Traditional Food from Western American States

Food trucks, marketplaces, restaurant, and more

Hawaii

Food Trucks

Some of the best and most authentic Hawaiian food can come from a food truck parked in a little gravel parking lot. Fish, shaved ice, meats, and more!

The food here is generally very safe and has been operating for years and years. It's basically just an outdoor food court. My family definitely has some favourites. My Dad is always the best at choosing the most delicious and traditional areas to explore. It can usually be quite affordable as well. When we went, and our family was younger, we would get a couple orders and share them between the five of us. Now, however, with three teenagers, that might not work as well.

Fumi's Shrimp Shack

This is a must-go for our family whenever we visit the island. Our favourite has to be the garlic shrimp for sure. You can choose from a variety of menu items. Just grab some napkins and sit at the picnic benches to enjoy your food. The shrimp and food is very fresh and very delicious, coming right from the shrimp farm out back.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

A popular Hawaiian food chain. You can find them mainly in the Honolulu area, and some at the north end of the island. We really enjoyed the chicken katsu the best. The food is really good and authentic to the culture.

Shaved Ice

You can shaved ice any time of day. A nice refreshing snack to cool you down on those warm, humid days. A shaved block of ice flavoured with sweet syrups of so many flavors. The classic American dessert, snow cones, are similar, only they are made with crushed ice rather than shaved. the Hawaiian version is simply fluffier and light.

California

California borders Mexico so it has a lot of Mexican influence in the culture and food. Especially in San Diego you can find a Mexican restaurant near you at all times. And I don't mean Taco Bell, I mean the real, true authentic Mexican dishes. Classic corn tacos, and burritos, chile relleno and enchiladas, and of course chips and guacamole

Of course Californian food is very diverse much like Canada. They don't really have a lot of traditional and authentic dishes that stand out like in Hawaii or other countries around the world. This is only my opinion and as a Canadian, I know we share a lot of major food chains. For an international traveler, the cuisine in America might be much different than home. Unfortunately as a close neighbor to the US, I find a lot of similarities between the food in my country and theirs so I can't necessarily speak for that. When we go to the U.S. I know we realize the large amount of food options. As well as large portions for many plates. Coming from a smaller city that is definitely great for us. Plentiful fast food options from hamburgers to pizza to hot dogs.