Fruity Fun
PHOTO: COURTESY MOANA SURFRIDER, A WESTIN RESORT & SPA
Mangoes at the Moana celebrates an island favorite.
There’s a beloved song by The Mana’o Company that compares the singer’s sweetheart to a mango. The lyrics sing “I love you like a mango…” That endearment pretty much sums up what many kama’aina feel for the fruit itself. Mangoes are more than just a fruit. They are a rite of passage, symbol of summer, crowd-pleaser.
In Hawai’i, mangoes are eaten in sweet and savory ways. You share them with your kupuna when you’re growing up, you see them as a sign that the sweet-scented days of summer are beckoning, and, if you’re blessed with a mango tree, you know that those mangoes are yours to share and bring smiles to the faces of your friends, family—and even a few strangers!
The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, celebrates this golden fruit with its fifth annual Mangoes at the Moana, Saturday, July 13. The resort has partnered with Makaha Mangoes to share with the Waikiki community— visitors and kama’aina alike—the joy that is eating a juicy mango (whichever way you choose to do it).
The festivities begin at 10 a.m. and run through 5 p.m. The festival will feature the “Mango Throw Down” from noon to 4 p.m. in the Banyan Courtyard. It’s a friendly competition amongst local celebrity chefs to see who can dish up the best mango recipe. Another highlight is the “Mango Cocktail Mixdown,” a competition between cocktail enthusiasts and professional mixologists using Kettle One Vodka and mango as the featured ingredients in a mixed drink.
Even the backyard mango growers can get in on the action. The “Best Mango Contest” invites mango lovers to submit two homegrown backyard mangoes for a chance at the title and bragging rights. Oh, and the grand prize of a two-night stay at an ocean-front room at the Moana Surfrider can’t hurt either.
Don’t have a tree of your own? Not to worry. Head to the Mango Farmer’s Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Banyan Courtyard. Other fun activities include mango seminars, the delicious Lunch and Afternoon Tea at The Veranda, and free entertainment throughout the day in the Banyan Courtyard.
For more information, call (808) 237-4749 and ask for the concierge desk. For dining reservations, call (808) 921-4600.
Mangoes at the Moana
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa
2365 Kalakaua Ave. [C:9 Waikiki Map]
(808) 922-3111
