skchai

Browniebaker - Thanks for the info regarding the French Rice Cake recipe. Must try it sometime soon! A lot of questions: Do you know if the recipe is a typical one in Taiwan, and if, so, where it came from? Could you give me some hint of how you drop the red-bean paste? Are the dollops separated from one another so that there is one dollop per slice? Or you try to make it a continuous circle around the bundt cake so that it looks like a "filling"? Do the dollops melt to any extent into the batter as it cooks? Thanks again!

Came across this extremely comprehensive and amusing site on ceramic cookers: Naked Whiz Ceramic Charcoal Cooking It's particularly good on the Big Green Egg and on comparing lump charcoals. Anyone else familiar with this site? Any other good general resource sites besides it and the Kamado discussion boards already mentioned? The only reason I'm aware of the Naked Whiz site is because the same guy also put together the extremely funny Devil's Dictionary of Cricket.

Mochi (cake made from glutinous or medium-grain rice) is a popular celebratory food in a number of East Asian countries, including much of China, Japan, and Korea. Particularly around the beginning of the year: Japanese have their "ozoni", Koreans their "tteokguk", and Cantonese their "gau", all are essential parts of a New Year's celebration. Of course, like any celebratory food, mochi can be enjoyed just about any time of the year in its simpler forms. Given the heavy influence that East Asian has had on Hawai`i's culture, it's not surprising that local people eat a lot of mochi. However, the sweet dishes we make from rice are a far cry from anything you'll see in East Asia. You can find recipes for over a hundred local-style mochis in Jean Watanabe Hee's Hawai`i's Best Mochi Recipes (Mutual Publishing, 2000), which is locally published but available elsewhere from a variety of online bookstores (though it seems to be out of stock at Amazon). Though Hawai`i mochi (as indicated by the name itself) is derived from primarily from Japanese origins, its ingredients often are closer to those found in Southeast Asian snacks, particularly the "kueh" of Malaysia and Singapore, neither of which has sent a significant number of emmigrants to Hawai`i. It guess this is a case where similarity of arises from climate and availability of ingredients, not from any direct cultural influence. There are two basic categories of Hawai`i mochi: the kind you buy in a bakery or store and the kind you make at home. In general, any kind of mochi that requires pounding, rolling, or filling is going to be bought outside - we're lazy, so who's going to spend hours on something like that? The kind you make at home is usually made from rice flour and baked or steamed in a pan, butter mochi being the most popular example. Store-bought mochis range from very traditional Japanese varieties to "only-in-Hawai`i" local adaptations. You can find mochi everywhere, from specialty shops, to bakeries, to supermarkets. The biggest local manufacturer is Fujiya, which has been in business for about half a century, while Kansai Yamato is another producer whose products get sold around the island. Some of the more popular local products include extreme variations on Japanese daifuku (a round mochi filled with sweet azuki beans) and chichidango (a rectangular-shaped mochi). Some of the more distinctive and popular Hawai`i versions of daifuku are one filled with peanut butter, another filled with strawberries and white beans, and a purple version filled with kulolo (sweetened mashed taro with coconut). Chichidango come in all sorts of flavors, including fruit flavors such as mango, banana, and blueberry, as well as haupia (coconut pudding), poi (taro paste), purple Okinawan sweet potato, coffee. Here are a picture of two store-brought products, a haupia chichidango from Fujiya, and a kulolo-filled taro daifuku mochi from Taro Brand Poi. The haupia chichidango is only mildly coconutty; you can still taste the mochi rice. The taro mochi, on the other hand, tastes more of taro and coconut, though the mochi provides a nice texture contrast. Its purple outside is due to food coloring (not purple rice!) but the kulolo inside is naturally a bright purple from the cooked taro. As I mentioned, homemade mochis tend to be much simpler and made from rice flour, since only a few intrepid souls would try to pound their own. And unless you practice, it's dangerous for the guy who has to turn the mochi while the guy with the huge mallet is on the upswing! Butter mochi is by far the most popular of the homemade types. It's basically baked in a pan and cut into squares or rectangles, like a brownie. There are lots of variations on the recipes, but most call for mochi rice flour, coconut milk and/or evaporated milk, white and/or brown cane sugar, eggs, and butter. Some people add baking powder, though it's not really necessary and makes it more "cake-like". I like to sprinkle some kind of crunchy thing on top, like shredded coconut, sesame seeds, pine nuts, or macadamia nuts. I once made a dark chocolate butter mochi with pine nuts that I thought was pretty devastating, but nobody ate it. Butter mochi is best eaten slightly warm, or else it can turn rubbery on you. Here's a picture of the butter mochi I made for New Year's Eve. It's a plain one made with coconut milk, white sugar, and sesame seeds. If you look carefully, you can see it has a crust, which differentiates it from almost all the mochis that you can buy in the stores. Arguably, that's the best part of the deal.

As usual, Irwin, you're a fountain of knowledge. So perhaps the high prices are not totally due to local demand, but also the fact that the period when local demand is high coincides with the period when demand in Japan is high as well. This would fit in with Kristen's observations that sushi restaurants enjoy double their business during New Year's. Gus_tatory, your answer is quite reasonable: During special occasions, the high prices of a good may actually be improve its suitability as an expression of celebration. I guess one thing we still need to answer is - why do local people focus their celebratory consumption on sashimi rather than something else?

I would like to concur with this - from this correspondence I'm learning a great about Bengali food that I couldn't find even in Kewpie's books!

