Happy Aloha Friday!

Welcome to this week's roundup of tasty tidbits specially curated for you from Hawaii to Istanbul and everywhere in between...

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Last week I had a chance to sit down with my former boss from Hawaii Food Tours, Matthew Gray for his 50 Tastes of Gray podcast.

It was fun to share my love of Turkish food and culture and also to reminisce about being a food tour guide in Honolulu way back 15 years ago!

👉 Catch the 50 Tastes of Gray interview here

What would you do?

Sadly this week, a fire at a ski resort in Bolu in Turkiye during the winter holiday break has become a national tragedy.

It prompted me to return to a post I've been thinking of for a while related to one crucial step of travel planning that is often overlooked: having an emergency preparedness plan.

Things as simple as knowing the local number to call in an emergency (is it 911 or 112?), knowing local media stations, or registering ahead with your embassy are all easy ways to stay prepared and to help conserve local resources for residents if you are caught traveling during a natural disaster.

Read on below...

📣 New on Shoyu Sugar

Newest article

Would you know what to do if YOU were traveling during a natural disaster? General safety planning tips & disaster preparedness tips for Hawaii travelers.

Read the article

Destination inspiration ✈

Nine Hawaii chefs, restaurants & bartenders are among the nominees for this year's James Beard Awards - check out the well-deserved chefs and restaurants to add to your Hawaii bucket list.
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny came out with a new song recently that sparked a thoughtful conversation around overtourism and displacement of island residents in Puerto Rico & Hawaii.
Martha Cheng has a piece on the history of Okinawans in Hawaii (and how so many of the best places to eat are Okinawan-owned!)

Feeling Lucky🍀

International Living is giving away a $2000 flight voucher https://intliving.com/winfreeflightsshr
Intro travel is giving away two spots on a group tour plus a voucher towards flights! Enter by tagging a friend on this Instagram post by 1/30.
Sumo Citrus is giving away round-trip airfare to Tokyo for you and a guest, a 4-night, 5-day stay, and even a bit of spending money to make the most of your time in Japan. Enter here by 2/15.