Sharon’s Spot

A good friend of mine, a local hapa boy who recently moved to South Carolina of all places, called me up last week and asked me how to make meat jun. He said he had a serious ‘hankering’ for it.

I remember shortly after I moved up here to Seattle, I started having my own lustful thoughts about meat jun - that oh so tasty staple of local Korean establishments. After much searching, I couldn’t find meat jun on the menu at any Korean restaurants here! Is it a Hawaii invention?

My dad mentioned that Popo used to make meat jun for my uncle who loves the stuff. So on one of my many visits back home, I sat down with her and asked for the recipe. Of course without pulling out any recipes or cookbooks, Popo started rattling off some ingredients. I thanked her profusely and couldn’t wait to get home to try out the recipe.

When I got back to Seattle, I expected to just show up at the grocery store and get some ‘thin sliced beef’. I walked up and down the meat case and couldn’t find any - there were beef steaks, pork chops, boneless skinless chicken breasts… No thin sliced beef! Should I buy a steak and cut it up? You can’t do that with a T-bone or NY strip steak!

Frustrated, I left without buying any meat and prayed for the lust for meat jun to just go away.

One peaceful Saturday morning as I was shopping the local Safeway, I was strolling by the meat case and as the sky parted and angels with harps floated nearby, I found the elusive thin sliced beef! It was Beef Bottom Round Steak Thin, to be exact. I grabbed two packages - the only two packages in the case - and scooted outta there as fast as I could.

When I got home, I was so excited that I almost kicked myself for not running to Uwajimaya to get some kim chee to go with. Oh well, next time.

I marinated the meat in the usual fashion - shoyu, sugar, garlic, green onion, white pepper and sesame oil. I prepared a plate for flour, and another for the egg. Lined up the plates by the stove and set to work!

As I placed the cutlet into the hot oil in the skillet, I was praying for it to turn out like Gina’s … or Kim Chee II … or Yummy’s. Snapping out of my reverie, I flipped the meat over and the angels with harps came out again singing praises! It sure looked like meat jun and smelled like it too!

While the meat jun was sizzling away, I quickly made the dipping sauce - some vinegar, shoyu and a dab of chili sauce.

Continued the process with the rest of the meat as I systematically put them on paper towels to drain, then in the oven to keep warm. And then I was done. Now for the taste test!

I called the hubby into the kitchen for dinner and I held my breath as he cut into his cutlet. Raised fork, into mouth, chewed …

‘Pretty good,’ he said.

I agreed! We were both quiet that evening as we feasted on meat jun, in our very own kitchen in Seattle.

As for my friend, I told him over the phone how to make the meat jun, exactly as Popo had told me.

‘That’s it?’ he asked.

The next day I emailed him. ‘How was it? Easy? Tasty?’

He wrote back and said it was easy. And that there was ’small kine choke in the fridge.’

Keep your shirts on, we just moved within the city, about 4 miles from where we were. But we’re in a house now! Lots of room to spread out and live decently again. Bye bye small apartment!
___
A lot of my buddies from work are/have been going on trips to Hawaii, and I’m jealous. It’s been 15 months since I was last there!

One coworker spent two weeks on Kauai in a beachfront condo and also came back with a souvenir tattoo of some flamin’ sushi.

Another one is going to spend a week on Oahu laying on the beach, shopping, going to Sea Life Park, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and keeping his wife away from the Coach store. Then they’re going to the Big Island for a wedding.

Man, two weeks back home seems like a dream!
___
I bet you’ve been wondering what I’ve been eating lately… We had another luncheon last week for the wireless carrier team and this time it was better. We had lunch at Yarrow Bay Beach Cafe. I had the fish tacos and they were pretty huge. And surprisingly garnished with avocado, and refried beans on the side. It was very filling.

I also went to the new Whole Foods today in Bellevue. That store is nice! Everything is so beautiful and fresh. And they carry some hard-to-find items. Their bread/bakery section was awesome. Breads from bakeries across the city, including La Brea Bakery bread! The desserts looked to die for. Great for parties. The fresh salads looked scrumptious. But the meat counter! So fresh! And organic. And the prepared food counter! And the many types of chowder! And … this place is amazing. You could go here for lunch every single day and not get tired.

