Fiji Dreaming on Such a Dreary Day

I arrived on the bus, as usual, with my mind tracing steps back through my day at work. Buses in the city are always foreign to me; so many people, so little to say.
The difference between this and every other stale, silent bus ride was a conversation between two ladies that I could not help but intrude into. One lady commented on an Indian restaurant that served the most amazing dal with brown rice as the other nodded in understanding. Zoning out, my attention snapped back as the lady in front mentioned she came to San Francisco from Fiji.
"What is the national dish of Fiji?" I blurted out.
Stumped, she could not answer me. "We use everything. Indian cuisine definitely influenced ours, but we use sea food, pork, and fruit." We discussed food, great restaurants, countries we wanted to visit and our favorite wines until the bus pulled over at her stop. "It was nice to meet you, young lady, and have a nice day."
The rest of the way home, I could not help but ponder what the national dish was, or at least what the most common dishes are. There was only one way for me to cure my case of the curiosity. Here is what I discovered.
Native Fijians along with the Indo-Fijians use their hands when eating and eat on mats sprawled over the floor. Many dishes use rice, sweet potatoes, taro, cassava, coconut and fish. National specialties of Fiji are kakoda, duruka, lovo, rourou, and breadfruit. Though there is not an official national dish, Kokoda is commonly associated with the title of Fiji's national dish. Small micro gardens are springing up, which allow for the use of fresh greens and vegetables which were not accessible before. Lamb is imported from New Zealand, while an abundance of fresh sea foods are available.
Fiji, rich in scenery, tourism and fresh produce, is a wonder that everyone should visit at least once in their life. Though I haven't been there, as I get ready for work with the sun climbing up the mountain, I realize how thankful I am for this little getaway above the city; my own personal Fiji.