Rock Fever

The Great Plotnik is starting to look like a parrot. He now owns a yellow Aloha shirt, a beige Aloha shirt, a black Aloha shirt, two blue Aloha shirts, a red Aloha shirt, a rose Aloha shirt that is a map of the Hawaiian Islands, an orange Aloha shirt that is a depiction of the Japanese navy's victory over the Russians in 1905 and there is another one in there too. He has to buy an Aloha shirt each trip to Oahu, but since he discovered the Discount Aloha Shirt Shop on Kapahulu Avenue, he has purchased three each this trip and two years ago too. What the Hell is he ever going to do with so many Aloha shirts?



Plotnik and Ducknik ate a lot of shrimp in Hawaii but the best ones of all were these, served by this Taiwanese girl and her Mom at Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp truck. So it turns out freshness is even more important than where you catch 'em. Well, unless we'd be talking about Mozambique shrimp in Africa, which we're not. These Hawaiian pond shrimp are delicious, but Mozambique shrimp make Kakuku pond shrimp taste like sauerkraut.


People love to belittle Waikiki because it is so touristy. But there's always a reason. What a beautiful spot, despite the flesh-eating disease that someone apparently contracted by falling in the Ala Wai Canal last week. This view is taken from the Hanohano Room on top of the Waikiki Sheraton, where Plotnik and Ducknik were served decent food Wednesday night as part of Duck's convention. The service: Faux French. The view: priceless.

The Hawaiians call it Rock Fever when they go crazy from living on an island. But when they move away they miss it all -- the water, the wind, the smells, the food, the language, the orchids, the heat, the melting pot, the history, the interconnecting worlds of blue and green. Plotnik and Ducknik always love Hawaii. This time, though, maybe it's even nicer to be home.