Revisiting Honolulu

Quick Vacay Post-Clerkship + Pre-BigLaw

What another fantastic trip! As I write this article, we are currently on the plane to get back to the Continental U.S. from Honolulu. It’s always a real treat to visit Hawaii. [Though obviously publishing this later on Substack.]

This trip marks the transition between the completion of my federal judicial clerkship and the start of my BigLaw attorney position in Manhattan. I was sworn into the New York Bar during a virtual ceremony at 6:00 a.m. local time that happens to mark the start of my birthday in my home country’s timezone. On both plane rides to and from Hawaii this time, I worked on a health law paper that I’m co-authoring. It has been a pretty action-packed schedule full of magnificent nature, mouth-watering international cuisine, and various sports. Sun-kissed and more muscular than before, I hope I’m ready to start my BigLaw job early morning tomorrow.

Animal Friends

Animals actually turned out to be the greatest highlight of this trip. Having visited most touristy destinations in previous trips, we got to focus more on aspects we really enjoy at our own pace, among which is visiting a wide variety of animals. One awesome find was the Honolulu Zoo annual membership, which only costs $40 for the 2 of us and is valid for a year. This price is almost the same as that for a single day’s admission for 2 people and also gets members discounts for different zoo shops/activities (not to mention that members can skip the long lines and use the designated entrance). Thanks to the proximity of our home base in Honolulu to the zoo, we got to visit almost every morning, as well as during a 2-hour guided twilight hour tour, where we got to learn so much more about the zoo animals and got our list of prepared questions answered. It interestingly turned out that our tour guide’s wife has also been clerking after law school. Small world!

My absolute favorite this trip is the Siamese gibbon. Elvis and his daughter Aioli first shocked us when they suddenly started singing a duet very loudly at 10:30am sharp one day. It’s truly a duet that is one of its kind — one of the gibbons periodically yells “heyyyy” and makes a horse-like sound, while the other one, usually Aioli, makes consistently sounds that can go up to 30-45 minutes each morning they do it. Interestingly, when we said our (hopefully temporary) goodbye this morning, they also started singing their family song at 10:30am sharp, as if they have an internal clock. Quite mysterious, really. The golden white-handed gibbon nearby always joins the father-daughter’s duets with its own siren-like singing.

I also loved hearing about the flamingos’ social tendencies. Because flamingos are accustomed to living in groups of thousands, when the relatively few of them first found their new home at the Honolulu Zoo, they freaked out. The zoo-keepers soon figured out a clever method of strategically placing mirrors in their home, creating the illusion that there are thousands of peers. And so the flamingos can sleep soundly again.

There were also the fiercer animals. The African hunting dogs/painted dogs succeed in hunting almost 90% of the time—a much higher percentage than lions and tigers. They surprisingly sound like birds chirping as a way to relax the preys’ alert level. More striking is that these dogs hunt truly collaboratively, meaning that each of them take turns in chasing the prey, and the next team member continues the chase when the first dog is worn out, so that ultimately, the prey would more likely than not be worn out. Quite a scary tale! Speaking of lions, we also learned that the female lions are the ones who select the male leader and do the hunting, because the males’ manes can easily scare away preys. While females and cubs sleep, the males do not sleep and instead guard their prides. It’s an odd scenario from a feminist perspective, with a curious blend of feminist and non-feminist elements.

There were other fascinating facts, like the gentle giraffes being capable of taking out lions when their cubs are threatened. We also learned that the free-ranging peacocks at the zoo are direct descendants of the Hawaiian royal family peacocks, and that the tigers are gifted by Ghandi’s daughter. For the guided twilight tour, we got a precious sight of the zoo animals at sunset and shortly after dark, including a mother hen who warmed up newly-hatched babies, and a giraffe who got very close to us, looking totally adorable.

Some Quick Words on Zoo Ethics

The Honolulu Zoo emphasizes the principle of species survival. Take the Sumatran tiger, for example: there is only a female Sumatran tiger at the zoo, but she and her matched male tiger from a different zoo gave birth to several cubs, who in turn were matched to Sumatran tigers from the AZA (many zoos across geographical areas) to give birth to more Sumatran tigers. The tiger at this zoo now has many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. While Sumatran tigers may eventually become extinct in the wild, the species survival principle will ensure that the species will survive in captivity. The zoo tour guide highlighted that the zoo animals, especially generations later, may have lost some of their instincts in the natural environment. For example, the zoo does not feed live animals to the tiger but instead feeds her chicken that looks like ones we see in grocery stores; we saw the tiger hiding the chicken in a bush and walking around and coming back to the chicken for quick bites here and there. In the Keiki (children’s) zoo in the Honolulu Zoo, however, one species of turtle do get fed live fish at times.

