PakePorkChop

Aloha! I'm sending links to articles about Okinawan cooking in Hawaii. The footnotes will provide some notion about the healthfulness of the Okinawan diet. The Okinawan community in Hawaii is the largest in the United States and recently hosted a world-wide convention of Uchinanchu in Honolulu. http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/reviews/a...9_ocihawaii.htm http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/reviews/a...ooanokazuya.htm

you will find some variations here: http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/reviews/a...oownoodles2.htm

I don't know if your class is done with this subject, but you may find this article on Mediterranean (North African} cooking in Hawaii to be useful because there are descriptions of various dishes, including Egyptian: http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/reviews/a...4_cmsrenice.htm

Aloha, SK! According to Shiro, he once worked for Zippy's and had a hand in developing the Zipmin, which seems to be the premium saimin dish for that food chain. When he went out on his own in the '70s, he created and registered the Dodonpa, which you could say is several steps beyond the Zipmin. The proof may be in the testing. If you can get one of your erstwhile tasters to down a Zipmin and a Dodonpa side by side and live to tell about it, that will truly extend the boundaries of culinary exploration. The other avenue of inquiry is to get Charly Higa's side of the story. One day when I feel manly, I just may do that.

aloha, sk! the shredded potatoes are indeed raw. the potato is place in the center of the beef wafers before the wafers are folded over. the heated meat partially cooks the potato but the potato remains relatively fluffy and crunchy. my guess is that the combination is well-received, judging by the number of return customers, particularly those ordering in bulk for their office, etc. to suit my preferences, i always ask that the beef roll be under-done. i know that tae does not favor special orders, but to my mind that's the only way to have beef roll.

aloha, sk! as to your question #3, new concepts for plate lunches, check out the teppanyaki wagon at: http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/reviews/a...tmatoaichef.htm My one reservation is that the chef overcooks the meat more often than he should, but it's a good idea, the flavors are different, and the price is right!

aloha, sk! You asked about the word "sai" in sai min. I was told that it meant "thin" in the Cantonese dialect of the Chinese language. As "sai min" means "hypnosis" in the Japanese language, it would seem that "sai min" soup originated with the Chinese in Hawaii and subsequently modified by Japanese and Okinawan vendors. What do you think? As to "Dodonpa", was Shiro Matsuo the creator?