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" My favorite part of traveling is getting a chance to immerse myself in the culture of my surroundings: the unfamiliar people, the architecture, the street names\u2014they all give me a secret thrill. However, in my opinion, when you want to get a real taste for a new locale, nothing compares to chowing down on some good old regional eats. Last week I was lucky enough to travel to Hawaii with my fianc\u00A9, Eric, for a dear friend&amp;#039;s wedding. The bride, who grew up in Honolulu, was so kind as to point us in the direction of some of her favorite beaches and eating establishments before jetting off on her honeymoon (thanks, Nina!).     Eric and I spent the remainder of our trip tracking down each of the spots Nina told us about. Her recommendations could not have been more spot-on\u2014among them was a bustling little Japanese restaurant called Tokkuri-Tei, where we ate some of the most delicious yakitori (Japanese skewers) and freshest sushi we&amp;#039;d ever tasted. (If you ever make it to Oahu, do NOT miss an opportunity to check out this spot!) Of all the things we saw and experienced, however, I have to say my hands-down favorite was a visit to the shrimp trucks on the North Shore of the island.     One morning, we rented a sporty little convertible and made the hour-long drive up the eastern coastline toward the North Shore. The gorgeous sandy beaches and awe-inspiring mountains we spotted along the way made the trip well worth it, but I&amp;#039;d be lying if I said the shrimp trucks weren&amp;#039;t what I was most anticipating. From the moment we set foot on the island, everyone from the hotel concierge to the locals on the street urged us to make the drive to the North Shore and make a stop at the famous shrimp trucks. Finally, on the second to last day of our trip, we decided to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.     The shrimp &amp;quot;trucks&amp;quot; turned out to be a handful of trailers parked along the roadside, each boasting a different menu of chicken, fish and\u2014of course\u2014shrimp dishes, all cooked with a variety of different seasonings. We pulled up to Aloha Chef, one of the most well-known of the bunch, and settled at one of the picnic tables set up alongside the truck for an alfresco feast. After some back and forth, we ordered three of the shrimp plates: Garlic, Volcano and Coconut, each of which came with a small scoop of rice and a simple cabbage salad.     After a short 10-minute wait, our steaming plates emerged, and I couldn&amp;#039;t wait to finally dig in. The shrimp had been butterflied and cooked shell-on to preserve its juices, and all three of the dishes were perfectly executed\u2014sweet and meaty, with just the right combination of other flavors to enhance the natural taste of the super-fresh shrimp. The casual, open-air seating invited lots of conversation from other friendly tourists and locals dining there that day, and at the end of our meal, Eric and I walked away armed with suggestions for even more fantastic places to visit during our stay. Belly filled and face full of sun and salty ocean breezes, it was in that moment that I\u2014the world-weary New Yorker\u2014 finally began to understand what &amp;quot;the feeling of Aloha&amp;quot; is all about.\u2014Heidi Cho What are some of your favorite vacation memories? Tell me in Comments. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a41522/local-flavor-5780/>