Chinatown

Oh, how quaint! Honolulu has its own Chinatown! (I thought.)

I've been to New York's and San Francisco's Chinatowns, and it's some of the best Chinese food I've ever eaten. So I encouraged Steve to go with me to Honolulu's for a late lunch after we had snorkeled at Hanauma Bay.

By the time we got there, (let's just say we didn't take the most direct route) we both had to go to the bathroom and we were VERY hungry. Many establishments here have signs stating "No public bathrooms," but we thought we could find a restaurant and use theirs. Unfortunately, the first three eateries we stopped at didn't take credit cards. We intentionally didn't bring much cash with us that day since we were going to the beach. We decided our bladders were more important than our stomachs, and set off to just find a public bathroom. We found one, but it was locked! (I'm dancing at this point, and looking with interest at the trees and bushes nearby.) Steve spotted a security guard and asked him where we could find a bathroom. He said they're locked (no, really?) and the merchants must let you in. I think I rolled my eyes (still dancing, too), and Steve mentioned we REALLY had to go. The guy had pity on us and unlocked the doors for us.

Now, wouldn't you know, there's a LINE in the women's bathroom! I'm third back. There are two stalls in there, but someone stayed in one of them the whole time, flushing often. So that left the one for the other three of us.

I'm sure I was turning yellow. Steve got a glimpse of me waiting when someone left the bathroom, and his look of astonishment and sympathy was so sweet!

After we took care of that, we again looked for a restaurant that took credit cards. We found a nice looking one called "Good Luck." We were served complimentary hot tea and seated at a nice, clean table. The place had one of those menus that doesn't give the ingredients of the various dishes, just the names. So, you kinda have to guess what you're getting. I decided on a chicken in black bean sauce (something I've had before at Chinese restaurants in Dallas), and Steve got duck.

Now, I realize why they named it "Good Luck."

Good luck finding something you'll like!

Mine was sinewy pieces of chicken that almost didn't seem cooked enough, with large pieces of uncooked onion and bell pepper. I'm allergic to bell pepper, and raw onions upset my stomach. So basically, I feasted on the rice.

Steve didn't fare much better. The duck was EXTREMELY fatty, and he kept exclaiming, "oh, gross! Look at this!" After four or five times, I politely told him I really didn't want to look anymore. It was disgusting.

Needless to say, we decided not to return to Chinatown for any other meals.