The man grinned at me from the lounge at Kanaka's as he expertly strummed a ukulele. I listened to his cheerful notes and took in the dining room.
Table coverings with Polynesian tapa cloth designs.
Potted tropical plants like my mother had in her gardens. And on the walls, prints and photographs of beaches where I learned to surf. I smiled at the memories of sun and sand and my hapless attempts to master the instrument the man played so well. Kanaka means man, person, group, or humanity in general. One test of skilled Hawaiian cooking is the quality of fish courses.