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[{"type":"text","text":"The force is strong in this one..."}]

Smile 26 5 14

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, May 14, 2026</title>

The force is strong in this one...

Daily Smile: Thursday, May 14, 2026

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

For five weeks this summer, the largest naval exercise in the world is anchored off our islands. Thirty-one nations sent forty gray hulls, five submarines, and aircraft that cross our sky from June into July. The drill has a storyline, and the storyline involves an enemy fleet. The Navy is too polite to say whose, but everyone watching knows it is China.

It is a strange thing to watch a wargame from your own lānai, stranger still to do it while the shelves are full and the children have soccer practice. But RIMPAC poses a question that has nothing to do with the Navy. What do you trust to keep you safe?

A generation ago, a clever man thought he had the answer. The Soviet Union was folding and the Cold War was ending. Francis Fukuyama wrote that liberal democracy had become the final form of human government. The argument was over. The West had won, and the rest was paperwork.

The headlines have not cooperated since then. Iran is run by clerics who believe history bends their way. After American and Israeli bombs fell this spring, they closed the Strait of Hormuz.

In Venezuela, a long experiment in socialism had already emptied the shelves. Two earthquakes forty seconds apart killed close to a thousand people, and the digging is not done.

China keeps spending, patient and sure of itself, buying ports and roads from Africa to the South China Sea. And in Washington, the government that supposedly won the argument at the end of history can barely pass a budget.

Each of these countries has made a wager. Tehran trusts its missiles, Caracas trusted its strongman, Beijing trusts its ships, and we trust ours. Every government asks for a single arrangement of power to last forever.

From the middle of the Pacific, all the news can feel like someone else’s weather. Prices have climbed here too — gas, eggs, the usual. But the stations still pump and the warehouse stores still stack the pallets high. Ours is a rich country, with land and oil to spare. We are heirs to ordered liberty and markets freer than most, though never quite as free as their champions liked to claim.

A man may enjoy fine weather, but he gets into trouble when he begins to believe he arranged it.

This December marks 85 years since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. One morning, a great many certainties vanished, and Hawaiʻi was plunged into a World War. We are not the quiet edge of the map. We are the middle of it — the center of somebody else’s plan.

The families on base do not need a columnist to tell them this. They read it in the deployment calendar. They know something the rest of us can easily forget at Costco: Our safety has always leaned on somebody’s fleet.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ our God. The fleet in our harbor is a great strength, but a poor god. We shouldn’t ask it to be one because it cannot do the job.

This is bad news for two kinds of people. It is bad news for the man who reads the headlines, buys a bunker, and decides that because nothing lasts, nothing is worth building. And it is bad news for his cheerful cousin. He mistakes American power for the kingdom of God and salutes the flag as though it were an altar. The God who rules the Strait of Hormuz and controls the fault lines under Caracas also governs the loading dock at Costco.

So build the things that survive war. Not the bunker, but the congregation, the friendship with a neighbor across the fence, the school for your children’s children. Build the small, local groups that can catch a falling family before the federal government has heard them fall. That is not retreat. It is a readiness that does not depend on chariots.

The ships will be at sea tomorrow, training in the same water that smoked in 1941. The clever man was wrong, though not in the way the frightened expect. History is not finished, and it is not finished because it is going somewhere — toward an end already chosen, by Someone who is not nervous. So we watch the gray hulls with thanks and without fear.

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Destroyers in Pearl Harbor i Stock 2022

<title>RIMPAC 2026: Hawaiʻi, China, and the Question Underneath</title>

The children have soccer practice while, a few miles offshore, 31 nations rehearse a war. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on what Hawaiʻi trusts to keep it safe.

RIMPAC 2026: Hawaiʻi, China, and the Question Underneath

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

You can get this $20 beer and burger deal for a limited time.

, located next to Dada Spa and Salon in Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra, just launched a beer and burger deal for $20. The deal will be available until Labor Day, Sept. 7.

During happy hour, which is 3 to 5 p.m. daily, customers can get the Fusion wagyu burger and a local beer — from Honolulu Beerworks — for $20. The Honolulu Beerworks’ 12-ounce cans include Kewalo Cream Ale, Hop Island IPA and Cocoweizen.

The Fusion wagyu burger features cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bacon-onion jam and house remoulade. It comes with your choice of fries or salad.

During happy hour, customers can enjoy 20% off select dishes like empanadas ($16), Fusion poke bowl (market price), fish and chips ($18), crispy brussels sprouts ($11) and dip with focaccia ($7).

The empanadas include two pieces per order; they feature a chicken filling and are served with a cilantro crema sauce.

