Lest you think of this piece as a advertisement for McDonald’s, rest assured it’s not. McDonald’s is good. They’re consistent, but they’re not the best fast food place around.

The Ultimate Cheeseburger at Jack-in-the-Box rules this household. Wendy’s French fries and chicken nuggets are the best around (now that KFC doesn’t do nuggets anymore). And I prefer Pepsi over Coke. Always have. Always will.

Still, the local McDonald’s franchise in Hawaii is known as an independent bunch and years ago they made menu changes to accommodate local market tastes. Literal tastes, in this case.

Chinese and Japanese noodles are very popular in Hawaii. Japanese noodles are more available in Hawaii than Chinese noodles except in Chinatown where there’s more Vietnamese noodles. The Chinese folks like to say they taught the Japanese everything they know about noodle making back in the year 600.

The Japanese folks point out that the Chinese noodle makers haven’t learned anything since.

Regardless, we got noodles in Hawaii. Even at McDonald’s. Chopsticks, too.

That’s what makes Hawaii such a neat place for local folks and visitors. We’re adaptable. Not enough sand on Waikiki Beach to make it attractive for visitors expecting a postcard perfect slice of paradise? No sweat.

At night we truck in freshly cleaned sand and spread it all over the beach just in time for a morning walk.

That’s what those tire tracks in the sand are all about.

So it is when you beat a track to McDonald’s for a burger, coffee, Coke or fries. Hawaii’s visitors include a large contingent from Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, and other parts in the Pacific.

You got it. They like noodles. McDonald’s simply gives folks what they want. Now, if I could get them to serve Pepsi, Wendy’s fries, an Ultimate Cheesburger, everybody would be happy.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.