Scenes from last weekend’s bbq at Waimanalo Beach.
Everyone does it differently. Some take it to the extreme, some keep it low tech, but everyone does it. I’m talking about BBQing at the beach by the way.
The beach BBQ is part of the island culture. In Hawaii, when it’s your birthday or there’s a holiday, you gather at the beach to eat, drink and play. You know the drill. You wake up late on Saturday, load up your folding chairs and beach gear, then hit the market. Poke – check, beer – check, red cups – check, and let’s see…something different this time, ah yes, a pineapple. Smell it to make sure it’s ripe (it should smell really really sweet). Wait, should I bring a knife to cut the pineapple? No, they’ll surely have a knife. (They never have a knife.) Now pick up a bag of ice and you’re off.
You get to the beach and your friends are sipping beers and starting coals. Some are in an intense game of Portuguese horseshoes or throwing the football or waxing up their surfboards. You jump in on one of these activities. But first things first, crack that beer. And don’t forget to put it in your red cup. The cops are cool as long as you do.
As the day goes on you talk, laugh and eat with your friends. And as and the sun goes down you find yourself with a pound of meat in your belly, some toasty bronze shoulder blades and a nice buzz. Now where did I put that pineapple.
The main ingredient to a good beach BBQ is a nice day. In the summertime, that’s everyday. In this picture you can see two BBQs going on. To the left and right of the frame there were several more.
The first thing you want to do is get a quick bite — maybe some poke or a hot dog, drink a couple beers if you like and catch up with the crew. Then, jump in the water.
After and hour or so of swimming and body surfing, more food will be necessary.
You’re probably wondering what these people are doing here. Well …
Now that the swimming and eating is all over, why not play a couple innings of wiffle ball?
You can play until the sun goes down. At Waimanalo there’s no lights. When the sun goes down you have just the stars and moon to light you way. Also, the gates close at 7:45, so move your car out of the lot. You can park on the street outside the gate and walk back to the beach. Just have a flash light handy.
When the sun goes down, the sounds of the uke are preferred to the stereo. (It gets dark enough here that if you’ve got an LED flashlight and a decent camera, you can make some fun pics.)
Late night snack’s eventually come out. This time, mini lobsters.
What better way to top off the night than a bonfire on the beach. This might not exactly be legal, but some kids had dug a huge hole in the sand during the day and someone had to put it to use.
It’s funny how a fire keeps people together. We were close to packing up around 9pm. Then the bonfire happened and people stuck around until close to midnight. 10 hours at the beach is long time, but after a long week of work it feels well deserved.