The Fusion poke bowl includes spicy ‘ahi and bubu arare crisps over a bed of rice. The fish and chips is served with a side of fries and remoulade for dipping.

Fusion Cafe’s dip with focaccia ($7) is one of the most popular dishes on the menu. It features your choice of seasonal hummus, sundried pesto and honey ricotta. The honey ricotta is a customer favorite.

Meanwhile, the brussels sprouts are coated in a bacon-onion jam and topped with an onsen egg.

Other happy hour dishes include chips and salsa, classic Caesar salad and chicken tenders and fries.

410 Atkinson Drive, third floor, Honolulu

Fusion happy hour spread 062526

<title>Fusion Cafe has a limited-time burger and beer deal</title>

The cafe — located next to Dada Spa and Salon in Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra — is offering a $20 burger and beer deal during happy hour, which is daily from 3 to 5 p.m.

Fusion Cafe has a limited-time burger and beer deal

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Several new retailers and restaurants have recently opened at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and more are set to open soon, the center announced Thursday. Here’s what you should know.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What's New:"}]

, a Montreal-born fashion brand, can be found on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing

, a fast-casual brand serving up Hawaiian-style plate lunches, has opened in the Makai Market Food Court on Street Level 1.

, know for its handcrafted xiao long bao, is open on Mall Level 2 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

(ICYMI: Read more about Supreme Dumplings from ASD's Food and Dining reporter Kelli Shiroma Braiotta 

The Cookie Corner, a local brand offering freshly baked cookies, bars, brownies and other treats, has expanded at Ala Moana Center with a second location on Mall Level 2 of the Diamond Head Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Coming soon:"}]

, a luxury wellness and recovery destination created by the team behind Body Balance Hawai‘i, is set to open on Street Level 1 of the Diamond Head Wing in August. The new studio will offer infrared and traditional saunas with red light therapy, cold plunges, private Pilates and personal training, body treatments and other wellness services.

, offering a selection of toys, plushies, collectables, stationery, beauty products, home goods, fragrances, electronics, snacks and accessories, is set to open on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing in August.

, an ear piercing and jewelry brand, is also set to open on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing in August.

 will make its debut in the Islands on July 1.

, which is renovating and expanding its permanent location at Street Level 1 near Center Court, can temporarily be found on Street Level 1 of the Diamond Head Wing (makai). The refreshed space is expected to reopen this summer.

Luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana has relocated to a newly designed boutique on Mall Level 2 of the Diamond Head Wing.

Gap will unveil its newly renovated store, found on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing, on July 3.

UA Hawai‘i, formerly known as Ua Body, has relocated to a new space on Level 3, Center Court.

Ala Moana Center opened in 1959 and is the world's largest open-air shopping center with more than 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It offers more than 350 stores and restaurants, including more than 160 dining options.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Ala Moana Center 052526

<title>What's new at Ala Moana Center</title>

The shopping center has welcomed a number of new tenants with more coming soon.

What's new at Ala Moana Center

, which officially opened last November, started as a way to bring Punjabi cuisine to the Hawaiʻi community, according to business owner and retired U.S. Army Captain Manbir Singh Grewal.

“Our business is known for authentic, mouthwatering Indian recipes; we want to be seen as a local hub for Indian food and as a gathering place,” Grewal says. “The name ‘Haveli Da Tandoor’ means ‘the tandoor of the haveli.’ A haveli is a large farmhouse with great food, and a tandoor is the classic Indian clay oven.

“We strive to serve vets and the community with great food and great service,” he adds.

The business offers a variety of appetizers, entrees and combo plates. Popular dishes include wagyu beef samosas ($15), tandoori chicken ($19.50) and butter chicken ($19.50).

The wagyu beef samosas feature crispy pastry triangles stuffed with wagyu beef, spices and peas. They’re served with housemade mint chutney, pineapple chutney and tamarind sauce.

“They’re crispy on the outside and these are all handmade,” Grewal confirms. “The tamarind is a runnier sauce, and we use local pineapple for the pineapple chutney.”

The business’s tandoori chicken ($19.50) is a customer favorite. The tender, bone-in chicken is marinated in spices and roasted in the tandoor.

“For the tandoori chicken, it’s a thigh and a leg (that come in each plate),” Grewal says.

The butter chicken features a creamy, tomato-based curry.

“People love our live tandoor that serves up tandoori chicken and lamb lollis,” Grewal says. “We also have some of the best butter chicken on the island; it stays super tender, due to the way we make it. The recipes are all from women in my family, including my mother, grandmother and several aunties.”

