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STEPPING OUT
BOULDER - For the past two years, Michael Iuichi, owner of 8 Island Hawaiian BBQ, has been riding the waves of customer support. Like the surfin Hawaii, though, the waves roll in and roll out.
"Some days we have a lot of people, and the next day we're very slow. It's just up and down and up and down. I just have to get used to that," Iuichi said.
It's probably equally likely that Boulderites have to get used to 8 Island. In a town that offers any number of Thai, Chinese, sushi and pho eateries, 8 Island is the standalone option for authentic Hawaiian food.
What many folks may not know is that Hawaiian food is an amalgamation of Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino and other Asian cuisines. So diners craving the familiar may feel right at home ordering sweet and sour chicken (the Wednesday special) or gyoza, the Japanese version of pot stickers. But those who want something purely island-based need look no further than the kalua pork (it bears no relationship to the coffeeflavored liqueur, so you're safe eating it on your lunch break)...