People watching @ Island Naturals

[Guest]

I dont care what people wear. (or dont wear)

I would prefer if they were hygienic though.

[Carey]

Had to smile about the shirts & ties...

I often feel sorry for the mission young gentlemen that have the pressed white shirt & ties... and the shiny lace up shoes... somehow, most of them look like they would be much more comfortable in shorts & slippahs...but... well, it is their uniform... & you do know what they are doing in the neighborhood!

For me, it is all a part of the kaleidoscope of home! I can live with a lot of different things, as long as every one is treating everyone as they would want to be treated, then it is... All Good!

[Kelena]

Wow. What has happened to this place? It is kind of shocking that a question that may have stemmed from some tossed-off asides on my part about the scene at Island Naturals (which I believe adds to the sense of place here) could engender such an odd and vituperative back and forth. This is a topic of bemusement -- not a serious community issue.

As much as I joke about the folks who hang out at Island Naturals, they seem nice and harmless....or at least harmless -- not sure about nice as I haven't interacted with them.

As for suits, you certainly have a point csgray. Anyone who wears a suit does stick out. Even at meetings at the most formal level do not require a suit and you will look odd. If you want to stick out, mission accomplished. It is easier to get away with a tie-dyed shirt than a suit, even in a formal setting. If you want to stick out, wear a suit. Generally speaking, in this culture it is best not to stick out. Ever. Note to self: tone it down a little.

Anyway, I love Island Naturals as they carry things that are not available in other stores, have an interesting produce section, carry ice cream with only 150 calories per pint, and there are those plants outside which is kind of cool. They also have good discounts that rotate by day.

And the people watching is fun. Our hippies are the best. Best in class! Island Naturals for-ev-ah!

[Carey]

ICE CREAM...with 150 cal per PINT????

Sorry for the derail, but I have to know what it is...DH fav is ice cream... not so my waistline (as many will attest!)

ADDED: Suit - will not stick out if worn on Black & White night...then the more formal & glitzy the better....pearl ties & all!

[punafish]

A few years ago a local buddy on Oahu (well known in his field) made a pitch to the Board of Directors of a large local company wearing a cheap aloha shirt, shorts, and slippahs. (And pretty sure he wore those shorts to the beach that morning.) I personally would've worn long, dark slacks and dress shoes with a Sig Zane to class everything up. But my friend got the gig because he was authentic, made a connection with the Board, and knew his stuff. In Chicago this would be unthinkable, one big reason I moved here. After reading Steve Job's biography, wondering if Silicon Valley has its own version of this "minimalist" dress code?

[Kelena]

Yes, Carey -- it's called "Arctic Zero" and has 150 calories per pint and zero fat. Of course, it does not taste like ice cream with fat. But I find the chocolate and vanilla maple pretty tasty. I like something sweet before bedtime and that is my usual choice as I cannot seem to control myself around fat free fig newtons. I've tried.

Arctic Zero is available only at the Pahoa Island Naturals. I may have seen it in one other store, but I cannot remember which one.

All the more reason to brave the gauntlet of unwashed and shop at Island Naturals!

[Carey]

[8D]I'll just have to wear my rose colored glasses!
Thanks!

[coastal]

@Kelena, I lived and worked down the street from Apple headquarters, and several of their buildings until just a few years ago, their dress code is t-shirts and shorts. You could always tell the Apple employees at the restaurants for lunch, they always were dressed very casually. Some of them wore jeans, with their t-shirts. Then they all jumped into someone's BMW and went back to the campus in Cupertino!

[rocketman]

Coastal... Not to derail the topic, but I grew up there in the '60s and used to shoot BB guns in the orchards where Apple is now!

[Kelena]

So I went to Island Naturals today and got some pretend ice cream and I also scored some jaboticaba fruit, which I have never seen for sale anywhere ever! Tomorrow they have a 20% discount in the wine section.

I also was able to confirm some of my initial observations. Inside, were more a number of spacey people that were sometimes transfixed by what they were looking at. They were so transfixed they did not make room as you tried to pass by. Mixed in with the smell of warm curry was just a hint of body odor. Any deodorant sold there is just taking up space. No one uses it. I think soap is frowned on, too. An otherwise adorable toddler who needed a good scrubdown headed in my general direction. They need a good service around here where you can drop off your kids, and get them all scrubbed up and shampooed and then pick them up later. I was wrong about the cashiers -- they aren't all breathy. Mine was pretty crisp although she was as surprised to see the jaboticaba as I was (price check!).

As I left, I saw someone I know at the picnic tables. He is very eccentric but quite kind and intelligent and was having an early dinner. I don't know what it is about the Natch but it seems to draw some quintessentially Puna characters. I was there, too and I think I count.