Entrees come with Jeera basmati rice and raita (a creamy yogurt dip seasoned with cumin). The basmati rice includes cumin and onions, according to Grewal.

“Some people just order the rice on the side because they really like it,” he says. “It’s a flavorful rice by itself, and when you mix it with the butter chicken or any of the other dishes, it’s really good.”

Customers can enhance their orders with garlic naan ($5.50) or mango lassis ($7), or creamy mango yogurt smoothies with cardamom and Hawaiian honey.

“Most people get our butter chicken with a couple of the garlic naans,” Grewal says. “At times, we do a stuffed garlic naan that we make fresh. We’re moving toward doing a cheese-based garlic naan.”

The business’s tandoori lamb lollis are not always featured at events; the special often sells out quickly. The marinated lamb loin chops are crisped to perfection in the tandoor. Plates usually include three pieces with rice and bread.

Grewal uses a high-quality, grass-fed lamb to make the lollis.

“I always bring more and more, and I always sell out in an hour, or an hour and a half, after we start (at an event),” he says. “We cut the lamb loins apart and pound them out, then we add a two-step marinade to them.

“The lamb takes about 10 to 15 minutes (in the tandoor),” he adds. “It takes 10 minutes to get it nice and crisp. We pull it out to baste it with clarified butter, so it makes it crispy.”

Vegetarian-friendly options, like chole bhature ($19.50), are also available. This dish features a slow-simmered, spiced chickpea curry, or chole. It’s served with a golden-fried bhature bread and raita.

“It’s a popular Punjabi dish; it’s completely vegetarian, but it’s super filling,” Grewal says.

Customers can currently find the business at various events across Oʻahu, including Wai Kai on Thursdays, What the Truck?! on Fridays, and Village Night Market at Pearlridge Center on Saturdays. The business often posts its schedule for the week on social media.

“Although we are just a truck now, we plan to expand and bring the real Haveli experience to the island,” Grewal says. “We are a veteran-owned business that serves the community; we want to serve delicious Indian meals. We have also been involved in feeding more than 100 people at a time in town. We are here for the people who love our food, but even more importantly, we want to be here for those that need our food.”

Haveli business owner 062326

<title>Haveli Da Tandoor food truck serves authentic North Indian flavors</title>

The food truck features Punjabi cuisine, including tandoori chicken, wagyu beef samosas and tandoori lamb lollipops. Customers can find the truck at events across Oʻahu, including Ono Grindz & Makeke at Wai Kai, What the Truck?! and at the Village Night Market.

Haveli Da Tandoor food truck serves authentic North Indian flavors

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Roselani Aiwohi, owner of Waiwaolani, a Maui-based clothing brand inspired by Hawaiʻi's native ecosystems, described the store opening Saturday at Kāhala Mall as “a beautiful day.”

“Four and a half years of Waiwaolani and the only way I was able to continue and persevere is because of the love I received by my ʻohana and hoaaloha (friends),” 

. “At the end of every day and through every trial and bump in the road, it was the love I received from my family, the kako'o (support) and the kōkua (help) that pushed me along. So grateful for the sea of support and to be surrounded by such love.”

This is the brand’s first retail store on Oʻahu, which can be found on the ground floor of the mall in the former Fighting Eel space.

Aloha State Daily spoke with Aiwohi in January

, she teased about moving into a permanent space on Oʻahu “soon.”

“I can’t really say much, but it is going to take up a lot of my time, and then, I’m under that lease and unable to do as many pop-ups on Oʻahu as I used to,” she said at the time. 

In 2024 alone, Waiwaolani was at 20 pop-ups across the Islands. Earlier this month on Oʻahu, the biz was a vendor at Hoʻomau Market. It is also participating in the 

, which will be held from Aug. 20 to 23, at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. (ASD will be there, too! Stop by our booth for free merch.)

ʻi and raised on Maui, Aiwohi said that the business, which launched in November 2021, “happened by accident,” after she befriended a family in Bali in need of work. They later became her team of seamstresses, while she designed prints at home that share stories of Hawaiʻi's native plants. Waiwaolani’s various giveback programs focus on conservation, mālama ʻāina and local youth development.

“Through our locally designed clothing and products, we hope to inspire people to learn about and appreciate Hawaii's native ecosystems, while supporting the organizations working to protect them,” Aiwohi said in a Tuesday statement.

Aiwohi adds that the new location will “allow Waiwaolani to connect with new customers, expand its reach across the Islands and build relationships with community organizations, while continuing to support the Native Hawaiian community.

