Sweet
Honolulu
Sunset @ Lanikuhonua
The endangered and endemic nene (Hawaiian goose) at Waikoloa, Big Island
Winter sunset @ Hawaii Kai
Sunset @ Lanikuhonua
Blueberry Swirl Matcha Ice Cream
The first time I tasted blueberry and matcha together was in an iced latte from Café Dulcé in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, last May. I love trying various matcha combinations and had never seen a matcha and blueberry mix before. Oh, you know I ordered it as soon as I spotted it on their drink menu! I definitely remember saying "Wow." out loud after my first sip. It was very smooth and Café Dulcé balanced the two flavors perfectly. I almost ordered another one within 5 minutes!
What's sad is that it's been almost a year since and I still wistfully long for their iced blueberry matcha latte. I was going to try and recreate their drink myself but instead switched my thoughts to ice cream when I noticed on my calendar that Earth Day was coming up. In my head I envisioned a round scoop of blueberry swirl matcha ice cream with vibrant hues of blue and green. It was going to resemble our beautiful planet as seen from outer space.
What do you think? Does it look like Earth? Ha! Not even close, right? The colors didn't turn out quite the way I pictured it in my mind. That shade of matcha green looks more like the planet Dagobah to me, haha!
On a much more serious note, this year's Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastics. Microplastics might not be as commonly visible to those who don't live near an ocean, but here in Hawaii it's disturbingly obvious. You see it in the sand on every beach. Most of the pieces are so small that you have to sift the sand to separate the microplastics. It's really sad and also scary because this is what our marine life is eating, thinking that it's food. And then, in turn, we humans are eating that marine life. I don't know how to fix this problem globally, but I try to educate myself and eliminate as much single-use plastic products as I can in my lifestyle. It took me time and effort to change, but it got easier once I became more aware of what I buy and use.