This raises several ethical debates: how should one view the trade-offs between taming wild animals (while potentially offering solace to zoo-goers, especially young children by sparing them from witnessing live-hunting/chomping sessions) and preserving their natural tendencies in the wild/respecting the natural food chain despite its intrinsic cruelty? Is it sad that the tiger does not know to hunt anymore? More generally, are the animals happy — is it worth being caged (although in relatively expansive spaces for many animals the zoo) because they are comfortably fed and sheltered without having to worry about natural predators and potential diminishing numbers of preys? These are truly fascinating questions and I would love to see some reactions in the comments section. From a legal angle, what is currently, and what should be, the role of regulators and lawmakers when it comes to endangered species? How much does it vary across national borders and continents? I wish I had taken the animal law clinic in law school, but am grateful to have been part of the HLS Animal Law Society.

Workouts and Animals, Combined

Aside from the zoo (and the Honolulu Aquarium, which we didn’t have time to visit this time, as well as Sea Life Park) and sightings of various animals (especially birds like the Brazilian cardinal, which might actually eat small birds despite the relatively cute appearance) on the island on strolls, walks (e.g. Foster Garden and Lyon Aboretum), and hikes, we also enjoyed revisiting the marine life at Hanauma Bay. Ever so popular, the Bay requires one to reserve tickets pretty much at 7am sharp to secure tickets 2 days in advance, limiting it to 30 non-Hawaiian residents per 15-minute time slot. I love to combine a nice long workout with marine animal sightings, so Hanauma was the perfect place to be for swimming, snorkeling, and admiring what nature has to offer. There were so many species of fish (large and small, plain and breathtakingly colorful alike) that we saw, along with sea urchins and sea cucumbers. It was very calming and exciting at the same time.

The single most memorable moment of this trip was seeing a sea turtle right next to us as we surfed/tried to surf at Outrigger Canoe Club (OCC), a reciprocal club of the Harvard Club (thanks to the yearlong free membership for new Harvard graduates). It’s still so magical and surreal, and the scene keeps replaying itself in my head — there I was, after enjoying a big wave, suddenly spotting a huge green, circular object next to us. A huge toy turtle? But alas, the turtle was real and breathing! I admired the turtle in awe, watching it opening its mouth every few seconds to catch its breath. The sea turtle eventually dived back to the depths of the ocean (though I guess we were relatively close to the beach at that point) really effortlessly.

During this trip, we also got to play beach volleyball at the OCC (which also has a reasonably-priced snack bar and serves great food with amazing sunset views overlooking the Pacific Ocean), as well as tennis, paddle tennis, pickleball, and table tennis at the Pacific Club in downtown (another reciprocal club of the Harvard Club), which also offers fantastic dining options, a library where we read John Grisham and Scott Turow books, among others, as well as a heated swimming pool that’s usually filled with children’s laughter as they practice jumping in the water. I enjoyed the healthy routine of waking up around sunrise and going to sleep early, with plenty of exercise, good vibes, and animal-themed adventures.

International Cuisine

Another great highlight of the trip is, certainly, the range of international cuisine that Honolulu offers due to its unique geographic location, especially very creative fusion using fresh, local ingredients. I will name a few with some quick commentary for anyone who is thinking of exploring or revisiting Honolulu. Quite a few of these recommendations were originally from a dear college professor, Prof. Samuel Yamashita, who is an expert on food history. Below, I am grouping some of the restaurants based on the chef/group. (For the pricier restaurants, we chose the most affordable options.)

Roy Yamaguchi’s restaurants (Roy’s Hawaii Kai, Roy’s Waikiki, and 1849 Eating House): an exemplar of fusion using fresh, local ingredients with Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, and other culinary influences. The misoyaki butterfish is splendid, and many of their original sushi rolls are also fantastic. Since we started baking the lava cake at home (Godiva’s mix is easy and tasty), though, their signature chocolate soufflé wasn’t as wow-ing as before, but was still quite good.