I myself had a Grilled To Order cheeseburger. Organic meat, organic everything — right down to the organic ketchup and probably soy mayo at that! A friend I was dining with said, “If you’re going to have a burger, may as well do it this way.” $5.49 for my burgie which came on a toasted foccacia bun, with mayo, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, pickle and ketchup. No fries. We ate in the makeshift outdoor seating area fronting the parking lot, surrounded by potted plants.

The creative director is taking a group of us out for lunch tomorrow. Details to follow…

I’ll try to keep this short. Last Friday a bunch of us on the ‘major wireless carrier’ team went to lunch at Cucina! Cucina! in Kirkland on Carillon Point. Sounds swanky, eh? Well, ever since I arrived in Seattle, I’ve thought this place was gross. Small portions. A la carte items. And definitely no where near authentic. Let me just say that we had a nice view of Lake Washington and it was a gorgeous sunny day. Those come few and far inbetween in Seattle. Already knowing that I didn’t want any pasta dishes, I went with a standard grilled chicken panini claiming to be served with rosemary fries. What I got instead was a grilled wrap with what appeared to be poached chicken inside with greens and a tangy dressing. The fries were on the cold side and were flecked with what appeared to be bits of white stuff - salt? raw garlic? Definitely not rosemary. Rosemary’s green, right?

For dinner we decided to try a new restaurant, South Gate Garden Restaurant in Bellevue. We of course got the grill your own barbecue, but we were surprised that they had very little choices on the menu. We usually get the spicy pork and the kalbi. But the only pork they had listed was belly pork. We decided not to take a chance and just went with kalbi and bulgogi (boneless beef).

As with most any Korean meal, our favorites are the little side dishes that come with it. This time we had bean sprouts, shredded daikon, seaweed, potato salad, kim chee, tofu, sardines and zucchini. Forgive me if I forgot any. Also served with the traditional jalapenos and garlic on the side, as well as bean paste and lettuce leaves for making little pouches for out-of-hand nibbling.

The grill was on a moderate heat and there of course was a huge exhaust vent right above our table. We were a little smokey upon leaving, but not nearly as bad as we are when we leave some other Korean restaurants. Though we always have fun grilling our own, the hubby and I agreed that next time we’ll just order off the menu.

The next day we had lunch at not our usual Subway restaurant. It was gross. The ‘sandwich artist’ wasn’t friendly, and certainly didn’t offer to us every sandwich topping. You choose your bread, you choose your cheese, you choose your meat. Then she asked, ‘lettuce and tomato?’ Yes, please. They proceeded to slide our sandwiches down, almost ready to begin wrapping and rolling. ‘Oh, and all the rest of the veggies except the jalapenos.’ No comment from the artist, just some haphazardly flinging of nonuniform slices of red onion, bell pepper and cucumber. No offerings of mayo or mustard. And certainly no offering of oil and vinegar. She practically gawked when the hubby asked for a sprinkling of oregano.

And the thing that pissed me off the most: no points went on my Subway card! At our usual Subway, there’s a sign posted indicating that you need to give the cashier your Sub card before the end of the transaction. Well as I step up to the register, the idiot sandwich artist shakes the tip jar, then peels off her gloves before punching in our total at the register. I was sooo taken aback by that! Shaking the tip jar?! I managed to pop out my card, then the money to pay for our sandwiches. My card went untouched through the entire transaction. Just as she was about to skip away, I asked if she put any points on my card. No response. I handed her my card. She swiped it, threw it back at me then scooted down the line and donned gloves to help the next unlucky soul.

Two bad restaurant experiences and one that was just okaaay. All in a matter of 24 hours. Man, we gotta quit eating out so much.

Oh a whim, the hubby and I decided to try the American Chinese restaurant just a few blocks from our home called Chan’s Cuisine of China. I expected to find Panda Express-type foods there. Lots of sweet and sour stuff, moo shu pork, etc. All those foods the tourists used to order at the Chinese restaurant I used to work at in college. Oh, and Almond Chicken. And General Tso’s chicken. Got a lot of those requests but the cooks in the back just told us to tell them they didn’t know how to make it and would you like to try our sweet and sour Canton shrimp?

