Iliahi Foundation Web Site

"You are an Islander at heart eef......."

• You have a separate electric line and circuit breaker for your rice cooker.
• Only now you know that Cilantro is the same as Chinese Parsley.
• You measure the water depth over the rice by the knuckle of your index finger.
• You know which market sells poi on which days.
• You know that Char Sung Hut is closed on Tuesday.
• You can handle shoyu with green mango, Li Hing gummy bears, raw egg on hot rice, and "Pearl Tea" (Carnation Milk in hot water with sugar), with creme crackers.
• Your refrigerator has a half-empty jar of mango chutney from the '95 Farrington Carnival.
• The condiments at the table include shoyu, ketchup, chili pepper, watah, kim chee, takuwan, Hawaiian salt, and slice and pickled onion.
• You go to Maui and your luggage back home includes potato chips, manju, cream puffs, and guri guri for omiyage.
• Four of your favorite food groups are Starch, Spam, Fried Food and Fruit Punch.
• You think a balanced meal has three starches: Rice, Macaroni Salad and Bread.
• You know 101 ways to fix your rubber slippers; 50 using tape, 50 using glue, and one using a stick to poke the strap back in.
• You sometimes use your open car door for a dressing room when going beach.
• You wear two different color slippers together and you don't mind.
• Nice clothes means a T-shirt without puka.
• You are barefoot in all your elementary school pictures.
• You have a slipper tan.
• Your only suit is a bathing suit.
• You drive barefoot because slippers get stuck in the pedals.
• You have at least five Hawaiian bracelets and necklaces made of strung Kukui Nuts or woven lauhala and small sea-shells and you have at least one Hawaiian fish hook necklace.
• You never ever under any circumstances wear socks with slippers.
• You still call the Blaisdell Center the HIC, and it's Sandy's (not Sandy) Beach.
• You say "I going for lawnmower da grass." when you mean "I'm going to mow the lawn."
• You understand everything Bu Lai'a says and you know what his name means.
• You have a sister, cousin, aunty or mom named "Honey Girl" or "Shirley".
• Someone in the family is named "Boy", "Tita", "Bruddah", "Sonny",
• You call someone out of respect "Bachan", "Taitai", "Popo", or "Vovo".
• You still chant "Hana-koko-lele" when a friend or co-worker screws up.
• When you hear the word "Inter-Net", you think of Hukilau nets small kid time.
• You say "Shtraight", "Shtreet", and "Shtress".
• You say "Da Kine" and the other person says "Da Kine" and you both know what is "Da Kine".
• You can give and receive both the "Shaka" and the "Eye Flash" and you know the 1,000 words each one conveys.
• You're shopping at Epcot Center at Disney World and you may say something to your sister and a complete stranger says, "You're from Hawaii, aren't you?"
• You feel guilt leaving a get-together without helping to clean up.
• The idea of taking something from a Heiau is unthinkable.
• You call everyone older than yourself "Aunty" or "Uncle" and you kiss everyone both in greeting and farewell.
• You let other cars in ahead of you on the freeway (even if they no give you the "Shaka"). And you always give "Shaka" to anyone who lets you in.
• Your philosophy is "bumbai" (bye and bye, later, tomorrow, whenever...)
• You are a guy and you no afraid give another guy a big Aloha hug embrace greeting.
• You would rather drag out the compressor and fill that leaking tire every single morning than have it fixed.
• You never, never, never drive with two hands on the wheel. Right hand only on the wheel with left elbow resting comfortably on the window sill ready to give the "Shaka" to the next guy who let you in.
• The only time you honk your horn is once a year during the Safety Check.
• You don't own a raincoat. ...if it rains at football games you use a garbage bag for stay dry.
• You know what is "Stink Eye".
• You the only person visiting a mainland home who offers take off your shoes before entering the house.
• You always take something for the host/hostess when you invited for a visit.
• If a child needs a home, you give him one. She/He becomes "Hanai".
• You can live and let live with a smile in your heart.
• Your male best friend's name is Wade, Max, Nat'an or Melvin.
• You buy rice in fifty pound bags.
• You buy shoyu in one gallon jugs.
• You call it "shoyu" not soy-sauce.
• When you ate something ono, you say it "Broke my mouth".
• In asking about someone you say; "Eh Sistah! How you beeen stay?" Or "Eh Brah! How you beeen was?"
• In asking someone where they going you say "Where you come stay go?"
• You no get Goose Bumps. Instead you get "Chicken Skin".
• When out surfing you say "Eh loook! Get one friggin' beeg waves set on the horizontal."
• You say "Wassamatah me? Wassamatta you? You wassamattah!" when you get mad and know what it means.
• You always supply the kau kau and beer and soda when pau after everyone pitches in to help you move or build something.

• Owns two types of slippers: da "good slippahs" and da "buss-up/stay home slippahs".

• Does not understand the concept of North, South, East and West, but instead gives directions as Mauka, Makai, Diamond Head, or Ewa.

• Never uses street names, instead uses landmarks when giving directions. "Head towards Diamond head and right past the MacDonalds on the corner and across the street from the Duke Kahanamolu statue but before the big banyan tree...."

• The first thing they look for in the Sunday paper is the Long’s ad.

• They take off their slippahs before going into the house.

• They ask what year you grad and where you grad from and then they say ‘eh you know so and so’?

• When something’s done or finished they say are you "pau"?

• A man, or woman wears a flower behind their ear, and you know if it is worn behind the right ear they’re looking, behind the left ear, they’re taken, and worn on the middle of their head that they are taken but still looking.

• They are talking and you over heard them say; "Eh, That one smart pake!" (Chinese person) or, You hear; "Eh, How’s that "Budda head" (Japanese) brother in-law of yours?" you hear "My sister married some dumb haole from the mainland", and it has no negative racial connotation.

• You get a wedding or an invitation to the Pacific Club and it says come in formal attire and you arrive in your best Aloha attire and it’s acceptable.

Please send us more "You are an Islander at heart if........"

Email to: iliahi_foundation@hotmail.com so we can post them here. Mahalo

Aloha Nui