The Right Way to Eat Loco Moco on Your Hawaii Vacation

Your Hawaii vacation isn't complete with a taste of the local's favorite fast food, and even though you've pushed aside your cravings for McDonald's and other fast food on your trip to the islands, there's still some comfort food to be had with the Hawaiian classic: the Loco Moco. Ordering Loco Moco (pronouonced loh-koo moh-koo) is your best bet when you're hard-pressed to find a restaurant open in the late night hours, and although it doesn't look all that attractive at first glance, it's a meal of substance that Hawaiians take very seriously.

Instead of venturing into fancy cuisine and tropical menus at the resorts, you can head out to the local diner and order yourself this comforting dish instead. Loco Moco isn't good for your health and it won't fare well with your day's calorie counts; however, it will keep you full for a good 6-7 hours, and you'll be enjoying a dish that the natives rely on during hard times--think of it is as the Hawaiian equivalent of ramen noodle casserole.

Loco Moco is a generous plate of white rice, hamburger, a sunnyside up egg, and fresh gravy. That's it, just four ingredients that give you generous dose of Hawaiian comfort food and plenty of cholesterol to keep you running in high gear for a week or so. There is, however, a sequence to eating this dish and you should know how to eat it well before the plate arrives at your table. The only *real* way to eat Loco Moco is to break the egg and blend it with the rice, burger and gravy in equal portions. Loco Moco must be eaten with a fork, and no, you don't have a choice of toast--or any other bread products--to soak up that extra gravy. You can also customize your Loco Moco by adding ketchup, soy sauce, or Tabasco for an extra kick.