As soon as we entered the establishment I thought we were entering a casino. It had a strong odor of stale smoke; I imagined that the peach walls were infested with years of cigarette tar. We were greeted by a middle-aged Asian woman who looked to be the owner’s wife. I nervously glanced around the room and there was an Asian couple with their child sitting in a corner booth so I didn’t feel too bad about the Americanized Chinese meal I was about to eat.

One bat of an eye at the menu and I saw all the familiar dishes — moo shu pork, almond chicken, etc. But this Chan’s place also had a themed menu! They had preset dinner combinations all named after suspects in a whodunit mystery! Ahh, I see, I thought to myself as I stroked my Foo Man Chu beard. This Chan character the joint is named for is referring to Charlie Chan! The famous crack detective and worldwide celebrity on the Honolulu Police Force!

I decided to keep my discovery to myself and just let the hubby decide and order for us. I, however, was jonesing for some hot and sour soup. The Asian waiter came over and took our order which included the soup, a seafood treasure stir fry and the house special chow mein. The menu indicated that for a dollar more, we could get it atop crispy noodle. Whenever given the choice, we always get crispy noodle! Just as I was beginning to salivate for it, the waiter informed us that they don’t do Cantonese or Hong Kong-style pan fried noodle. They use regular, separate fried noodles scattered on the bottom, then the meat stir fry on top. I quickly convinced the hubby that yes, we would like to have soft noodle instead.

After the waiter had whisked away our menus and was safely out of earshot, I exclaimed to hubby with bulging eyes, ‘You know what he means by crispy noodle, right?! They were gonna use a can of La Choy or Chun King noodles. You know, the kind you use as crunchies on Chinese chicken salad!’

All he could mutter was, ‘Oh.’

The soup arrived and it looked like hot and sour. Smelled like it too. Tasted okay. Could have used more vinegar. I then glanced around the table for more white pepper but there was none. Just black pepper. I read in a Chinese cookbook that the true recipe does not contain chili peppers, as this soup did, but instead gets its heat from white pepper. I do have to say that the soup contained all the other usual ingredients such as bamboo shoots and even lily buds. It was a decent soup.

And then dinner arrived. The rice was served atop a metal pedestal in the shape of a scoop of softball-sized ice cream. Very weird. And so much for keeping it warm… Our seafood treasure, on the menu, had been promised to be served in a wok. However, it was served just in a little metal pot with a handle and a lid. (Mini woks do exist! The hubby once got a stir fry from Funsters casino in Tukwila that was served in a mini wok!) And the chow mein… It was what we used to call at the restaurant Gon Lo Mein, meaning dry-fried noodle. I was disappointed. I don’ t think it was even made from fresh noodles. It tasted pasty and was really salty.

The hubby and I managed to eat what we could, taking home the leftovers for later. The jasmine tea was good.

The meal ended with two fortune cookies. No, my fortune didn’t say ‘You Like Chinese Food’, nor did it have winning Lotto numbers on it. I don’t remember what my fortune said, kind of like how I don’t think I’ll remember to ever return to Chan’s again.

Before I forget — Asian party guy is having a birthday party at his house on Saturday. I heard rumors that he’s making cheesecake birthday cake, and he wrapped and froze spring rolls this past weekend. Sounds like another fun party! Stay tuned for details…

We had a 30 Minute Meal BLT Frittata for dinner tonight which I don’t think passed the hubby’s approval. There was bacon (read: meat) in it so I didn’t get in trouble, but I don’t think he really cares for skillet egg pies. (He loves my spinach quiche though.) We also had mesclun salad with diced tomato and flaked salmon with a warm soy garlic dressing (a little salty). Tomorrow night we’re having salmon patties in pita pockets with tzatziki sauce with corn chowder soup.

Oh, I have to tell you about Gilbert’s on Main here in old downtown Bellevue. I had never heard of this place until my friend mentioned it, calling it ‘a more expensive lunch.’ What exactly did she mean by that? “It’s more like a $12 lunch,” she said. “But it’s soo good.” OK so what does this Gilbert’s place serve, anyway? It’s a New York style Jewish deli. Everything is good.

