Exploring Chinatown

We were invited by long time, wonderful friends, Diane and Dave to explore Chinatown with them. I've known Diane since kindergarten and Dave grew up in Chinatown. We haven't really walked around Chinatown since...

I couldn't remember so I had to go back to my photo files and discovered we were there in 1980! Keola was almost three and Tiffany was five.

The photos are very blurry and there were only a few. Mom used to work close by at the Hawaii Times Ltd. newspaper before they went out of business.



















Well, Chinatown has certainly changed in about 36 years. We followed Dave past a row of lei shops and entered the Chinatown Cultural Plaza where a lot of celebrations and shows are held.

The River Street Mall used to have a roofed area where people would come to play chess or checkers.

Apparently it eventually got taken over by drug dealers/users so the roof covering was removed to make it a less desirable area for illicit activities.

Facing River Street was the Royal Kitchen that had the most amazing menu of char siu baos.

Char siu is a kind of Chinese roasted pork. I looked up bao and it says it means 'take away food'.

In Hawaii, we also call it manapua. I looked that word up on Wikipedia too and it said,
"Its name is a shortening of the Hawaiian mea ʻono puaʻa, meaning, "delicious pork thing."

Dave suggested getting a sample of baos from different establishments so we could taste the variety. The Royal Kitchen is a very popular shop in Chinatown.

Look at all the fillings you can have in your baos. There was Portuguese sausage, lup chong, hot dog, kalua port, vegetarian, etc.

We were startled when we tried this baked bao. It was the airiest, lightest bao we've ever, ever, ever tasted.

This is baked char siu bao. Bao comes in baked (brown) or steamed (white). We've always preferred baked because it didn't seem as heavy as the steamed white buns.

It was such fun to see all the different shops.

We saw this statue of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen.

I got this from Wikipedia:

"Sun Yat-sen (12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary, first president and founding father of the Republic of China, and medical practitioner. As the foremost pioneer of the Republic of China, Sun is referred to as the "Father of the Nation"in the Republic of China (ROC), and the "forerunner of democratic revolution" in the People's Republic of China (PRC)."

I didn't know he was actually educated in Honolulu and went to Oahu College which is now Punahou School (where President Obama graduated from).

Only buses can now pass through Hotel Street. No cars allowed.

Dave says Cindy's Lei & Flower Shoppe is one of the most popular places to go to for flower leis.

My cousin, Larry recommended Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery and Dave knew just where it was. The place was packed and there was a huge assortment of Chinese baked goods. We were going to bring home some baked char siu baos to have with mom, but they were all out of it.

We tried the steamed char siu baos and really liked it so we brought those home for dinner. We've always loved the wedding cakes so we bought those to bring home for dessert too.

And for a little more history on Chinatown, I got this from Wikipedia:

Two major fires destroyed many buildings in 1886 and 1900. The 1900 fire was started in an attempt to destroy a building infected with Bubonic Plague, which had been confirmed December 12, 1899. Schools were closed and 7000 residents of the area were put under quarantine. After 13 people died, the Board of Health ordered structures suspected of being infected to be burned. Residents were evacuated, and a few buildings were successfully destroyed while the Honolulu Fire Department stood by. However, on January 20, 1900 the fire got out of control after winds shifted, and destroyed most of the neighborhood instead. Many of the buildings date from 1901. Very few were over four stories tall.

We went through several market areas and saw a lot of delicacies that we've seen when we traveled abroad. Dave couldn't tell me how chicken feet (which we saw everywhere) was to be prepared. I'm thinking it must be used for broth.

It was such a warm and humid day that Dave went ahead to reserve a space at a restaurant close by while our purchases were being prepared. He knew we were already too stuffed to eat a lot more, but he wanted us to sample some delicious dim sum.

Oh my! What a day! There's nothing like exploring a place with someone who grew up in the area. Outings with Dave and Diane are always fabulously interesting and delicious experiences. Diane and I grew up in Waipahu, but that town is so changed that the places we frequented are no longer there.

When our children return to Hawaii, we shall have to bring them to the places Dave and Diane introduced us. And now our grandchildren can see it too!