We import over 90 percent of our food and about the same for fuel. It is a serious issue that we don’t take lightly. Between June and November we are in hurricane season, so you always have an emergency kit on hand. If there’s a hint of a shipping problem, toilet paper and other important items fly off the shelves.
It costs a little to a lot more for everything, but that’s what we live with. For many like me, we will never leave, it’s where our families have been forever. But, just as many locals have left because they can’t make it financially, or have found better opportunities elsewhere.
The days of living off food you can find in the near shore ocean are long gone. Over fished, or poisoned. We are currently having issues with people from Micronesia going out at night and trying to catch every fish in the water. Too bad they won’t open up hunting for wild pigs more. We have a lot of wild pigs and they cause so much damage.
Teaching is one occupation that has a lot of openings. We need good teachers here. Starting pay for a teacher with a master degree is about 50K.
Hawaii is not a cheap place to live but it is beautiful. I live on the Windward side of Oahu near Kaneohe. it is a nice place to live with a mall just about everything you need. Housing is very expensive and we have the highest homeless population per capita in the country. There are ways to live cheaply if you are smart. You can always shape boards at my place. Contrary to popular belief there is much to do and see here. I am in my 60’s still haven’t caught all of the sites the islands have to offer. The best bet is to befriend a good local family and be part of their extended Ohana. That will set you up for success.
hanabutta is slang for boogers it relates to small kid time because small kids are the ones who run around with their wet hanabuttas dripping from their noses. Hanabutta days si when you ran around with boogers running out your nose da kine you ate to gross out the girls.
That’s how it came about.
Way different than how the term Puna Buttah came about.
Owen, your answer is in right here in this thread… Nothing but Aloha from the Island fellas. That’s enough reason right there. Give some to get some. Good Luck.
Ah. Thanks for letting me know about that thrailkill - there’s an overabundance of feral cats in my own country (the real type), I’d heard it’s a worldwide problem, so assumed Hawaii is similiarly afflicted and wasn’t aware it was a Hawaiian euphemism for something else; have edited out the feral cat joke I made in my post above accordingly.
Cheers 
Cheers Oneula.
One of the things I like about Sways (apart from the shaping info) is if you hang around here long enough you can’t help picking up a little cultural education you’d never learn in the usual Hawaiian (or Mexican, French, Spanish, etc, etc) tourist traps…
… well, not the “G”-rated ones anyway
I’d always wondered about Hawaiian “pidgin” and in the course of trying to look up the meanings of hanabuttas, etc, I came across a little clip about the reasons for it’s origin; sounds like you came up with your own version of Esperanto (i.e. a language created using words from different languages so people from different cultures can communicate with each other). Cool!
To clarify, my older cousin was a subsistence hunter/trapper in Alaska. He specialized in Arctic Lynx. After skinning, he would eat them. Said it was quite tasty, and was a white meat. He also opined that he may well be the only guy, in the lower 48, that actually ate a REAL beaver, when he said he’d eaten some beaver. Context, is everything.
It does indeed; when you said "Feral cat is the other, “other white meat”, I thought you were referring to cannibalism as when I’ve heard other people talk about “the other, other white meat”, that’s what they’ve mean’t (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uJhZZ9ee4k ).
Guess I didn’t need to edit out that feral cat joke after all.
Cheers.
I’ve always heard that other, referred to as, ‘‘Long Pig.’’ Just as lobster, taken out of season, is referred to as Long Crab.
Haha classic
Uncle thank you for your offer. I much appreciate it. When I move out I will get in touch with you! Thanks again!
tblank, you are absolutely right! Nothing but love on this thread and I think that is awesome. This is getting me pumped for my move to Hawaii. I was possibly going to Spain instead, but I think Hawaii is where I want to be. I am excited to meet some of my fellow Swaylockians in the islands and learn from them and hopefully I can give back to the islands and the people in some way.
Thanks everyone for all of your encouragement! I’m digging the good vibes on this thread. I hope to meet all of you guys when I move out there! My move will most likely happen in January so I will get in touch when i’m settled in the Islands. Thanks for all of your guy’s help and Aloha!
I first heard the term “spoon meat” at my HS graduation party when one of my drunk uncles began teasing my cousin who was a famous local surfer back then about the beautiful haole acquantice he brought with him. All night long my uncles were calling out his name and toasting to his “spoon meat”.
I later found out that spoon meat was a term for the insides of a young coconut where you could eat the delicious soft coconut meat with just a spoon. But like everything in hawaiian there was a kauna or double meaning to the term which was the young subtle pure white inner thighs of the young lady in the hot pants sitting next to my cousin clueless to the ranter a bunch of drunking hawaiians were tossing their way. The term they were tossing around was “Eh, Brian jus like spoon meat, yah! jus like spoon meat…”
never heard that term again
Poor waitresses and other diners at that chinese restaurant my crazy family took over that night
I wouldn’t mind sampling some “spoon meat” when I get out there, if you know what i’m saying haha!
Try and find this book called “the Haole Substitue” by Walt Novak its a good read about the subject but its like 30-40 years old from the late 70’s.
Still a good read though about teaching on the westside.
here’s a PPK-like story
a college roommate of mine, a pure Hawaiian, was into social work and got his masters at UW.
His dream was to come home and help all the disadvantages native hawaiians with his socila work skill s and knowledge
upon his return to Hawaii he got a job to help the native hawaiians on molokai
after several he got so discouraged about all the “lazy as* hawaiians” living on welfare and not wanting to better themselves, he quit his job went back to school and became a corporate lawyer to real in the bucks. An amazing transformation to say the least.
Many friends who went to school to become teachers and nurses to change the world and make it a better place all became disillusioned cynical naysayers after years of taking abuse from the system.
I guess the lesson is just don’t expect to change the world, just expect to survive the experience and you won’t be disappointed and catch rock fever.