Best Tasting Water!

According to MSNBC article, "Take a sip! America's best tap water." by Mike Celizic (Todayshow.com, July 20, 2007), Salt Lake City is the winner, followed by Boston and Columbia, S.C. 

I have something to say about this. I've tasted the water in Boston, MA. I mean, I rarely will comment on the water when I visit a city ... but the tap water in Boston is SWEET and YUMMY and surprisingly noteworthy! I am serious! I never thought I could say that any place tap water that rivals Hilo but I have to say that it certainly deserves that title! Boston deserves a special trip just to see if I'm right. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 

But then, they only test water from 12 cities ... and if they tested the water in Hilo, I think they'd be pleasantly surprised too!

Name that fruit!

Our Farmer's Market rocks!!!! I don't know the name of all these fruit but I bought them at my local farmer's market in downtown Hilo at the corner of Kamehameha Highway and Mamo Street. The market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays but you can find vendors there throughout the week. It's a great place to find organic fruits and vegetables and on a practical level, the produce is really inexpensive so very easy on the pocket book. Supporting our local farmers is a great way to promote island subsistence and get inexpensive super fresh produce. For example, you can usually get 3-6 solo or rainbow papayas for $1! I spring a little more for my daily strawberry papaya but they are still only 4 for $2!

Ok, here is the list from top to bottom, counterclockwise in each bowl (some of the fruit is imported but most are locally grown):
Bowl 1: Kabocha pumpkin
Bowl 2: Strawberry papaya, purple sweet potato, ginger, tomatoes, mandarins
Bowl 3: Persimmons, pulasan, dragon fruit (yellow pitaya), dragon fruit (red pitaya), rambutan
Bowl 4: longan (Tiger's eye)