My friend P and I went on a whim last Thursday and I was greeted immediately by heady delicious aromas. I couldn’t really pick out one or two good scents. They all seemed to combine to create a warm, cozy, aroma that tickled my nose and whet my appetite!A happy-go-lucky gray-haired man appeared from behind the counter holding a plate of salad in his hand, describing it to us as the Autumn Harvest salad which contained spinach, beets, and brandied walnuts, among other treats.

P said she tends to get her ‘usual’ which is a lunch combo of half a salad and half a soup. She said the apple, walnut, Gorgonzola salad is to die for and the Matzo ball is good too. (Afterall we were at a Jewish deli for crying out loud!) People were milling around behind us and we let them go first since it seemed that they were regulars and they too had their usuals.

Once it was our turn, we went up to the counter and ordered. P informed me that their iced tea was really, really good too, but then you’re looking at a $15 lunch. I decided to save that for next time. They gave us a number and we proceeded a table in the corner next to the window. Oh, and we got waters which were serve yourself. Delicious with lemon floating it in. That must be the secret, I thought, as I glanced around the room. Most everyone else also had water to go with their lunch.

We surprisingly spied a fellow coworker there and waved him over to come sit with us. This guy is a native New Yorker so we knew we were in the right place. The food came and I was impressed. My Matzo ball soup came with one big ball the size of a baseball in a clear broth garnished with a cooked carrot and celery stick. And the salad! It was spectacular! Don’t you just hate it when you get a salad and it’s all greens and no garnish? It was the opposite here - more garnish and just enough greens. The walnuts and apple were crunchy, the Gorgonzola was buttery and the dressing wrapped it all together nicely. There was even a thinly sliced apple as garnish. And did I mention the hunk of crusty bread that came with? I was seriously in heaven. The portion was just enough for me to leave full and satisfied, and surprisingly it stuck to my ribs all afternoon! I believe when you eat something that tastes good, it stays with you longer.

And trust me, I was humming about this lunch for the next two days!

I really haven’t heard anything negative about this place until today which was that the deli isn’t open in the evenings or on Sundays. But so what?! This place seriously rocks. I’d give you a link to it, but I can’t find one!

I was going to also write about this but I’m all riled up about that deli again! No seriously, I want to dedicate more time and space to my opinion of this new place, and reminiscing about the four years I spent eating on campus at UH. Ahh, good old Hamilton Snack Bar!

Every meal this past week was a 30 Minute Meal by Rachael Ray. I love her recipes! They are easy to make, full of flavor and they yield enough for dinner for the two of us, and also enough for me to take for lunch the next day. They’re also pretty healthy and use fresh ingredients. And a lof of the time, I find myself experimenting (playing) with new ingredients such as mango chutney, roasted red peppers, and herbs such as tarragon.

She also makes complete meals, meaning a salad or appetizer of some sort, the main dish, and dessert. Most times I’m able to get by with a simple salad and the main dish. But sometimes I go by what’s on sale which means I might mix and match salads with entrees. I rarely make dessert but occasionally I”ll feel inspired to do so.

On Monday we had Pinwheel Steaks. It was President’s Day holiday and I got a little lazy and just did the pinwheels, which were tasty, and served up sliced tomatoes with dressing. The pinwheels were a little sloppy to make - pounding out the New York strip steaks, and rolling them up with homemade pesto sauce and jarred roasted red bell pepper then securing them with toothpicks. In a panicked moment, I exclaimed, ‘Oh my god, this may be my first 30 Minute Meal disaster!’ But I got the hang of it and things were fine. Reaction from the spouse: “Never make it again.” I don’t think he really meant it. Perhaps next time I’ll follow her meal plan to include one starch, one vegetable dish and dessert..

On Tuesday we had Chicken Tarragon which came from Rachael’s third book. The recipe called for serving the chicken on a bed of egg noodles, but the hubby always asks for rice. So I made it his way. Reaction from him: “Hmmm, why is this thing so sweet?” Answer: “There’s some sugar in there; could it be the carrot?” Him: “Hmm, I guess it’s okay.” Served with a side of garlic greens.

