Rainbow Drive-In MishMash Feast: 'Plenny Ono Grindz'

Today's Special

'Grinds,' also spelled 'grindz,' is a Hawaiian word used to refer to good food.

The day was impossibly beautiful. 

The sun was flirting with the horizon, ready to set but not quite. Across the way, the lights of the lanai twinkled in the twilight. The horizon beyond the house was streaked with pale lemon and green and pink.

I rubbed my eyes. It had to be getting close to suppertime.

Yay!

Tonight's dinner at First Daughter and Son-In-Law's was a smorgasbord of takeaway food from the popular Rainbow Drive-In: 

* The unmatchable and ever-popular mixed plate of barbequed meat, boneless chicken and mahi-mahi

* Beef cutlet with brown gravy

* Hamburger steak

* Scoops of rice

* Slaw

* And extra order of macaroni-potato salad 

We had enough to feed Nigeria.  

I studied my plate before sampling.

Everything was fried in grease that was probably as old as the business which has been family owned and operated since 1961. The BBQed meat pieces were welded together by a sauce that I had brushed off before taking a bite.

Nice.

And the smell was like you wouldn't believe, of chopped onions setting upon mounds of ginger and garlic sizzling with a pinch of this, a fistful of that spice.

The slaw, heavy on the mayo, had a vegetable in it that looked green but was otherwise unrecognizable. I could have eaten the rice with my hands, but I opted to nab spoonfuls in a birdy, girlish way.

First Daughter and family. Hawaii Kai, May 2021

(Aside): If this food makes you tense, then for goodness sake, forget it and eat cottage cheese instead.

The day dragged to a close.

Although the sun had sunk behind the houses, the sky was still luminous.

Food tastes better when you eat it with your family. - Anonymous

Maybe it was the rub on the BBQ or the little green things masquerading as veggies which had been now simmering in my gut that gave me a feeling of relaxation while the rest of the world became busier.

Tomorrow, I'd face the refrigerator with my hand over my heart and once again pledge allegiance to hunger. Plus I could walk along the beachfront for the sake of my waistline which, like the universe, was ever expanding.

But for now, I'd declare that the meal was a sumptuous affair of the finest dishes I had ever tasted. Or to put it the local way, we enjoyed plenny ono grindz that night!