MW: Another splendid restaurant that perfectly merges Western and Eastern cooking. For appetizer, the ahi nachos combine fresh-tasting fish with crispy, addictive nacho bites, complete with an avocado sauce (which I sadly cannot eat due to my cilantro issues). The kampachi with somen is legendary. For dessert, I adore the MW candy bar. Their reasonably-priced set lunch is not served at this time, sadly, but might be available again in the future. The server-busser system is very efficient.

Senia: Another place I’d describe as impeccable. For a germaphobe like me, I’m awed by their stack of silverware elegantly placed on top of each other. Everything is shared family-style, and truly creative, e.g. ahi cigars that come with a dreamy smoke-like feel (btw I don’t smoke) and cigar-like design. The bone marrows come with Hawaiian rolls. Mouth watering while thinking about it, ahh. As the TV show Gran Maison Tokyo has it, the best cook with the best service (“最高の料理と最高のサービス”).

Ginza Onodera Sushi: Wonderful service, tip is included in the price Asian-style. The servers explain each fish with pictures that includes both Japanese and English names. Each traditional Edo-style sushi is a work of art. What more can I say.

The Pig and the Lady and Piggy Smalls: both are owned by chef Andrew Le, great Vietnamese food with the latter more fusion-y, though we got pho/other noodle dishes at both restaurants.

Mud Hen Water: A creative east-meets-west, though the Mapo Tofu dish doesn’t scream fusion as much. Formerly Town. Also has a cafe/deli-like place next door that we haven’t tried; I think Malia Obama worked there at some point.

Noi Thai: speaking of Obama, rumor has it that one of his fav restaurants in town is Noi Thai. I do the spiciest level for the curry chicken and it never disappoints. The lunch portion is perfect for me and reasonably-priced too. Great atmosphere/decoration.

Tanaka of Tokyo: meticulous and efficient customer service, fiery Teppanyaki show with the typical onion volcano, flying ingredients etc. shows. The 2 of us usually share one Shogun set and that’s usually more than enough. I’ve always loved the Teppanyaki fried rice growing up, and Tanaka’s version is pretty yummy. Side note: Teppanyaki is definitely Americanized at restaurants like Tanaka and Benihana. I think an Eaters article I read before the trip addresses the American-ness of American Teppanyaki chains pretty while. Might be worth a read. By contrast, the recently re-opened Restaurant Suntory’s lunch Teppanyaki was much more tame/normal, with a chef cooking in front of you in the more traditional Japanese fashion.

Halekulani (Orchids, La Mer, and House Without a Key): truly exceptional restaurants with the best service one can expect, as well as striking views. House Without a Key is a drinks/light snacks place with live Hawaiian music/dance performance. Definitely on the expensive side, though I think Orchids’ lunch set is fairly-priced and quite a lot for a hungry eater.

Duke’s and Hula Grill: Always needs reservations way ahead of time. Duke’s is more packed and bigger and has a more party-like vibe with live music the time we went, and Hula Grill is upstairs. I like the classic Lava Flow cocktail, and of course, the Hula Pie.

Hawaiian Aroma Coffee: Our favorite breakfast spot! Usually get the morning feast set with sausage, bacon, toast, a salad, and a slice of pineapple, as well as the açai waffle that comes with fresh berries. Like many other restaurants on this list, it’s super popular and usually full.

Banán, Lanikai Juice, Kulu, etc.: If you are like me and have a sweet tooth, Honolulu is abundant with options that I am often tempted to eat several desserts a day and make that my main course… just kidding — tried to stay healthy by eating more vegetables that I normally would. Banán (where The Terrace House (Aloha State)’s Lauren Tsai got fired) is a new favorite from this trip, where local bananas become soft serves/froyo. Lanikai Juice is also a personal favorite for island-inspired smoothies and freshly squeezed juice. My birthday cake was from Kulu, a Japanese-style bakery.

P.S. Kailua Beach and the Lighthouse Trail are amazing, btw. And a quick note: this article is meant to be a quick sketch/overview, but if you’d like me to elaborate on anything or have other topic suggestions, leave a comment or reach out to me directly!