Beautiful Hawaii is just a plane ride away from California, and a trip that many CISL students take while they are studying in the U.S. The one food that all tourists must try while visiting Hawaii is the famous dish “poke.”

Pronounced “po-key,” this dish is the Hawaiian version of sushi. Raw tuna is mixed with soy sauce and spices and served as an appetizer in most Hawaiian restaurants. It is delicious, healthy, and a “must-try” dish!

If you cannot make it to Hawaii during your time at CISL, do not worry: Hawaiian food comes to San Diego every May for the I Love Poke Festival. This year’s festival, the fourth of its kind, will be held on May 29 at the Bali Hai restaurant near Point Loma.

During the festival, San Diego chefs compete to see who makes the best poke. In addition to sampling massive amounts of poke, guests will also get to try the Hawaiian fusion dishes that over 30 San Diego restaurants proudly have on their menus. Of course, you must follow up the delicious poke with another Hawaiian tradition: shave ice!

The festival will be held from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Bali Hai, which is very close to the airport and Point Loma. Bali Hai offers beautiful views of the Downtown San Diego skyline. Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here:

https://ilovepokefestival.webconnex.com/sandiego

To see some fun videos of last year’s I Love Poke Festival, check out this Vimeo page:

http://ilovemusubi.com/poke/

Have fun, and aloha!

 

Don’t miss the 2nd I Love Poke Festival Orange County!  Wednesday, June 5th from 6 – 9pm at Don the Beachcomber Restaurant in Huntington Beach.  Click here for more information and tickets.