I must admit, you all are a sharp bunch. Yes, it is Maui, and yes, that was a really nice little cup of Guri-Guri(2 scoops/$1). And on Maui, the "only" place for Guri-Guri is Tasaka Guri-Guri.
Located in, of all places, the Maui Mall in Kahului, the Tasaka Family claims that Jokichi Tasaka invented Guri-Guri somewhere around 1920, way back in plantation days. Guri-Guri and I go back a long way…from what I remember my Mom told me that Guri-Guri(called Goodie Goodie in Honolulu) was one of the two items She craved while pregnant with me. Being a good Maui Girl, I have no doubt that She craved Guri-Guri. If you really want to know, the other item She craved was Saimin….a yes, I wuz a noodle head, from da’ beginning!
The Missus first had a version of Guri-Guri, called Goodie-Good at Cafe 100, during one of our many visits to Hilo when we had friends living there. I had always told Her that it was nothing compared to the "real thing" at Tasaka. So of course our first stop after picking up our rental car was Maui Mall and Tasaka Guri-Guri, which was quite busy, even during a mid-afternoon during a weekday.
After standing in line, the Missus got Her Guri-Guri(there are 2 flavors, Strawberry and Pineapple – I think Strawberry is the better flava’), and I can truly say after having a spoonful, or two, that it tasted exactly the same as I remembered, one of the few items that still tastes the same from waaay back in hanabaddah days. So very "clean" and refreshing…….
So what is Guri-Guri? Well, it’s sort of a Sherbet. The flavor is sweet, and slightly milky. In fact Reid of Ono Kine Grindz even has a recipe, located here. The Tasaka Family recipe is a closely guarded secret.
If you want Guri-Guri, you’ll have to go to Maui, you won’t find it in Honolulu. In fact, I’ve heard of people taking the 2 Quart "Cold Pack"($10) all the way back to the Mainland.
I’m sure many of you are wondering, "what’s the big deal, it’s a sherbet". But it’s not only a a frozen confection, it’s a part of my childhood, part of a simpler time, and many generations of Kama’aina’s are addicted to it. Hey, former President Clinton even stopped at Tasaka on His visit to Maui. Which I think would have been a quite interesting event.
Tasaka Guri Guri
At the Maui Mall in Kahului. You really can’t miss the mall……
So why Maui? Well, it seemed that everyone was going to, or had gone to Maui, from our favorite Newlywed, Pam, who got married there, to other Friends. By this time, the Missus decided that She really wanted to visit Maui. Though, my Mother was born and raised on Maui, I had last visited Maui once in the last 30(yes "3-0") years, and on that visit, I barely recognized the place. Of course no mo’ Liberty Restaurant, wit da’ Chow Fun served in a butcher paper cones, or real Maui Hot Dogs…..
But of course the scenery is still beautiful….
One last side note: In what almost ruined our vacation, during our visit to Maui Mall, probably during our shopping at Long’s Drugs, some miscreants broke into our rental car, and stole everything that looked like a backpack. Which meant all of the Missus’s stuff, and some of my stuff. So suddenly our vacation took a turn, we had to wait for the Police to file a report, we had to go shopping to find clothes, and other personal items, including a charger for my camera, and a bunch of other stuff. But after the shock and anger wore off, and a high stress afternoon, we decided to make the best of things…..
To be continued…….