Upon arriving for the very first time in Hawaii, my boyfriend took me to a little hole-in-the-wall eatery.
EATING SAIMIN with MY BUDDIES – © LYON 2026
You couldn’t really call it a restaurant – it was just a small clacking cookery under a thatch overhang with an old wooden counter.
There were two small rickety tables with four mismatched chairs around each one, condiments taking up almost the entire table tops. Luckily we were a little early, so we didn’t have to wait in line as the tables freed up.
Since I had no clue about any kind of oriental food, BF ordered. I had my very first sushi, with my very first wasabi (that’s a whole nother story!), and my very first saimin.
Saimin, in case you don’t know, is a steaming rich brothy soup with Everything. That night, they added hunks of tender pulled pork, red peppers, garlic and green onions to the ubiquitous long, wobbly rice noodles, with various other things I was kind of afraid to identify.
It was out of this world. I had never eaten such a complex, beyond-delicious, satisfying concoction. I’d have committed serious sin just for the broth alone. Never mind that it took me weeks to get any good at using chopsticks.
We ate there almost every day until we found a house with a kitchen so we could cook – and every chance we could after that.
You can’t imagine how much I miss that soup! It was different every time, but magically similar in its foundation. I’ve tried at least a million times to make it, but every attempt has been a very sad, very pathetic fail. I gave up about 20 years ago.
Someone told me once that the secret is adding dried shrimp powder.
Don’t. Just don’t.
So as I sat here tonight, contemplating how much I miss Hawaii and the amazingly diverse culinary delights available there, this image came to mind.
Here we are, Catz and the Meeces and me, eating our saimin. Enjoying every last bite.
Here’s the repeat design – maybe I’ll make some aloha shirts with it!
EATING SAIMIN – repeat x 4 – © LYON 2026
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SNARFING SAIMIN
© Angela Treat Lyon 2026