Shrimp Trucks of the North Shore

In an effort to be a traveler and not tourist, I have been attempting to branch out from my admittedly limited palette and at least try some of the local food when I travel.   With a trip to Hawaii, I knew that meant I would likely be sampling traditional luau cuisine.  I was told to expect smoked pork-which is fabulous and poi and taro rolls-which give me a very “Green Eggs and Ham” kind of feeling.  They are actually quite good, but it is still somewhat unsettling to eat something that looks as if was made from mashed crayons. I was also told that Spam was a popular Hawaiian food, but  I draw the line at Spam. There is no way you can dress that up that will make it any kind of decent, and if that makes me a tourist, so be it.

~The Beautiful North Shore~

Once I was on the island of Oahu, I learned that there is another dining experience that the locals rave about and take their friends when they visit-the Shrimp Trucks of the North Shore.   These trucks might have been the first of the food truck craze, popping up on the North Shore because of proximity to the large shrimp farms in the area.   Now, they are more of a tourist draw than a cozy local hangout, but they are still worthy of a stop while touring the North Shore.

There are a variety of trucks throughout the area and the locals certainly have strong feelings about their favorites for a variety of reasons.  Taking all the recommendations and factors into consideration, I made my choice based on the first truck I saw, which just happened to be Macky’s.    

~Seating at Macky's~

It probably goes without saying, but there is only one thing on the menu at a shrimp truck-big, juicy shrimp.  The only choice is what delicious sauce will accompany your shrimp.  Lemon pepper, garlic butter, and spicy are the most popular flavors, although coconut shrimp is also available. Macky’s is celebrated by locals because they offer a small salad and a wedge of pineapple to lighten up the calorie laden drenched shrimp and rice that is typically served.  They are also offer a nearby sink, which comes in handy when it is time to clean off the sauce that will inevitably be dripping from your fingertips.   Yes, my friends, this is the peel and eat variety of shrimp, but it once you break open the first shell, you won’t be able to get to goodness fast enough.

I ordered the lemon pepper, paid my money,  and took a seat under the tarp to wait for my number.  After paying a staggering $12 for a plate of food from a dingy truck parked on a dirt lot next to a 7-Eleven, I began to worry that I had fallen into a tourist trap.   Beore I had too much time to wonder, my number was called and I was breaking the juicy, white meat out of the shell.  After that first bite, I no longer cared if I was a tacky tourist or a saavy traveler.   My thoughts were only on breaking into the shrimp as fast as possible, stopping only every other bite to lick my fingers and then return to peeling.  After the shrimp was completely eaten, I dove into the rice simply to sop up the last of the sauce that was stuck to the sticky grains.  I completely skipped the salad, but I ate the pineapple wedge. I  had been told that pineapple enzymes aid in digestion, and after the shrimp gluttony, I figured I needed all the help I could get.