?" gauntlet.

It actually gets more 'ono when you've been away for a while. If you can have Hamura's any old time you want, you lose a bit of the appreciation for it. Like with li hing mango or manapua. But if it has been out of your reach for a time while you're away from home, ho boy, you develop senses you never knew you had. Was the tempura shrimp always this flaky and sweet? Were the green onions always so crunchy? Good, yeah, the black parts of the barbecue stick?

Same with the hamburger mix from Takamiya Market in Maui's Happy Valley. College kids dream about Takamiya hamburger over rice for breakfast, Takamiya hamburger with cone sushi for lunch at the beach, Takamiya hamburger with poke and poi for dinner. The old-timers concur. There's a famous line overheard more than once in Takamiya market from one of the makule regulars admiring the selection of ready-made food: "So good. No need wife!"

If you're from Maui, home tastes like Takamiya's.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.