Tonight we had a variation on the Black Bean Chili with Corn Chip Casserole, also from her third book. I got lazy toward the end and didn’t want to waste another piece of cookware, so I served up the chili in bowls (with rice underneath) with cheese (that melted with the heat of the chili), a scattering of Fritos, sour cream and cilantro for garnish. It was beautiful! And tasted great too. Served with spinach and slivered almond salad. Reaction from him: “It’s good.” Make it again? “Yeah, I guess so.” He went for seconds…

What’s up next? I’m not sure, but I heard the hubby say to buy some chow fun noodles this weekend and he’ll make his “famous black bean chow fun.” Stay tuned!

This weekend the hubby and I visited family in Chandler, AZ. We ate out a lot and ate a variety of ethnic foods ranging from good old American fast food, to Asian, to authentic Mexican. Come on, no trip to the southwest would be complete without a good smear of refried beans with real lard in it!

In chronological order:
We ate lunch at Church’s chicken. We don’t have a Church’s near us so it was nice to say that we had it.

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I hadn’t been to one yet so it’s nice to say that I have been. Sister-in-law (SIL) and I had martinis, the hubby had a beer. We snacked on avocado spring roll appetizers, followed by dinner. SIL had some beef and rice dish, I had an eggplant, sun-dried tomato, artichoke pasta, and the hubby had jambalaya. For dessert we split a blueberry cheesecake and tiramisu. Food wasn’t bad (we were hungry), nice atmosphere (we sat in the bar), but a little on the pricey side.

Lunch the next day was at Todai. Asian food in the middle of a desert! The food isn’t too horrible and in fact is quite fresh since they make things there in smaller quantities.

And finally the dinner I have been waiting for! Have you been to a Filiberto’s? It’s a 24/7 drive-thru chain that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Take a look at their menu. I always get the carne asada burrito combination plate, but the Chandler location didn’t have that so we just got the burrito separately and a side of beans and rice. The super nachos are good as well! And the horchata! Haven’t had a good Mexican rice drink like that in quite some time. I was a happy camper. The hubby on the other hand didn’t much care for it, I don’t know why. Maybe because he didn’t grow up eating stuff like beans and cheese.

Lunch the next day was at Jack In the Box on the way to the Phoenix Zoo. No soap in the ladies room! ‘Nuff said.

Dinner -last full meal there- was at Chuck E. Cheese. We got a large combo and passed on the salad bar. $3.99 for a single trip? Ugh. I don’t think so! We of course made the kids wash their hands, eat first, wash hands again, THEN play games.

And for breakfast - technically the last meal there - we stopped at Krispy Kreme on the way to the airport! It wasn’t nearly as busy at the one we always go to here in Issaquah, WA. Strangely, the “hot light” was on, but no fresh donuts were rolling through. And yet when we got our box of donuts, they were still warm. Hmm!

But I must not forget the pull to the islands. SIL wanted to make mochi, or more specifically, chichi dango. It seems like a family tradition for us to make it during the Christmas/New Year’s holiday. (Not to be confused with the regular New Year’s mochi). I guess we just make the confection because it reminds us of eating it at home in the islands while growing up during parties, special occasions, or just when aunty or a neighbor was stopping by.

All those old feelings came back as SIL and I were mixing the batter and coloring it pink, and again when cutting the sticky candy with a good old plastic knife and rolling it in potato starch (katakuriko, a new word I learned!). SIL’s Hispanic grandma looked on and helped pour out more starch while we handled the dough with gummy fingers. SIL loves the stuff so much, just about every other piece went into her mouth instead of into the Tupperware to save for later.

We just cracked open the Asti Spumante and celebrated the new year!

We went to Asian party guy’s house to celebrate for a while but came home to have our own champagne. I’m a little too buzzed to write more so updates from the party wiill follow…

Again, hope you all had a safe and happy new year!

