Navigating Lihue, Hawaii, one encounters the Kauai Veterans Center & Museum, established with a poignant dedication to veterans and their legacies. With a rich confluence of military heritage and a spectrum of veteran experiences, the center also extends its function to various events and family programs.
An exploration of the local Kauai food scene, as documented in a video segment by Chef Jeff of “Chef on a Hog”, brings to light Chef Raf of Raf’s Kitchen, who presented his Pork Italiano — “Pork loin, which is marinated, and then we’re gonna do a herb crust organic greens with a chili ginger dressing. And we also do homemade pickled vegetables.” The engagement with the culinary sphere doesn’t end there. Chef Jeff also introduces the audience to another seasoned food truck, known for its 40-plus-year reputation and a gamut of local-style cuisine, like pulled pork and loco moco, among others.
The narrative doesn’t linger solely on the culinary explorations. The video subtly intertwines history through Jeff’s visit to a museum, where curator Jackie Smith, without diving deep into every artifact, broadly comments, “You’ll see many different things around the area. If I take all the time to tell you about them, you would be here for weeks.” The museum, which intriguingly receives artifacts from various sources (“People bring us things.”), including two cannons and a flag from Nazi Germany in 1945, serves to embed the military history within the context of the island.
Noteworthy is a vignette featuring a seasoned veteran and curator, who in passing narrates his robust service history: “I did World War II, Korea, and Vietnam twice. I’m an infantryman, I’m an aviation man, I’m a cook, pot washer, anything, sir.” His varied experiences bring forth a sense of palpable history, connecting artifacts to lived experiences. Items like a submachine gun from Tokyo and other wartime memorabilia find a permanent home in the museum, with the curator noting: “This is a submachine gun. I donated it to the museum.”
Delicately balanced with these textured histories is the burgeoning food truck culture. Smith acknowledges, “The food trucks [are] something new for us. They’ve only been here maybe a year or so.” Culinary exchanges between local agriculture and the trucks are mentioned in a lighthearted manner — “I raised lemons and all kinds of things, and I give to the trucks out here. They feed me, so ha, fair trade.”
The video, in its entirety, flows as a gentle exploration, meandering through rich culinary scenes and tapping quietly yet profoundly into the historical threads of Kauai. While the Kauai Veterans Center & Museum and the food scene each offer their narratives, the intersection in the video creates a nuanced tapestry of local life, presenting facets of heritage, history, and culinary artistry side by side in Lihue.
Kaua‘i Veteran’s Center Website |