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Living Inspiration (05/04)
By Cyndi Rook
I initially became aware of the meatless climate in Hawaii while perusing a Veggie Life magazine a few days before relocating to the islands. The article highlighted such treasures as the Wellness Center at Castle Hospital, its Pali Gardens vegetarian restaurant, and the abundance of healthy produce grown here. After arriving on Oahu, my first surprise was that Aloha shirts were not just worn by tourists. Everybody wore them. Even newscasters wore them. But today, what never fails to amaze me is that an Aloha-shirt-wearing newscaster regularly demonstrates VEGAN recipes on-air with the assistance of a petite woman I have dubbed Ruby the Feisty.
PeTA recently named Honolulu as the #5 Vegetarian-Friendly City in the country, and as someone fresh from Omaha, Nebraska, I heartily agree with our city’s inclusion in the top five. With the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii at its nucleus, there exists a supportive meatless community that makes the possibility of living meatless not only feasible but exciting. Together, Castle Hospital, the VSH, and Down to Earth Natural Foods bring us well-known lecturers and show us how to prepare healthy meals. Opportunities to further improve our culinary skills are available through Kapiolani Women’s Center as well as Kapiolani Community College and our beloved Tasty and Meatless television show. And in the midst of nation-wide low-carb craziness, there are more veg-friendly restaurants than it is possible to name. Hawaii may always be a land of contradictions--the tofu/Spam battle may rage on--but I know of very few other environments where the conditions necessary for living healthy and meatless are so positive and so compelling.
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