Lemon Peel Gummies from Sun Chong Hawaii

 I love gummy candy, but the lihing and lemon peel gummy candy craze never attracted my attention, as I always proclaimed myself to be a purist when it came to gummy candy. But then my husband decided to try and make it home for his friends at work, and since it was right in front of me, I tried a few, and thought "hey, this is actually pretty good!".  

So of course I did some searching on the web to see who makes the best ones (since there are sooo many people and places that sell them now).  I watched Frolic Hawaii's Assistance Editor Thomas Obungen's taste 7 different lemon peel gummies in a blind taste test, and he selected Sun Chong Grocery's lemon peel gummy bears (click here to view the video).  Sun Chong Grocery also won the 2020 Best of Honolulu 'Best Lemon Peel Gummies' award.  These two accolades had convinced me to make a special trip to Chinatown to seek out Sun Chong Grocery's lemon peel gummies.

Upon my arrival, (about 15 minutes to closing), a lady greeted me at the entrance and asked me what I was looking for and she would retrieve it for me. I told her I was looking for lemon peel gummy bears, and she came back with a handful of different types. Since it was 4 for $20, I purchased two gummy bears, one gummy strawberry, and one Gushers.  

gummy strawberries

gummy bears

Gushers

I gave the Gushers to my nieces, and they loved it! Their initial reaction was "whoa!". I think the lemon peel add a slight "zing" that a first-timer doesn't expect.  The gummy strawberries were my favorite, since gummy strawberries in general are my favorite gummy candies. While I'm not an expert on lemon peel gummies, I do think Sun Chong mixes in just the right amount of lemon peel to give the gummy candies that perfect balance of sweet, salt, and tart. 

If you can't make it to their little shop on Hotel Street in Chinatown, you can order online at sunchonghi.com. 

SUN CHONG HAWAII
127 N. Hotel St.
(808) 537-3525

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HONOLULU Family Fun Run 2017

On Saturday morning we laced up our shoes, slathered on the sunscreen, and headed to Honolulu Hale for the first annual HONOLULU Family Fun Run, presented by Kaiser Permanente.

The event consisted of two events - a 500m keiki dash for kids ages 3-10, and a 3K fun-run for family members of all ages.  The start/finish line for both races was located on South King Street right in front of Honolulu Hale.

First up was the keiki dash at 8:30 am. I wasn't sure if my boys would participate in the Keiki dash, so I signed up our family for just the 3K fun run that we could all do together. In hindsight, after watching the kids racing their hearts out and receiving their medals at the finish line (all finishers received a medal), I regretted not signing up the boys for the keiki dash. 

Just before 9 am, it was time for the 3K family fun run.  Before we lined up at the start line, we were guided through a 5 minute warm up led by Spiderman, Ariel and Elsa.  

After warming up, we were herded like cattle to the start line on South King Street. There people of all ages participating, including many kids who had just completed the keiki dash. 

After starting east on S. King Street, we turned left onto Alapai Street, then left onto South Beretania. 

The first snack station was just before the State Capitol - we received a water bottle from Kaiser Permanente.

The second snack stop, just before Richards Street, was sponsored by Meadow Gold Hawaii - chocolate milk!

At each turn along the route, there were signs held by volunteers, directing us to turn. 

We headed down Alakea street towards the heart of downtown. 

My son enjoyed the window shopping and looking at all the tall buildings in downtown Honolulu.

The next station consisted of packaged snacks and a selfie stop.

Next stop - Kona Red samples! 

We made another turn back onto South King Street and headed back towards Honolulu Hale. 

It was a great opportunity to take a selfie in front of historic Iolani Palace.

The last snack stop was manned by Le Jardin Academy - bananas! 

We made it! 

After the race, we hung out at the Best of Honolulu Festival, presented by American Savings Bank. There were lots of food booths, shopping booths, and free entertainment. 

We are already looking forward to next year's race. Thank you to our sponsors for providing us with complimentary passes to participate in this fun run!

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