Food porn: Okay, I am a bit of a tease

Darling, I'll have you know that I lie sometimes. But it's not about bad things, just little things. But I'm happy you're still here, which must mean you'll forgive me. Forgiveness is key to a strong relationship. I'm glad we're working through this together.

There were two big trips in 2008 but I didn't want to get you too excited all at once. So to continue, please find yourself in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of Amurica:

A sunny Christmas family vacay was in order. It was the first time in Hawaii for us. Two years on and I still talk about it with great fondness. I just loved it so. Visiting in December probably added to the love. Our departure to paradise was slammed with a horrendous snow-storm and after a 12-hour delay (and that was considered short), it was so glorious to be welcomed at the open-air airport with warm sweet air. Aloha. We were finally parka-free.

December 26 - there was some serious after-Christmas shopping to conquer at the outlet mall. Meh, I've had better shopping conquests, so we packed it in late afternoon. Round Two was the Ala Moana Mall, but first, it was time to refuel. Not to pre-judge a place, but parts of Honolulu seem a little sketchy. It became painfully obvious that we only had three dinner choices: Taiyo Ramen, the mall food court, or Blockbuster Video. Never judge a ramen by its ugly plastic bowl. It was the best ramen I've had in ages. Refuelled and refreshed, we were ready for mall battle.
As I stood contemplating a very cute, yet classic trench at Banana Republic, with a happy belly full of ramen, the lights went out. Good thing we picked sketchy locale over mall burger and fries. There was an island-wide power outage by dinnertime (that lasted until the next afternoon). You couldn't even buy food at the ABC store! I never went back for the trench, but I'd definitely go back for the ramen.

As our stay in paradise neared its end and our flight back to the Arctic Circle that our home had become loomed, we enjoyed our final meal - out of an old converted school bus, parked in an abandoned parking lot. Like we had discovered before it all went dark, sketchiness lay within paradise. But like Taiyo, we had found paradise. I think this platter is meant for 4-6 people, but I could have easily polished off the whole thing myself. This could quite possibly go down on my list of Top Ten Best Foods I've Ever Had. Ono. Delicious.