Castillo: Finding the flavors of aloha at Eatz

Several weeks ago, May 18 to be exact, I introduced you to the Faught family and mentioned they had something exciting on the horizon.

The time finally came, and I was lucky enough to be there when they debuted their newest endeavor, the Eatz. A Taste of the Islands food truck, at the Jackson Food Truck Rally on Wednesday, June 28.

Whether reminiscing about your time on the islands or simply preparing your tastebuds for that once in a lifetime, bucket list, dream vacation, Eatz is making some popular Hawaiian foods well within everyone's reach.

I often research topics before sharing my observations, but this time I relied on a combination of personal experience and donning the colorful, flower printed romper I wore while wandering the streets of Waikiki last year to channel the aloha spirit. When I arrived at the rally around 5:30 p.m., I was work-stress hangry and grateful not to be wearing my usual, stuffy, office attire. The temperatures were stifling hot, even in the shade, and with no island breeze to cool things down, I can only imagine what kind of heat the Faughts were enduring that day in order to share their delicacies with local foodies, like us.

They had a short, food truck-appropriate menu comprised of three variations of a Hawaii staple dating back to the 1880's: the plate lunch. The plate lunch traditionally includes a protein, rice and macaroni "mac" salad.

ABOVE: The Kalbi ribs were so good I couldn't think straight. LEFT: Did you know Aug. 8 is National Spam musubi Day?

ABOVE: The Kalbi ribs were so good I couldn't think straight. LEFT: Did you know Aug. 8 is National Spam musubi Day?

The three meat options included: teri chicken, pink chicken and kalbi ribs.

The "teri" is short for teriyaki, and I believe most people are familiar with that tantalizing flavor of Japan. Even the pickiest eater will likely appreciate biting into a piece of rich, smoky with a hint of sweetness teriyaki chicken straight from the grill.

The Faughts' pink chicken is also commonly known as Chinese Char siu. If you've ever eaten fried rice with bright red bits of pork, you may already be familiar with the char siu flavor. I am not sure what I was expecting, but that fresh, caramelized pink chicken left me salivating for more.

One of my only regrets about my trip to Hawaii was not having the ability to fit all of the foods I wanted to try into my body. One of the foods I missed out on was Kalbi ribs. Sure, there are plenty of places on the mainland that serve Korean barbecue, but I wanted my first time trying them to be in Hawaii. I was excited to see them on the Eatz menu, and even more excited once I savored the first bite. The thinly cut flanken beef short ribs are typically marinaded in a mixture made of shoyu, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. The first tender, caramelized bite melted in my mouth. I wish I had words to describe the level of goodness I experienced. Even sitting alone in the quiet of my car, my brain couldn't summon adjectives to adequately describe the sounds of pure ecstasy that escaped my lips from somewhere deep within my soul. I wondered if people would still resort to using illegal drugs if they knew kalbi ribs existed.

Hawaiian mac salad is tender, often slightly overcooked, elbow macaroni tossed in a generous coating of Best Foods (Hellman's) brand mayonnaise along with grated carrot and onion to give it a creamy, light, slightly tangy flavor. Hawaiian mac salad is so simple and yet the epitome of comfort food. I'm not a huge fan of traditional macaroni salad, but if you ever see me sharing Hawaiian-style mac salad, I'm probably in love and in need of an intervention. I give you permission to save me from myself.

Follow "Eatz.Taste of the Islands" on social media for updates on the Faught's upcoming food truck events.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

Follow "Eatz.Taste of the Islands" on social media for updates on the Faught's upcoming food truck events.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

Last, I tried their Spam musubi, and you should, too. Spam musubi is a popular budget-friendly snack food in Hawaii inspired by the Japanese style rice ball. It is a slice of shoyu or teriyaki marinated fried Spam, placed atop a block of rice then wrapped in nori, like a big piece of sushi. It can be eaten hot or cold and is readily available in convenience stores, gas stations and food trucks around the island. A conveniently packaged bomb of carbs and sodium, I'm surprised the Spam company hasn't marketed it as the official post Honolulu Marathon recovery snack yet.

Eatz food truck is a great addition to our diverse, growing local food truck scene and I hope you'll take the time to show them your support.