B on Hawaii

It's no surprise that hula is a way of life for many here on the islands. But not many are aware of the huge presence of hula throughout Asia, California, Europe and throughout the rest of Polynesia too. This was the inspiration for the Moku O Keawe International Festival, which takes place this year (2008) from November 6 – 9 at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Island of Hawai'i.

The Royal Lahaina Resort's ocean-front concert series that began this past summer is not just about a picture-perfect evening spent absorbing the sounds of crashing waves and slack key guitar. In fact, the Saturday night mele isn’t solely the culmination of two performer’s careers.

Furthering the effort to educate visitors to Maui on why Kapalua is so culturally significant, the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua has launched an "Ambassadors of the Environment" program in partnership with the renowned Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. This marks Cousteau's first venture in the State of Hawaii.

Ka'anapali's Royal Lahaina Resort launches a 6-concert summer series that begins this Saturday, with the incredibly dynamic duo of Eric Gilliom and Barry Flanagan. The event begins at 6:15 p.m. for those who opt in to a "Dinner and concert" package.

Last month, go! Airlines took bold steps not taken by any Hawaii-based airline thus far when they launched an all-Hawaiian-language version of their web site.

I am not a pessimist by nature. Yet our nation’s global position—paired with a certain book I recently read—has led me to continuously contemplate the tailspin our country might encounter in the coming years.

Tonight will be an exciting evening on the Wailea, Maui, coastline: It is the official opening of Kō. An ingenious, new restaurant concept opening inside the Fairmont Kea Lani, Kō is the brainchild of chef de cuisine Juaquin "Jake" Belmone, as cultivated by executive chef Tylun Pang and food & beverage director Peter Sylvester. It has been two years in the making.

It's time for Alan Wong's next "Farmer Series Dinner", and if you haven't made it to one of these spectacular events, you should make a point of it—for many reasons. First, Wong is perhaps the most innovative chef on the islands at the moment.

This September, a number of statewide museums and galleries will participate in Smithsonian Magazine's nationwide Museum Day promotion. On the 27th of that month, those who download free admission cards off the Smithsonian web site will gain access to any number of participating venues.

Everybody knows fresh tastes better. Living on the islands, I find one day old fish is rather unacceptable to my palate; I'm sure most would agree. In that same vein of thinking, could you imagine if we had the luxury of demanding only the freshest of meat and vegetables?