HI Cookery is 16!

We’re “Sweet 16” today! Time sure does seem to fly by fast. Life gets busy but we still post on the rare occasion just to keep our little blog (and our senior selves) active. 

This year we have introduced a new section: A-W USA. We have struggled to cook international foods for the A-Z Countries recipes section since sourcing “exotic” ingredients has been difficult (when we lived in Houston, Texas, we were able to shop at different ethnic grocers, but there is not much variety in Honolulu, Hawaii). It’s also very expensive to ship specialty ingredients that we order online—if they even ship to the islands. Hopefully, it will be a little easier for us to access domestic ingredients to keep HI Cookery going for the next few years. 

Cooking food from the 50 states will still challenge us, allow us to learn more about regional cuisine in America, change up our sometimes boring meal routines a bit and let us reminisce about the mainland places we have visited.

Our blogging continues (it’s a work in progress)…food is good, we are blessed and life is sweet! 

Tapadh leat! Mahalo! Thanks!

Highlander and Islander

HI Cookery is 15!

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind!”

Our little blog on the World Wide Web is now 15! Food blogging existed only a few years before we started, and we were inspired to do it, too, after watching the movie “Julie and Julia” (starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep). Congratulations to the food blogs that have become so big and popular since then. We lament over the other smaller ones we used to follow that have ceased to exist. We ourselves are surprised but grateful that our humble HI Cookery is still around after a decade and a half! 

We understand the time and costs (especially during inflation!) involved to continue and we admire our fellow bloggers who can do it frequently. Sure, it takes a lot to shop for ingredients, prepare recipes, cook, write, photograph and post our entries. Some blogs are now monetized and that helps them go on. We keep HI Cookery simple and blog at our own slower pace. As senior citizens now, we are not as adept at all the latest technological features of blogging platforms. But we still hope to share our positive cooking experiences with others, as long as we are able physically and financially.

We accept constructive criticism instead of rude comments and hope people remain encouraging and civil. There is enough negativity in the world that no one needs. So please uplift each other, support the food blogging community (professionals and amateurs) who share recipes and cooking information and most of all, be kind!

Tapadh leat! Mahalo! Thanks!

Highlander and Islander

HI Cookery is 14!

After nearly three decades of living on the mainland, we moved again. This time we relocated to Hawaii!!! We started out in Oklahoma as newlyweds and moved around for Highlander’s job to New Jersey then Illinois then Texas (two cities). We knew we would eventually settle back in Hawaii…and now, like a blink of an eye, it has happened unexpectedly. Oh where oh where did the time go?

Highlander is a few years close to retirement but was still offered a job here when he wasn’t even looking. His company is just half an hour from Islander’s elderly parents’ neighborhood. This was a Divine sign that we needed to come home to look after them in their golden years as well as prepare for our own someday. 

Although we have visited Hawaii frequently, honestly the move back was not an easy one. Aside from adjusting to “reverse culture shock”, the “price of paradise” is a shocking reality. We lived for six months in Islander’s childhood home before we found a place just 10 minutes from her parents so she could check in on them often. Our new townhome now is half the size of our previous house (well, everything is indeed bigger in Texas) and triple the cost!!! Our cozy kitchen flows into a little living room and dining room on the first floor—an open concept floor plan indeed. Granted, it is still bigger than some kitchens but smaller than what we have been used to.

Now that we live in expensive Hawaii, we are paying a lot more for groceries and our dollars do not stretch as far anymore. As for finding “exotic” ingredients beyond Asian-Pacific items, it is also quite a challenge. Sometimes online companies do not ship them to our area. Or the fees are exorbitant, and we must do without. We admit that we were very spoiled on the mainland and realize that the limitations on an island are frustrating. Thanks to our friends there who send us occasional care packages and gifts. We appreciate their generosity and thoughtfulness. 

Despite it all, we are reunited with ‘ohana (family) and old friends who have always been there for us and long awaited our return. Our house blessing last summer was a beautiful homecoming and our hearts overflowed with an abundance of aloha (love). We have hosted a few small soirees already, cooking some recipes from our blog so they all can experience and taste something other than local cuisine. 

As we get settled into our life, we are still desperately trying to downsize. We donated a lot of things to church and charities but have a lot more to unpack and organize. Life goes on wherever we are, and we will continue adding recipes to our blog when we are able. Thank you for your patience and support during these past 14 years! 

Tapadh leat! Mahalo! Thanks!

Highlander and Islander