The Da Kine about Hawaiians

I haven't mentioned it that much but the unit I'm with is actually part of the Hawaiian national guard. In my tent of ten there are seven from Hawaii. The other two are fillers like me, one from Washington the other from Iowa.

There's a type of slang called Pidgin that in some ways sounds a little bit like Jamaican. I'd catch a lot of hell if they saw me write this, they're fiercly independent and sensative about that type of comparison. That's why I like to mention it to them daily, all in good fun of course. Here's a site with phrases you can listen to.

I haven't picked up on all of it but the most used phrase has to be "Da Kine". It pops up in nearly every other sentence. This is akin to saying "whatchamacallit" I suppose. I like the previously mentioned websites official definition and translation.

DA KINE

Definition: anything to which you are referring when you can't remember what it is

Example: You going take DA KINE wit you fo go pick up DA KINE? ah. Oh shoots.

Translation: So are you going to take Susie & Judy with you to pick up the pizza & beer? Yes. Good.

Besides the slang exposure I've had a run in with some interesting snacks. The first was dried mango which I love, and the second was cuttlefish which I can't find a taste for. It reminded me of seafood that had been cooked, allowed to go cold and then gone bad. When I first tried it I was in the Humvee turret and immediatly shot the stuff out of my mouth and into a garbage infested razor wire fence where it looked less out of place. "That's good stuff huh?" asked the driver not knowing I had spit it out. "It's... interesting" I said, as I shoved 4 cough drops in my mouth to alleviate the taste.

What's a cuttlefish you ask? Click here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuttlefish

What did this fine snack look like? Click here.
http://www.alohagoodies.com/Crunch.html

Mmmm monosodium glutamate.