From the Picklehood

I was in Target the other day.  Stopped on my way to pickleball to buy something to share at the courts.  I saw a lone six pack of Love’s powdered sugar donuts on a shelf in the grocery section.  Honestly, I had not seen the trademark or the donuts in years.  I know the company, a Hawaiian institution, closed their doors a while back after being in business for 170+ years.  I bought the six pack (of donuts) and left for the courts.  

 

On the way, I found myself humming their catchy ’60’s tune and reminiscing…..

 

I played Little League Baseball in Kailua, Oahu. 1955 to1959.  My joy and respect for the game started there.  Great coaches and players.  Lifelong friends.   Buried in those five years is a fun story about sugar donuts.  Make that Love’s powdered sugar donuts.  Those of you with a few more years of experience and who grew up in the islands may remember Love’s Bakery and the smell of fresh bread and pastries as you passed their factory in Kalihi or entered one of their outlet stores.

 

The local Foodland Grocery store was our team sponsor.  We were the Foodland Braves. The store’s assistant manager, for five summers, always dropped by the ballpark on game day to bring us Love’s powdered sugar donuts.  If I remember correctly, there were thirteen to a box (did I mention they were mini donuts) and we were to share with one teammate. Our coach, Mr. Kahalewai, let us eat during the games. I ate one each inning (our games were six innings in duration).  We would ‘jung kin po’ for the thirteenth mini.  Our team was good. We lost rarely.  And, success was always attributed to the donuts.  Baseball players can be very superstitious.

 

Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the start of pickleball here on Kaua’i.  A decade of pickleball days spent with good friends and friends to be here on Kaua’i.  No matter the picklehood, we have fun.  Laugh a lot.  Genuinely visit and talk. We play some pretty good pickleball, too.  One other common denominator has always been the sharing of food at the courts.  Store bought.  Homemade.  Always perfect.  Finger food.  Malasadas.  Glazed donuts.  Pickled mangoes.  Sushi.  Sugar cookies.  Brownies. Chips. Fruit.  Musubi.  Always something.  The wider the variety of treats, the better we play.  When gastronomical enjoyment occurs, the body releases hormones and chemicals that can positively affect physical performance (I made this part up, but it’s based on five years of Little League memories and that has to be worth something, right!!).  The point?  Food, in moderate amounts—while playing, can positively affect athletic performance.  Hydrating is a given.  Sugared electrolytes are better for most people.  But if you’re just drinking water to hydrate, a sugared treat during a 2-3 hour session of play can be good.  Hence, the Love’s donut recommendation.  Word in the ‘Hood’ is that they work especially well in tournament play.

 

One last note……The 1959 Hawaii representative at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania was Kailua, Oahu.  The nucleus of that team was comprised of players from the Foodland Braves.  All through the Hawaii state playoffs, we ate our powdered sugar donuts and we kept winning. The streak ended in Williamsport. Love’s Bakery products had not found their way to supermarket shelves on the east coast.  See what I mean about superstitions!!

 

Jack Hodges

District Pickleball Ambassador - Hawaii

Kaua’i Resident