Really, this drink combination sounds like a drinkable disaster in the making. But I need my mind blown with this drink before blowing out my stomach and butt.

How I underestimated the power of the Army. I mean really it’s Chicken McNuggets, fries, a drink, and two new dipping sauces. But it’s not. It is the BTS meal at McDonalds… and this meal features a special paper bag… and possibly a $1 price tag… and the Army of BTS.

The meal appeared on the lunch menu within the app but when I actually went to order, I got this instead.

Yes, unavailable… on launch day. Must be an app glitch right? I drove down to the nearest McD and saw these promising signs.

So I went to place my order on the kiosk but what’s this?! Out of stock.

I tried asking the workers about the meal but didn’t get far. They said I had to use the app to order the “BTL” meal and that they could not ring up the order to get the (promotional) pricing (whatever that is). Not gonna lie, I was somewhat upset about the overall experience and confusion over McNuggets, fries, and a drink.

As a consolation, I asked for the new sauce and got Cajun.

And while the Cajun sauce looks like nacho cheese, it does pack some heat.

Did you have any success finding the BTS x McD meal? How much did it cost?

The escalators were also shut down, assumedly to save on operations, maintenance, and cleaning.

Hoping these closures of the small businesses are only temporary. But the real prize of this dreary visit is the patbingsu from Jejubing Dessert Cafe. Recently opened during the height of COVID breakouts on Oahu, the cafe is still open for takeout and is well worth the drive and eat in the car.

This is the green tea regular size, but I think I’ll stick with the tiramisu. Mango is good albeit a little sweet, and you can’t go wrong with the kinako bingsu.

Unfortunately, this pairing isn’t one of my favorites. Bananas aren’t my thing, and the banana flavor is too artificial tasting. The crunch is good though.

And don’t think you can outsmart the system by going to self check-out. The POS systems are programmed to halt your checkout until the on-duty clerk checks and approves your lychee purchase. Simply put, don’t hoard the lychee.

From its days in Don Quijote then moving down to Hekili Street, this franchise provided affordable and tasty Vietnamese sandwiches and other dishes. I loved their iced coffee ratcheted up caffeine levels. Sadly, the owners decided to move on and out of Hawaii (so I hear), but hopefully, this gap is quickly filled. The Pig and the Lady (or Piggy Smalls) would fit nicely in this lineup of boutique shops…

The greeter pointed out the no food or beverage sign on the door.

I asked if there was a holding area for drinks, and she said the trash. Of course, I wasn’t about to trash a $7 drink full of body-infusing caffeine. I faux-ly and incredulously asked if she was serious about no drinks since pretty much every store has that no food or beverage sign but does not enforce it. She replied no drinks… for safety.

Now mind you we’re in the front of the store next to the cash registers which are next to all food and drink items at Ross. But I knew it was a losing battle, so I did leave. But I took a pic of my drink in the store.

Since you never know if Costco will continue to carry this (or any) product, you might as well stock up while you can!

Then you pop one in your mouth and watch the mists of Mauna Kea arise.

The fun of @maunakeamist

A post shared by Greg Yamane (@geewhy) on Aug 19, 2017 at 5:11pm PDT

In the Shirokiya Village Walk, head towards the back wall and look for space #32. You’ll probably find customers waiting in line or in front of the location, exhausting frozen mist for all of social media to see.

Mauna Kea Mist serves other cold goodies like mochi ice cream, F’real shakes, and my favorite, the Hawaiian Honey Cane. Like the Jipangyi that I missed out in Korea, this corn pop tasting tube is filled with vanilla soft serve for a crunchy yet soft experience.

One last word of warning – do not drink the liquid nitrogen.

All I care about is that ramen broth, specifically that of the tsukemen ramen from Ramen Bario. OH MY GOODNESS. I initially sampled the broth to check its spiciness, and a few spoonfuls later, I had almost forgotten about the noodles themselves. That broth is so rich and so different that I thought it was perfect. But then I added a spoonful of fresh garlic, and the flavor went up another level. Then I added a spoonful of the chili pepper, and the flavor of the broth just exploded. My, oh my.

Go check out the interesting decor and all the eateries at Waikiki Yokocho, but be sure to visit Ramen Bario first.

Back in Hawaii while stopping by a Walmart, I went a little Mountain Dew crazy after discovering five new flavors! I think the Dew-S-A flavor that combines Code Red, White Out, and Voltage has been out for a bit, but I only found a bottle today. Sweet as expected, but I think I like the original better.

I had seen and tried the Black Label before, but I hadn’t seen the Green or White Label Dews.

These Spiked drinks are totally new to me. The red can features raspberry lemonade spiked with prickly pear cactus juice. The yellow can is lemonade with prickly pear cactus juice, and both are non-alcoholic beverages.

I’m definitely doing the Dew!!

At little over 20 minutes per episode, watching Kasumi lead his retired life while having interludes with a feudal samurai is delicious entertainment.

Personally, I think these chocolate-covered graham cracker cookies are way better than the sandwich version sold by Hawaii-based Girl Scouts. The sandwich version tastes like any other sandwich cookies available at grocers. If both types of Smores could be brought to Hawaii, they could to be sold regionally, like an “east side” and “west side” Smore. That’ll provide a distinguishing characteristic for the cookie and maybe stir up some preference tiffs (like the argument about who makes the best malasada). I’d definitely go for this “east side” Smore.