Barbara J. Hamby

sign-up for our email list

Still Having Fun

Yesterday we went to the Friday Aloha coffee klatch at Island Sands, where we are staying. The round table we joined had a lively group chattering and arguing. We pretty much gave up on joining the conversation unless someone asked us a question. Two gals who formerly lived in Kansas City had widely differing opinions about it. One, who was happy to be away from there forever, taunted the other, who had more fond memories. The griper finally blurted, “If Kansas is so wonderful, why do you live here?”

I could have told them my Kansas City story from the days when I traveled with the Dakota Kid, a champion barbecue competitor. Twice I went with him to the American Royal contest, described as “the World Series of Barbecue.” The first time I looked at twenty acres of tents and trailers with cooks of all descriptions, I thought it would be a wonderful setting for a murder mystery. I thought maybe I should try to write one.

After some research, I discovered someone had written one already. I bought the book, the title escapes me now, but I remember the name of the publisher, Pig Out Publications, who specialize in barbecue cookbooks. It appeared to have been written by an amateur mystery writer and, in my opinion, was pretty bad. As I recall, the plot centered around a group of women who got revenge on a male barbecue chef by killing him and cutting him up into a huge pot of barbecue sauce. Ugh! I probably could have done a better job, but I was too discouraged by that time to try.

After half a muffin and half a cup of not-so-hot coffee, I left with Floyd and we went to Paia to watch surfers at a beach near there. The surf was not really “up,” and the surfers were fewer than Floyd remembered, so we didn’t stay long. He decided to drive around the island, all the way around, including the back side. We wound around hairpins and switchbacks, over one-lane bridges and sections of road that were one lane or just narrow with no shoulder. The scenery on all of those treacherous miles was spectacular. The traffic, especially oncoming traffic, was a challenge. I told him, “I’m glad you’re driving.”

“Me, too,” he immediately answered. Smart aleck!

Eventually, we rolled down from the hills, hungry and tired of riding, and stopped at the Honolua Store, a large general store in an old building with picnic tables on the surrounding porch. In the back of the store we found a food service area with a line of people coming and going. We chose plates of teriyaki meatballs, rice and vegetables and some drinks, for which we paid slightly over $13.00.

We shared a picnic table with a young couple who lives on Maui. They tried unsuccessfully not to giggle at our banter and, when Floyd left to get me a straw, the young man told me, “You’ve managed to find the best food on Maui.” I don’t know about that but it was good and certainly reasonable. Their business is successful enough that they were adding on to the store when we were there.

We picked up a few groceries in Lahaina on our way back, and returned to our roost to rest and recuperate.

0 Comment(s) about this entry.  |  Permalink