Ume Takuwan, Zippy's chili, Kikkoman and LAULAUS??!?!??!

Unless you visit the states frequently, you don't know how sad their grocery stores are until you actually live there. While potatoes, pasta and and other "white folk" starches are great...after a week, you really miss rice. Not the long-grain rice...not Uncle Ben's rice...not Rice a Roni...the good ol' short grain calrose rice.

In my sitting-on-the-living-room-floor-throwing-a-I-miss-home-temper-tantrum I somehow found this Japanese market in Seattle. It's called Uwajimaya (www.uwajimaya.com) and it turns out they had a location about 15 minutes away from where we were supposed to go to get the car serviced. They have other locations, too...Seattle, Portland, Renton. So we got out the GPS and found the shortest route there.

When I got there I was in awe. I thought it would be a little rinky dink store with some ramen, rice and some random asian-ness. I digress.

There was a deli that served, get this, LAULAUS. And Kalua Pork. And Roast Pork. And Manapuas. And Potato Croquette. And...and...and...all kinds of stuff. They had plate lunches, and Bubble Tea, and Ramune! They had a full Korean section...with Korean sushi and Korean mochi...just like Palama Market. Anyway, we ate a Hawaiian Plate (laulau, kalua pork, rice and lomi salmon) and it was great. They import the Laulaus from Hawaii and it was pretty good. The plate costs less in Washington than buying it in Hawaii would have!! Kris had curry and rice. The babies ate a Teri Chicken bowl. Good stuff!!

They had Zippy's chili. Kris' favorite Japanese cheetos. They even had poi.

They had natto. They had the Chazuke Furikake. Japanese thick sliced bread. Takuwan...even the Ume Takuwan that I love! They had FRESH, HOMEMADE tofu (made in Tacoma...wow!). Even fresh Okara. They had fresh bamboo shoots by the pound.

They highlight of Kyler's trip here: The fresh longan. Kingston ate most of it though.

After my hour and a half shopping there I was exhausted. My stomach was full of Hawaii and my trunk was full of familiar. <3 Maybe curing homesickness isn't but an hour drive away...

P.S. ~ Random funny: I heard a produce stocker speaking to another worker and I KNEW he was from Hawaii. I asked...and he was. He'd been there for 12 years and I could still recognize his Hawaii-ness.