Before I get to the highlight of the season — the Asian party — let me first start with another haole party that the hubby and I went to the night before. The party started at 7:30 (after work) and we were told to bring “a platter.” They didn’t specify a platter of what, so we made a pit stop at Trader Joe’s to get some cheese and crackers and spinach/artichoke dip before heading out.

When we got there, a plate of Brie and crackers was already set out, along with Toasted Corn Doritos and homemade salsa. They were also making chocolate martinis of which I took no part in. Something about mixing chocolate and liquor in drink form seems wrong to me. For dinner we had good old Stouffer’s Lasagna with a really good green salad on the side with Riverhouse Blue Cheese Dressing. The dressing was really tasty, I have yet to go out and get some! (Even though I prefer to make my own dressings.) For dessert we had a store-bought iced brownie cake with vanilla ice cream.

There were 11 people total at this party (I know this because I cut the lasagna into 12 pieces and there was one lonely piece leftover) and it was quite cozy and family-oriented. The red wine flowed on and on into the evening once they ran out of that chocolate stuff, and once it hit 1:30 a.m., I retired to one of the couches along with the other kids. We finally left at around 2:30 a.m.!

The next day we went to our first Asian party since moving here five years ago. What makes a party an Asian party other than it being thrown by Asian people? I’m not 100% sure exactly, but maybe it was the coolers of beer and soda on the lanai. I think they had like one bottle of wine there, and no cheese and cracker platter! Also on the lanai was the kettle for frying up not one, but two, deep-fried turkeys! The kitchen island was covered in food ranging from such Hawaiian goodies as ahi poke, kalua pork with cabbage, and my own haupia shortbread squares dessert to Filipino lumpia, to KFC and Papa Murphy’s Pizza! And of course there were foods made from recipes from the Food Network such as Everday Italian’s Holiday Salad to a recipe for a very tasty spiced cider with chunks of orange floating in it. There also was ham, chicken skewers, cranberry sauce, Asian chicken salad… I can barely remember it all! I should have took a photo of the aftermath of which one of my haole friends called “the picture of gluttony”. Up to that night, she was an Asian party virgin. I tried to tell her that it’s Asian philosophy that it’s better to have more, than not enough, and she agreed. She said she’s tired of going to parties where the hostess tells you to just bring chips and so there’s all these bags of chips and not enough “real food” to eat for dinner. After dinner, they made a bunch of different mixed drinks — Midori sours, rum punches, I didn’t see what else they were carrying around on trays.

Something funny - I know I mentioned earlier that there were no cheese and cracker platters. Well, I heard one of the girls there eating some sort of cheese-thing on a cracker and one of her friends said to her, “Woah, that’s a lot of cheese there. Did you take your Lactaid?!” And she sheepishly said no as she popped the bite into her mouth. So it ain’t a true Asian party if you don’t provide Lactaid pills to all your lactose intolerant Asian friends! Myself included! Ha ha!

We ended that night on a really high note. The Great White Elephant gift exchange with 40 people was to die for!

Thought we were partied out by then? Oh no…

The next night the hubby invited his mom and sister over to our place for a prime rib roast, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, romaine salad with tomatoes, and garlic greens. Chocolate or eggnog biscotti with tea for dessert. MIL left the house thanking me for a “very good dinner.”

Two days later we went over to his mom’s house for won ton mein.

The next day we had them over on Christmas Eve for homemade lasagna, Caesar salad and garlic bread. MIL and SIL both declared dinner “yummy” and jumped up for seconds. MIL left the house telling me it was “a good dinner, something she wouldn’t make herself at home.”

Went to MIL’s for a ham and yam dinner on Christmas. And we’ve laid off the eating… for now. Until we go over to Asian party guy’s house for New Year’s Eve… Oh, and one more thought about the Asian party, the hubby was the tallest guy there! (He’s tall - 6 feet - for a Chinese!)

Man it’s been a hectic holiday season! Let’s see, since I last wrote, I had a birthday, made my third turkey ever for Thanksgiving, and gone to three holiday parties so far, and counting! All this food around, and how do I manage to stay on my diet? Well, I’m on a see-food diet. See food, and eat it! The real dieting (moderate proportions) will begin Jan. 1, 2004!

