skchai

Bfson, sorry no one has replied to your query on the Windward side - I guess there aren't a lot of posters in this forum that live there! Sorry I can't really contribute much from personal experience either, since I have to admit I don't get over there too often. . . None of the eating experiences I've had in Kailua or Kaneohe stand out in my memory, though that's probably because I haven't sampled much of what is being offered there. Nor have I had much chance to sample much from the lunchwagons and small shops lining Kam Highway. . . Pahke's sounds great, considering it doesn't get a lot of press attention. Could you tell me more about the food you've had there?

yeah, it has that pinkness. . .. Don't know if that's just the food stylist's rendition - have never tried the Spam McGriddles or McMuffin yet. If I do so, "for anthropological purposes", I'll let you know the result. . .

Proof that Spam is everywhere in Hawai`i. McDonald's Hawai`i decided to take the big step in August 2003 after a very successful test-marketing. Actually, it took longer for than you might expect for Spam to hit McDonald's here, since saimin, rice, and Portuguese Sausage have been on the menu for more than 20 years. And where's the Big Smac?

Sure it was a coincidence, but soon after my post about the Tulip Challenge, the following article appeared in the Star-Bulletin: Spam gets Competition Unreal!

Didn't think that Koreans were into wagashi, but recently my wife received from one of her students a very nice package of Korean-made sweets from a company called "Hwakwaja", which is the Korean translation of the characters (화과자 ＝ 和菓子) for wagashi. Here they are <as far as I can tell, we haven't eaten them all yet) - from top to bottom, left to right: walnut cream, dried persimmon cream, chestnut cream, azuki cream, almond cream ???, chestnut mochi, dried persimmon mochi, azuki mochi, ??? whole chestnut manju, pie (?) manju, dried persimmon manju, walnut manju, another whole chestnut manju

Thanks, Irwin, for clearing up my confusion. As far as I know, the Kapiolani and Ward Flamingo Chuckwagon is still there - at least the sign is there when I pass them on the street. Columbia Inn still has its Kaimuki location operating, though under new ownership (not the Kaneshiro family).

Sounds great. You wouldn't happen to have a recipe, would you?

Thanks wesza. . . . the Ala Moana Flamingo Chuckwagon and the Pearl City Tavern were both landmark places whose niche hasn't been filled (at least not by any locally-owned restaurants). BTW, we were finally able to check out Mary Jane's Kitchen (aka Gohyangjip), based on kaukaulesa's fine review in last week's Honolulu Weekly. It was just as good as you mentioned - really unique among Korean restaurants here in its honest appreciation of regional specialties. Unlike other places, that generally focus on standardized Seoul-centered menu, Mary Jane's carries a lot of dishes from the Southwestern (Jeolla-do) region of Korea, that you can't get elsewhere. Here's a sample of what we ate. Thanks, again kaukaulesa, for the great tip.

This is a very interesting discussion! As jschyun mentioned, I was not agonizing over the "inauthenticity" of Korean pho. Indeed, the fact that pho has traveled all around the world and adapted itself in different ways is indication of its emerging status as a truly international dish. Likewise, I don't think the debate over whether pho (or at least its name) was influenced by pot-au-feu should be a nationalist one (not that I believe Andrea was suggesting this) over whether pho is "authentically" Vietnamese. Clearly, even if proponents of this theory were correct, the tranformation of Chinese and / or French influences have made the dish into something that is truly unique. I should also extend my welcome to Andrea and thank her for her site, which is the best resource for Vietnamese food that I know of on the web.

Thanks for the HawaiiStories link, Ryan. Great discussion! One thing I noticed was that several of the participants mentioned Chicken Alice, which has also been mentioned by a number of people on this forum (though not on this thread) as a someplace they really miss. Also noticed that a lot of people mentioned Farrell's which kind of surprised me - I was one of the few people who could ever finish a Farrell's Pig Trough but otherwise I don't really remember the ice cream being all that different. . . Jolly Roger . . . I could go for a Porky Boy right now. . .

Interesting thing . . . Pho has caught on quite a bit in recent years in South Korea (not to mention L.A. Koreatown), not in small part due to the efforts of the Pho Hoa chain and their Korean franchisees. However, looking at the Korean Website reveals ways in which the dish, particularly the garnishes, have been adapted to Korean tastes. Among other things, the cilantro and basil are apparently brought to the table on separate plates from the bean sprouts, chiles, and lemon, and though it's not clear, it seems only on request, since the herbs are not mentioned in the description of the main accompaniments. This is presumably in concession to the conservative tastes of Korean diners, who in particular seem to react in horror to cilantro. The website also says that bean sprouts can be served precooked on request. Finally, the sriracha and hoisin sauces are brought in separate bowls rather then being dispensed by the diners themselves. Not sure why this is the case, but most likely because Pho Hoa is trying to position itslef somewhat upmarket compared to the way they are presented here. Anyway, American pho enthusiasts can claim that they are "purists" when it comes to pho compared to the Koreans!

