Ohelo Restaurant in Volcano Closed

[Punatang]

Someone seems to have their head in the sand with some old ideas (fears) that were never accurate and have not aged well as many of us knew they would not. Bigotry has many faces but almost always stems from unfounded fears.  Fear that those guys are going to take our women.  Fear that those guys are going to commit some crime against us.  Fear that those guys are going to give us the cooties of some kind.  We need to "protect our community" from those guys. Same as it ever was.  Sounds like you might realize on some level you should be ashamed and your denial is shining through.

Wake up to the science. It was always there if you had the courage to look. Not so much huh? Paybacks come in many forms like when your kids are adults and they remember how you behaved & the things you said. Your bigotry. Karma is another word that comes to mind.

https://jme.bmj.com/content/50/4/246


I never had the opportunity to try Ohelos.  Hopefully they just decided it was time to retire and voluntarily closed on a high note since Edge says they were so busy.  I would have liked to try one of those pizzas Edge mentioned. Sounds like a real gas.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Oahu & Maui required vaccination cards for some businesses in 2021. Big Island was optional. Last I checked, every restaurant, gym, etc on Oahu & Maui did not get boycotted and forced out of business. Some restaurants on Big Island required a card. It was not unusual, that’s why I carried my COVID card in my wallet. Ohelo’s chose to take the cautious approach. If people didn’t want to show their COVID card they were free to try another restaurant. This is from 2021:

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Beginning Sept. 13, customers wishing to enter Oahu restaurants, bars, gyms and other establishments will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.

The city’s Safe Access Oahu program will remain in effect for 60 days.

And the rules will be mandatory for all businesses covered by a new emergency order.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/08/30...usinesses/

[Punatang]

Certainly businesses that were "just following orders" (elsewhere) are in a different category than ones here on the Big Island, in Puna, where no such orders applied. If they discriminated against the un-vaccinated here, in Puna, it was voluntary.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

So let’s review.  

In 2020 or 2021 Ohelo’s posted a COVID requirement on their Instagram page.
In 2025 they closed.

That’s the sum total of what we know.

Was there fear? Discrimination?  Etc?  I ate there, never witnessed any of that.  But perhaps I spent an inordinate amount of time deciding between the excellent selection of toppings available for their wood fired pizza, that I just wasn’t paying attention to the intangible vibes floating around the room.  As well as the lack of airborne viruses.

[Punatang]

So let’s review.  

In 2020 or 2021 Ohelo’s posted a COVID requirement on their Instagram page.
In 2025 they closed.

That’s the sum total of what we know.

Was there fear? Discrimination?  Etc?  I ate there, never witnessed any of that.  But perhaps I spent an inordinate amount of time deciding between the excellent selection of toppings available for their wood fired pizza, that I just wasn’t paying attention to the intangible vibes floating around the room.  As well as the lack of airborne viruses.

No one ever illustrates my points better than you Edge.  Thanks again.

So it's "Wir haben es nicht gewusst". 

Lets do review.

Nazis are still being hunted today.  How many years has that been?  Bigots leave an indelible mark and no matter how desperately they want to diminish their acts, downplay their complicity. and feign ignorance.  Paybacks have their own schedule.

[MyManao]

Interesting aside..

I, having cause to be covid leery, was alway more apt to give my patronage to establishments that required masks and such when we were in that phase of the pandemic.

I wonder if I was being discriminatory, or just using common sense? Whereas I, personally, think anyone not willing to participate in activities, such as wearing a mask during a health crisis, are anti-social and should be shown the door. Any talk on their part of discrimination is just a baby whining, imo.

As to the comings and goings of the side businesses that rent/lease space in that building it's always been a hard one.. but there's always enough people in the area because of the park to make it a go, barely. Methinks Ohelo's problem was not enough room, tables, seats, to turn a real profit. Though when it was first said here that Ohelo's neighbors were whatever I laughed.. They don't have any neighbors, unless you include a parking lot and a post office.

[randomq]

I thought we were done with all the COVID bitching years ago. Some people gave a shit about their neighbors and wore masks. Sociopaths bitched and moaned about it. Vaccines reduced the hospitalizations and fatalities undeniably. Case closed, move on!

[kalianna]

It was not discrimination, which is based on who you are--your color, ethnicitiy, gender, etc. People donʻt have a choice about these things.
Your decision not to get vaxxed was your choice and you could change your mind if you choose to. Whole different ballgame.

[ironyak]

Punatang - Someone seems to have their head in the sand with some old ideas (fears) that were never accurate and have not aged well as many of us knew they would not. Bigotry has many faces but almost always stems from unfounded fears.
So COVID has killed 1.2+ million in the US so far, with 500 - 1000 new deaths per week for the last several weeks. In Hawaii, there's been just over 2200 COVID deaths so far, with 2 new deaths last week. Five years on, there are also tens-of-millions of people, including a couple I know personally, dealing with Long Covid. Exactly how many millions of people have to die or deal with chronic illness and disability before concerns are not "unfounded" in your opinion?

PT - Fear that ... Sounds like you might realize on some level you should be ashamed and your denial is shining through. ... Paybacks come in many forms ... Your bigotry. Karma is another word that comes to mind.
Whatever are you going on about here? Free (word) salad with each pizza(gate) slice? Did my karma run over your dogma? If so namaste, or as we're speaking German now apparently, gesundheit?

PT - Wake up to the science. https://jme.bmj.com/content/50/4/246
Did you actually read this paper? There's a couple lines in the results sections that stood out to me.
"it is unclear whether our findings would replicate in a non-US sample or in samples other than MTurk that tend to have more liberal than conservative participants" [such as Hawaii?] "we caution researchers to interpret our results and our assumptions based on the time period during which we conducted this study (January and February 2022)"
In short, without new info, don't try to extrapolate to other times and places as you're trying to do, but who actually listens to scientists right?

"Just as conservative media and politicians are culpable for misinformation leading people to underestimate certain C19 risks, it is possible that liberal outlets introduced misinformation in the opposite direction."
Yeah, this checks out IMO. Science communication and nuance is tough, especially when dealing with a poorly educated population. At least we can look forward to the ongoing measles and H5N1 outbreaks to try again? So much winning...

randomq - Case closed, move on!
But have you considered re-litigating the case from an oppositional defiant disorder or persecution complex perspective so that revenge for being inconvenienced can be justified?

Punatang, the language you use in your pronouncements is so over the top and grandiose - "liar", "propaganda", "payback", "discrimination", "fear", "bigotry", "Nazis" (original German now included!). But nah fam, you're ranting about persecution and retribution on a small time local message board that's likely to disappear once Rob realizes he's getting too old for this shit. But whatevs I guess, go off queen.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

There is so much to consider when hypothesizing about a restaurant that went out of business - - with no definitive information about their circumstances!  Going back to 2019 was a stretch, but squeezing in WWII, the big one was certainly unexpected.

Down the road from Volcano Village, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is Volcano House.  Uncle George’s serves a pretty good pizza, and if you arrive at the right time ask for a window seat overlooking the crater.  They have a decent selection of beers, the Pilsner is excellent. 
Tip: if the window seats are taken, and it’s lunch time, check the main restaurant.  You can often get a window seat in there, order from Uncle George’s lunch menu - - same price.