Thanksgiving was a success, if I do say so myself. Had the mother-in-law over for a 14-lb. Norbest turkey, complete with grandma’s stuffing with ground pork, onions, white bread and water chestnuts — just like Mom used to make, cranberry sauce, pan gravy and homemade pumpkin pie for dessert. MIL brought over the yams. It’s interesting to note that I didn’t make traditional 8″ round pumpkin pies. I bought this big ole can of pumpkin and after reading the directions, realized that it would make enough for FOUR pies. Egad! So the hubby suggested I just make one giant pie in a 9×13″ pan just like his aunty used to make. Wow! Good idea! So from now on, I’ll be doing my pumpkin pies that way, with a pat-in-the-pan crust. Yum!

Our company workparty was okaay.They’re just now asking for comments so I feel it’s my duty to give them an earful. The buffet food way okaay — Caesar salad, spinach salad with dried cranberries, rolls with butter, mashed sweet potatoes, ravioli with cream sauce, teriayki salmon, and carved roast beef. The tables weren’t set at all, which means there was no water served, so if you wanted some, you had to go stand in line behind the alcoholics. And there was just one line. The deejay played Kenny Rogers! The gambling tables (oh, didn’t I mention it was a casino-themed party?) were manned by dealers who couldn’t count. One guy only knew that you busted in blackjack when you pulled back from the table and said, “Awe man!” The night ended young after they gave away just one prize — a trip for two to Reno. Not Vegas… but Reno.

Here’s just a sampling of what we ate at a catered luncheon thrown for us by one of our vendors — green salad with blue cheese, walnuts and cranberries, pasta salad with spinach, crab cakes, crudite tray with ranch dip, potstickers, chicken skewers with peanut sauce, tons of other mini hors d’oeuvres, and tons of desserts, including a sinful chocolate mousse cake. Yum. Now that food was better than what we had at the holiday party.

Went to a holiday housewarming party yesterday. Suffice to say this was quite strictly a haole party. Where’s the sushi?! We had stacked slices of summer sausage layered with cream cheese (blech), cucumber rounds with bay shrimp (bland), broccoli, carrots and red bell pepper with ranch dressing (not dip — dressing is made with mayo, dip is made with sour cream), barbecued (Costco) meatballs — these were the hit of the party, crackers with salmon spread, assorted Christmas cookies and chocolates, and your choice of beer, wine, pop (that’s what they call soda here in the Northwest), and spiced apple cider that was really, really strong. Remember getting buzzed off smoking Cloves cigarettes? Drinking a thick brew of cloves in cider gives you the same effect.

Two more parties this weekend folks! And possibly an early Christmas dinner hosted by me for the MIL and sister-in-law. Stay tuned…

Forgot to mention that the hubby and I went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle. This was the first time in the Paramount for both of us. We hadn’t realized it was so small. I guess we’re used to The Blaisdell. I saw it there 10 years ago as a high school graduation present from the folks. The hubby saw it in Los Angeles 13 years ago.

We had both just come from work and were dressed in our regular work clothes. You know, business casual. And as soon as we show up, all I see are evening gowns. Yikes! Then as more folks started showing up, I felt less underdressed. But it was the guy wearing shorts that made me really feel not like a dweeb at all!

We had decent seats and at first the dialogue seemed a little quiet. It improved as the show went on but I don’t know if it was because my ears were tuning in or if they turned up the volume.The music of course was the best part. At times I wanted to just sing along! But the hubby already warned me against it. Hmph!

Intermission, I ran for the restroom like all the others. Luckily I had scoped out its location ahead of time and was one of the first ones in and out.Got bombarded in the lobby by people getting loaded. $10 for a cocktail? Come on, how bad do you want it?

The costumes were fabulous as well as the special effects. I love musicals! I’m draggin’ the hubby to more shows! Jerry Seinfeld is coming in two weeks, but I already got shot down. So he bought me Comedian. What a great hubby!

Crock pot cooking!

I don’t know about you, but while growing up, our
family didn’t own a crock pot. (We didn’t have any
other superfluous kitchen gadgets either like a food
processor, but that’s another story.) In fact I’m not
sure just how many local homes had crock pots. Maybe
because I associate crock pot cookery with thick,
meaty-type meals meant to be eaten in the dead of
winter (the exact opposite of Hawaii weather).

