Nowhere is the life of the local people more evident than where they shop. On the shelf I saw Jellyfish Goo spray to ease the burning of jellyfish sting! A very large section of power bracelets and necklaces, including University of Hawaii logo ones, near the joint pain aisle. Just like the Kahuna days of long ago, with sophisticated gourds with goose neck shapes to use for enemas, the digestive remedy aisle at Long's was packed from the floor to the ceiling with healing for the gut.
What surprised me was the wound care supplies--as stocked as a medical supply store back home, or like a cabinet at my OR--gauze rolls, kerlex wrap, fluffs, four by fours, ABD pads that are thick to absorb drainage, Vaseline gauze (xeroform), cling wrap, ace wrap, and every kind of tape.
A couple of things stand out--the section on Hawaiian tropical floral lotions, soaps, and fragrances. The aisles with local food items ...there are shelves packed with soy sauces and barbecue sauces as much on display as the stomach remedy section. There are Asian foods, the real ones, taking a whole aisle with noodle, candy, spices, and condiments. I look for the familiar Rooster Sauce I love, a red pepper dressing made by Sriacha, and I put it in the cart. We are at a friend's vacation home in Kapolei for one week, but I can't leave home without it!
On the way to dinner at a local favorite, Zippy's, I wince as I see the brightly lit sign Kapolei Dialysis. Nearly all Chinese I know, including a close Taiwanese friend and colleague, have diabetes and hypertension. Am I the only one to make the connection between the chopstick, the hypertension, the diabetes, and the dialysis? This is a slow kill with the intent to extract as much moneyoutof the patient as possible before the end--and that is not cheap too, the funeral!i recall the times my friend took me to 99 Ranch Market deli, and how I did not share his delightin any way for the smoked duck...and other salty sweet delicacies.
I used to like Zippy's. Last year I got saimin bowl and was happy. This time I 'saw' the health on the menu with wide open eyes. My strawberry salad was not organic, the dressing was oily sugar, the vegan chili had GMO corn, and my last thing to go 'cheat' wafer thin single slice of spam. I love spam! Oh how I've missed it! I watched my boy have chocolate shake, New York steak, and corn. I kept glancing at the ninety pound preschool boy with the long Hawaiian hair, jumping in the booth across the way, gnawing ona malasada (Portuguese donut pastry), and with my doctor's heart, know he never had a chance to escape the island slow-kill plan of death by fork.
Mitraic symbols are rampant in the architecture. They built it up brick by brick so carefully, leaving the signs to pat themselves on the back.
When is everyone going to wake up? Big sigh. Until they do I'll just keep blogging.
Now it's time to make myself a cup, Organic Island Coffee cup of Joe.
Namaste,
Reiki Doc