Come on Baby, Do the Loco Moco

Warning: This blog post could be hazardous to a boomer traveler’s health.

Want to experience a Hawaiian fast food tradition? Try a Loco Moco. A loca whatta? You heard me right. Fried egg, over a hamburger patty, over rice, topped with brown gravy. I call it, “a heart attack on a plate.”

Unfortunately, Loco Mocos are delicious.

Where do you find this culinary delight? Road side restaurants, fast food joints and drive-ins serve them throughout the Hawaiian islands. Alan and I tasted our first Loco Moco at Joe’s on the Green near Poipou Beach on Kauai. Since Alan is a big breakfast fan, he quickly declared, “This is the Hawaiian breakfast for me.” I won’t tell you how many times he ordered it for breakfast during our week’s stay on the Garden Isle. Oh, and did I mention that Joe’s on the Green will even “Super Joe” it? Oh my, today’s blog post is so politically incorrect when it comes to boomer healthy eating habits.

On Moloka’i, we watched the locals come and go as we ate Loco Moco’s at an outside table at Manae’s Goods and Grindz, the only eating establishment within miles of our accommodations at Hilltop Cottage. Lucky for Alan. Of course I was only there for the free wi-fi. Yeah, right.

But it was while reading Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook that we discovered Hana Hou Bakery in Naalehu, which claims to be the southern most restaurant in the U.S. (bet you thought it was some joint in Key West). We went for the macadamia nut pie, their claim to fame, but ended up eating a Loco Moco smothered in gravy, instead. But that’s ok, we needed to fuel up for our hike to the green sand beach at South Point, which was why we were on this end of the Big Island in the first place.

Want to make your own Loco Moco? WikiHow lists the instructions. But somehow, eating one in my kitchen at home just doesn’t seem right. I need a gentle Hawaiian breeze bearing the scent of frangipani flowers to accompany my Loco Moco. Did you notice I haven’t mentioned the soothing sounds of a ukulele tune? That’s because every time I eat a Loco Moco, (which isn’t often, Dr. Cornish, I promise) I hear Little Eva’s baby boomer hit, The Loco-Motion.

So the next time your boomer travels take you to Hawaii, throw caution to the wind, try that heart attack on a plate. “Come on baby, do the Loco Moco.”

Baby boomers, where do you go in Hawaii for a Loco Moco? Post a comment to let me know. Alan is updating his Hawaiian Loco Moco list for our next trip to the tropical paradise.

Loco moco photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alibree/ / CC BY 2.0 Disclosure:

I have included an Amazon link to Hawaii The Big Island Revealed for your convenience. However My Itchy Travel Feet does receive a small percentage for purchases made at Amazon.com.

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Tagged as: baby boomers, cuisine, culture, fast food, food and drink, hamburgers, hawaiian, hawaiian cuisine, hawaiian island, heart attack, little eva, loco, loco moco, salisbury steak, taste buds