Big Island Lunch at the Keei Cafe

On the way back from snorkeling this morning we stopped for lunch at the Keei Cafe. The Lilikoi iced tea was really delicious. Lilikoi is Hawaiian for passion fruit. I had a fresh fish taco, and Lenny had an eggplant sandwich. It's a really pleasant restaurant with a nice sea breeze, even though it faces the busy highway 11.


The bus boy who brought us our mango cobbler for dessert explained the sauces surrounding it: lilikoi is yellow, strawberry is pink, and on top a few ohelo berries which grow only on the volcano side of the island. The NeNe geese like to eat them. I liked them myself! [Later addition: the ohelo berries turn out to be sacred to Pele, and the ancient Hawaiians only ate them after making a special incantation to her.]

The busboy -- a young man with peroxided hair -- told us about his trip to Wichita, Kansas. He tried going outside without a coat in 20 degree weather, just to see what it felt like. He was really shocked at how "rude" the flight attendants were on his very long flights -- that doesn't surprise me, as the Hawaiians are incredibly polite and helpful people. As soon as we ever get off the plane in Honolulu, we can tell the difference!