“Kahala Mall is delighted to be the first Oʻahu location for Waiwaolani,” said Kāhala Mall 

in a statement. “We look forward to introducing our customers to this unique Maui-based brand and supporting its continued growth in Hawaiʻi.”

Waiwaolani is looking to partner with other Native Hawaiian groups and organizations statewide for its Kāhala Mall store. Interested? Email aloha@waiwaolani.com.

Waiwaolani 005

<title>Maui-based clothing shop now open at Kāhala Mall</title>

Waiwaolani, a Native Hawaiian-owned alohawear business featuring prints of Hawaiʻi’s native species, has expanded to Oʻahu with the opening of its first retail store on the island.

Maui-based clothing shop now open at Kāhala Mall

Known for its hand-crafted xiao long bao, 

The business, which just opened by Shabuya in Ala Moana Center, has 14 locations in cities like Bellevue, Tacoma, San Francisco and more. The eatery offers authentic Taiwanese cuisine and soup dumplings, according to owner Brandon Ting.

“We started this restaurant’s first location in Bellevue, Washington,” he explains. “We brought the former executive chef of W Hotel Taipei from Taiwan to America; we created this menu together. We want to bring the most authentic, classic xiao long bao experience to Hawaiʻi; we are very excited to be on this island and to serve so many customers here.”

The Honolulu store opened for its friends and family event on Friday, and was soft opened over the weekend. The eatery can seat about 140 individuals.

Customers can make reservations for dine-in via 

“We encourage people to make reservations; we will occasionally accept walk-ins,” he says.

Most xiao long bao orders include six pieces. Each dumpling is folded by hand and steamed fresh to order, according to Ting. The wrappers are delicate, but designed to contain the filling and soup broth.

“The amount of soup inside is a very important standards that we value for our dumplings,” Ting says. “We always tell our customers not to bite them the regular way. If you do, the inside has a lot of soup, and you’ll squeeze it all out.”

Ting recommends that customers let the dumplings cool down, then “eat the entire dumpling in one bite” to enjoy the dumpling exterior and soup together. 

Ting explains that chef Peter Wang — former executive chef at W Hotel Taipei — helped establish the standards, recipes and techniques for Supreme Dumplings. Supreme Dumplings chef Norman Lu, the former head chef of Din Tai Fung’s original central kitchen, adds his expertise to the culinary team.

“Great xiao long bao is a game of millimeters and grams,” Lu states. “Each Supreme Dumplings xiao long bao weighs exactly 27 grams — 6 grams of wrapper, 11 grams of soup, and 10 grams of filling. Achieving that balance consistently requires tremendous discipline and craftsmanship.”

The Supreme pork xiao long bao ($13) is the eatery’s signature dish. Lu explains that choosing high-quality ingredients was essential.

“We carefully select a premium pork specifically chosen for its ideal fat ratio and fiber structure,” he states. “That’s what allows the filling to remain juicy without feeling greasy, while delivering a clean, natural pork flavor. We use premium ingredients throughout our kitchen, and even our seasonings are made from real ingredients, rather than additives." 

The Honolulu menu includes options like Szechuan spicy pork xiao long bao ($12), shrimp and pork xiao long bao ($14), black truffle and chicken xiao long bao ($19) and wagyu beef xiao long bao ($16). If you want a little bit of everything, go for the signature XLB assortment ($20), which includes spicy pork, chicken, wagyu, black truffle and crab fillings.

The menu also features Taiwanese favorites, including spicy pork wontons ($10) and Taiwanese chicken cold noodles ($13). Customer favorites include stir-fried string beans with garlic ($18), pork chop fried rice ($19), mini pan-fried pork dumplings ($15) and Supreme tan tan noodles ($15.50).

Customers can also look forward to a Hawaiʻi-exclusive dish that’s coming soon. The golden pineapple fried rice and a variety of Island-inspired cocktails will be added to the menu.

Desserts include sweet taro ($10.50), chocolate melt ($11) and matcha lava xiao long bao ($12). The latter features a matcha and white chocolate filling.

Supreme Dumplings Honolulu is currently open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Hours are subject to change.

“This is a place where people genuinely appreciate great food, family-style dining and experiences worth sharing,” Ting states. “We look forward to creating moments of joy for local residents and visitors alike.”

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Supreme Dumplings wagyu dumplings

<title>Supreme Dumplings is now open in Ala Moana Center</title>

The business, which originated in Washington, specializes in handmade xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. Dumplings are folded by hand and are steamed fresh to order; customers can choose from fillings like pork, wagyu beef, truffle and chicken and more. Customers can currently make reservations via Yelp.

Daily Smile: Thursday, May 14, 2026

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