Another sighting: Noticed a "coming soon" sign on Ke`eaumoku Street announcing the opening of the "Taishoken Ramen". Or, as former Japan forum host BON would call it, "Taishoken@Ke`eaumoku". Taishoken is the name of two of Tokyo's most famous ramen houses. But it remains to be seen if the one here is actually affiliated with either of the Tokyo ones, which curiously enough are not affiliated with one another. Or at least a faithful copy of one of them . . .

Thanks, pake. She deserves at least some recognition!

Welcome to eGullet, Elle, and thanks for the list! I was particularly interested in the Dinuguan and Bod Bod. I have to confess I don't know what Bod Bod is - could you tell me a little bit more about it? Also, isn't Dinuguan pig blood stew? Is there some form of it that could be stored in a care package? Just wondering. . . Thanks for the link, Pake. I really like Tony Chang's columns at the Road Runner site. They're well-researched and full of information. It had been a while since he put any new ones up, so it was nice to see him posting again recently.

Sacrebleu, not having access to the Jaffrey recipe, all the ones I could find were in Korean and even then written in the typical laconic Korean housewife's cookbook style. No precise quantities or directions. Sort of like the pre-Victorian English cookbooks, but even less precise. For instance, the recipe in my "Housewife's Life" cookbook calls for green onions, garlic, soy sauce, corn starch, salt, sesame oil, and vegetable oil. No quantities are specified, not even references to "a goodly scoop" or "a teacupful". But given that a wide range of Korean dishes use similar seasonings, you might infer that reasonable portions are approximately 2 tsp. of chopped garlic, 2 tsp. of chopped ginger, 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. chile bean paste (gochujang), and 2 tsp. of sesame oil for about 2 squid. Flatten and skin the squid. Cut off tentacles and slice head into 0.5" strips. Cut all parts into 2" long pieces. Cut about three or four thin green onions into about 2" cylinders as well. Stir-fry green onions in some vegetable oil with chopped garlic and ginger for about a minute. Premix and add all the rest of the ingredients, except sesame oil. Stir-fry briefly until squid is just cooked, which will be very soon. Swirl through sesame oil to make glossy. That's it! If you want a more "saucy" dish, add about 1/2 cup water when you put in the rest of the ingredients, then thicken at last minute with about 1 tsp. of cornstarch mixed with a bit more water.

Posted some pictures of chadol baegi, saeng galbi, and jumuleok in a report on Choi's Garden Restaurant in Honolulu.

Know absolutely nothing about this fascinating topic, but I wondered what the experts think about the following alternatives: (1) Major Gray's (any major brand) (2) Patak's Lime Pickle (in small amounts, of course) (3) Japanese "Tonkatsu" Sauce (4) Heinz A-1 Sauce (5) German "Curry Ketchup" (6) American Southern-Style "BBQ Sauce" Also, while we've had a lot of discussion about sauces and the proper cooking of the bacon, I was wondering about the buttie slices. Should the the proper buttie bread have a firm consistency to hold up to sauce, of a saggy one to facilitate that "comfort food" experience. . .?

Spamjam "the festival" has been in Hawai`i since last year. The "Waikiki Spam Jam" last April featured a 125 foot-long spam musubi among other things (note, the website seems to be temporarily out of commission, but I'm sure it'll be back up as they revamp for this year's extravaganza). And while there is no "Spamjam" restaurant here, there's no need for one in a place where virtually every local takeout place and even McDonald's serves Spam!