After much researching, I found that crock pot cooking
is not limited to just the winter season!

I have to admit that most of my research has been
limited to websites, since a stroll through the recipe book aisle at the
library yielded empty shelves where all the crock pot
cookbooks once resided during the summertime. (There I
go again, assuming no one uses it in warm weather!)

But it’s true. As the weather begins to cool, it
instantly becomes Crock Pot Season once again. Why,
this week at Fred Meyer Beef Chuck Roast is on sale
for $1.78/lb!

The hubby and I snatched up a 3.5-pounder and got to
work on our pot roast right away!

Now, I can’t describe in detail what transpired
because we were using his ’secret family recipe’. So
let’s just say that after the roast stewed in its own
juices for 6 hrs. on low, we added some carrots,
celery, potatoes and onions and let the aromas do the
talking!

So now I’m hooked! Please send me your favorite crock
pot recipes! You’re not limited to soups, stews and
chilis. The more unique the better! I’m open to
beverages, desserts and appetizers too

“Words of advice are like grandmother’s peanuts, May Li, some good, some rotten. But it is always good manners to accept them. If you find them good, eat them; if you find worms in them, throw them away. When you are asked how are the peanuts, you say wonderful just the same. If you have learned this, you will have no trouble with ill-tempered old hags.”

The Flower Drum Song, by C.Y. Lee, p. 208

Hi folks,

This summer has been one of the most hectic I can
remember in a long time! I just returned from my quick
trip to Hawaii. I wasn’t able to find a cheap fare,
but snatched up a somewhat decent one.

The funeral was nice - short and sweet. It was on
Saturday and it had rained the night before leaving us
with sticky weather all day. I even came back with my
legs riddled with mosquito bites! The weather was
strange for Hawaii during mid-summer. It was hot and
sticky the whole time!

The cousins from San Jose came in, as did other
relatives from Kauai, Portland, and Palo Alto. It was
nice to see everyone again. It was my uncle’s idea to
have a picture collage of family photos starring my
grandmother, as well as the family tree we’ve been
gathering info for for quite some time. Folks gathered
around to find themselves on the tree and to reminisce
about the olden days. It was a great feeling.

The cousins haven’t been back to Hawaii much so it was
a culinary adventure as usual for them. My cousin R
will eat pretty much anything - she spent a year in
Japan and has traveled to many Eastern countries so
eating raw fish was nothing to her. My cousin B on the
other hand has a very limited diet. We got him to try
poi - again - and he ate some of it - with sugar.

How’s grandpa?

He seems to be doing okay. He’s in his 90s and nothing
is slowing him down, except for maybe his legs that
can’t propel him places fast enough. There he was
standing at the sink cutting up the cantaloupe,
honeydew and watermelon to make a fruit salad for
dinner. Amazing!

I left before the grand potluck that sounded like a
dream feast to me - char siu, chicken, green salad
with walnuts, corn chowder soup, chicken pot pie,
bittermelon, sushi rice … the email from dad went
on and on. Oh and did I mention a chocolate cake made
by my dad’s cousin which was grandma’s recipe? Only in
Hawaii!

Hi gang. When I last wrote, it was during the calm before the storm. I’ve been totally swamped at work, but then decided I needed a little time off to play during the 4th of July holiday. So now I’m back and somewhat recharged.

Not to worry. I plan to write it all down and share what’s been going on, but will probably write it one piece at a time. But just to tease you, there will be stories on strawberry picking in the Northwest, eating plate lunches at L&L and Sharon’s Summer reading list.

But the thing most heavy on my mind right now is my paternal grandmother who passed away on Sunday.
Read the rest of this entry »

This goes out to all my friends and family who have been pestering me for years to get my own damn weblog. Cheers!

Where to begin?

I guess I should start by saying bear with me. I’ve been informed that I will be one of the first in the HawaiiStories.com family to use WordPress software to power my blog. Hopefully we won’t come across too many bumps in the road. Stay tuned!