Just Like Being at Home....

Brandon and I have 'date night' every Friday night. We don't necessarily have a fancy date, just we take some time to do something together. Last night, 'date night' entailed Rubios and games (playing scrabble with Brandon is endless entertainment). After leaving Rubios, Brandon remembered that we needed batteries, so we detoured over to the drugstore. I don't exactly know why, but we ended up wandering the aisles in Longs... where I made the most magnificant find ever - the Hawaiian Aisle!!!!!


A wake of longing homesickness washed over me (after all, i'm lucky if I get to see my family once a year), but was soon replaced by ecstasy at being able to find my favorite goods from home. I began snapping pictures with my iphone as Brandon looked upon me with amusement (and possibly embarassment), so that i could share this find with the world.


First, there is this AMAZING papaya seed dressing. I love this stuff so much, when she visited in January, it was the ONLY thing I asked my mom to bring. Unfortunately, much to my disappointment, when she went to the grocery store right before getting on the plane, they were out! I grabbed a bottle, ignoring that the expiration date was June 2008.


But this was far from the only reminder of home... they also had Hawaiian soy sauce (in the usual gallons), Hawaiian cookies, Hawaiian jellies. These were also all well past their expiration date, so I ignored them. But it makes me feel better that I could bring a little piece of home back to my home if I so desired.

Finally, there was affordable Hawaiian sea salt - only $3.50 for a bag. Back home, this stuff is cheap. But on the Mainland, I once paid Williams-Sonoma $15 for a small jar (which I use sparingly). Now... a new source.

It may seem silly to be so excited about a small stretch of aisle in a drugstore. Although Brandon constantly points out that I didn't grow up in Hawaii, so it's not really 'my home', home for me will always be where my family is. The little things - the sprinkle of red salt, the tang of Papaya dressing - take me back, make me feel like i'm there. And sometimes, these are all I need to be home.