Aloha and welcome, stinkinbadges. Tried to look up info on the whereabouts of Ting Yin, but they still seem to be listed on all the restaurant websites as being located at 125 N. King. So presumably it all happened fairly recently - do you know about when they chosed down last year? Also, it seems that the owners were involved in a fairly complicated legal battle over leases and such, though it's hard to figure out exactly what was going down from the documents on the web. Lesa, that puke-green sauce from Chunky's intrigues me. Presumably it was not made from real hanabatas (sorry)! What approximately was in the sauce? BTW, checked out the new Panya at Ala Moana Center. Seems to have a pretty similar selection of baked items to the old one in the McCully Shopping Center, with their "Hokkaido Bread" being the feature item. Haven't tried their sit-down dining service, though. One "innovation" that might alienate some people is that you have to pay a surcharge if you take your baked goods into the indoor dining area, though you can take them to their four outside tables without paying extra. Some newly-opened places that I've started separate threads on: California Wok (in Ala Moana Center) Choi's Garden Restaurant

Really interesting story - it's interesting how over the years instant ramen has become entrenched not only in Hawai`i, but even on the mainland, as make-it-yourself dorm food. Even now, a lot of parents don't want their kids to eat instant ramen because of the MSG and preservatives. One alternative is to use the concentrated Japanese dashi broth that comes in a bottle, at least some of those are made from all-natural ingredients. Thanks for the memories, pake. Would it be too much to ask whether you live in Hawai`i now or on the mainland?

A big welcome too, pake! Seems like one of these days someone should track down Chicken Alice and ask her how she feels about so many different restaurants using her idea! Given how many people here seem to have fond memories of Chicken Alice (unfortunately, I was on the mainland during most of that period), I wonder why she ever closed down. . .

Welcome to eGullet, radfem4530. Did you know Mrs. Sia as well? Please do let us know more about your experiences with food growing up in Hawai`i. . .

Thanks so much for the info, oneidaone. I really hope that your dog's diagnosis improves. I couldn't find one for the date you specified, but I wonder if this is the article you are referring to: Salt-water business uses Isle resource, by Joan Namkoong

Perhaps by now some of you have seen this year's finalists in the Outlook-Picador Non-Fiction Contest. Interestingly enough, most of the finalists have essays about food, though there's no clear explanation why this is so. The one whose title intrigued me the most is called'Invention of Tradition' in Indian Food, by Venu Madhav Govindu. Invention of Tradition (the phrase itself coined by Hobsbawm and Ranger) in general is a topic that interests me! The essay is a breezy and pleasant run-through of many foodstuffs that have been imported and adapted into Indian cuisine. Initially, he talks about the way in which certain foods, such as samosas and tea, have been adopted from neighbors West and East, but have been transformed by the Indian sensibility into something completely different. On the other hand, he points to coffee as something that has been adopted wholesale, without much change, yet has become fulcrum of Tamil identity. At this point, his essays seems to move in what seems like a myriad of direction. He mourns the declining quality of mangoes and the replacement of the begun bhaja in the Bengali banquet with the indifferent 'bhejitebil chop'. After a brief aside about Raj cookery and street food, he criticizes that Punjabi and Udipi-dominated restaurant cuisine, calling for more diversity. By the end, I wasn't sure what his main point was. Perhaps there wasn't meant to be one. However, I was hoping for something more about the economic, political, and cultural reasons why certain foods were adopted wholesale, others were rejected, and yet others were transformed and assimilated in different regions of India. I would also have appreciated more discussion of the process by which certain foods became "traditionalized" - was this purely unconscious, as seems to be tacitly implied, or were there ideological considerations at least partly responsible? Would like to hear the thoughts of everyone here on this and the other essays. . .

Welcome to eGullet, Bfson! Pa`akai is probably the most popular of the `alaea (red volcanic soil) salt brands, and in packaged in a plastic bag with the "'Old Time' Brand" label. Besides being available locally, it can be purchased from the mainland from a variety of ecommerce sites. Are there any more artisan brands? If you mean by "artisan" a product that is made in small batches with minimal use of technology, for a small and select clientele, then I'm not aware of any that are available for sale that fit the label any better. There may be some available locally on Kauai that I haven't seen. Other well-known brands, like "Da Salty Lady", are more mass-market oriented than Pa`akai in concept, being packaged together with a variety of flavored seasoning mixes. BTW, "pa`akai" itself is simply the Hawaiian word for salt. You (and Kurlansky) are right that the `alaea is added to the evaporated sea salt; unlike fleur de sel, the minerals in the salt are not simply a product of the natural evaporation process. Instead, they are added in later. As far as I understand, it's always been that way even when was used by the kahuna for ritual purposes in the old days. `Alaea and pa`akai were mixed together because they represented the elements of the land and the sea. In that sense, pa`akai `alaea was always a "processed" foodstuff from the very beginning. There are a variety of "unmixed" evaporated sea salts from Hawai`i that are available, but none has the same cachet as pa`akai `alaea, perhaps because of the distinctive taste, perhaps because of mystical appeal of the religious association.