Thanks so much for your quick reply, Kristin! Fugu sashimi for New Year's! Perhaps that's to counteract any excessive "long life" effect from eating toshikoshi soba? My guess, for whatever it's worth, is that ahi sashimi's popularity arose from a combination of different factors. First, local people usually like to pass the long New Year's Eve hours setting off fireworks and gulping down huge amounts of pupus (appetizers). Sashimi works really well because it doesn't require heating up, and can be simply be removed from the fridge to replenish the supply when needed, freeing the hosts and hostesses to join in the festivities. Secondly, sashimi, being a festive and fairly expensive food, would be a natural fit in with a big holiday like New Year's. Finally, ahi is without question the preeminent sashimi fish here in Hawai`i. So maybe that all added up. But that doesn't explain how or when it happened. Maybe next time I'm at Tamashiro's or one of the other long-established fish markets I'll try to ask. . .

At the Okinawan Festival a few months back (held in conjunction with the World Uchinanchu Conference), there was an exhibit called the "Hawaii Okinawan Restaurant Project". It told in detail, and with plenty of old photographs, the history of Okinawan-run restaurants in Hawai`i up until the late 1950s. Wish they had a web site so I could point you to it . . . I noticed this too - don't really have any answer myself why this is happening. One other change I noticed recently is increasing appearance of potatoes in mac salad. Don't have an explanation for that, either. . . Actually, my personal dream is to have the mac salad dethroned as the sole side dish on some plate lunch menus, and have it replaced by a wider range of alternatives. . .

Perhaps I spoke to soon about there being no special connection between sashimi and New Year's in Japan itself - Torakris posted a picture of a beautiful plate of sashimi that her Father-in-Law prepared, along with the ozoni and other great-looking stuff, all in her terrific New Year's foodblog. Kristin, if you're reading this, could you tell us whether Tokyo people make any special effort to have sashimi for New Year's?

Posted a couple more images so you can see closeups of the naengmyeons: Mul Naengmyeon. No kidding - the noodles are pretty black. Note the slushy cold broth. Bibim Naengmyeon. The sauce is not too thick or beany. Will still burn your tongue, but the noodles immediately counteract that. . .

2004 begins . . . the Advertiser's "Ilima" awards should be coming out in a short time, as should Honolulu Magazine's "Hale `Aina" awards. But in the meantime, let me do my own summing up by indexing some of the serials and columns that I haven't already been keeping up with throughout the year. See the first post on this thread, or my Guide to Guide to Hawai`i Restaurants for more info on what these are. Sam Choy's Kitchen on KHNL: Cheap Eats with Sam Choy and Lyle Galdeira, also on KHNL KITV TV's On the Menu Restaurant Spots Rae Gee's Food Column in Hawaiian Hard Drive (back to 2001, since it's only monthly) Last but not least, Matthew Gray's Column in the Honolulu Advertiser

That's one thing that's hard to get anywhere else - if you have a large Filipino community where you live, you might look for a place that serves "halo-halo", which is somewhat similar and often contains azuki beans - it was one of things that Rachel mentioned in her post: For our New Year's Eve get-together last night, we served shaved ice for dessert - with choice of syrups (lilikoi, fruit punch, and condensed milk) and toppings (azuki beans, nata de coco, palm seeds, and various fruits). Kids loved making weird combinations. Just got this new shaved ice maker that works pretty well (unlike our old one). I agree with you about the food court - it doesn't strike you as anything special until you compare it with food courts elsewhere. For one, very few of the stands are representatives of national chains - I can think only of the Haagen-Daaz and Panda Express stands. And the Panda Express regularly gets outdrawn by Patty's, local Chinese Plate Lunch Place. Also, the diversity of ethnic foods - Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Hawaiian, Mexican, Italian, etc. is presumably more than you can find anywhere else. I remember from elementary school lunches - I think they still serve it! Meat Juhn can't be found outside of Hawai`i because it's really a dish that was popularized locally. It's hard to find even in Korea, and even when you can, the preparation is very different that what you get in Hawai`i. I've written a bit more about meat juhn in another thread. The other dessert for New Year's Eve was butter mochi. That's not exactly the traditional Japanese or Chinese New Year Mochi, but I guess you can count it as traditional for local people. . . And no Saimin or Spam at McDonald's either - very strange! There's also a 99 Ranch here in Honolulu now, in Mapunapuna. Thanks, everyone, for your posts. And a belated but heartfelt welcome back, Rachel and Irwin!

In the last week of 2003: Star-Bulletin: THE WEEKLY EATER: Chewing on the isle dining scene throughout the year, by Nadine Kam closings, openings, and Atkins Flippin' over fish: Retailers expect an adequate supply of ahi for New Year's, by Leila Fujimori BY REQUEST: Solve recipe mysteries and win a cookbook, by Betty Shimabukuro Toong Mai, preserved melon, shortbread cookies called Golden Nuggets - these are all dishes for which Betty couldn't find recipes in 2003! KEY INGREDIENT: Kazunoko, by Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga Herring Roe BY THE GLASS: Anticipating the wines of 2004, by Jay Kam Advertiser: Getting into the New Year's spirits, by Wanda A. Adams QUICK BITES: New Honolulu spot for food and wine, by Wanda A. Adams The Wine Stop, "A Beer and Beverage Boutique" FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Eating less meat without going vegetarian, by Wanda A. Adams

One of Hawai`i's most entrenched annual traditions is the consumption of massive amounts of tuna (preferably ahi) sashimi for New Year's Day. Every year around this time, prices for top-grade ahi doubles or triples - rising in some years to as high as $30 a pound for highly-marbled ahi toro. Everyone in Hawai`i, it seems, certaintly not just Japanese-Americans, believes that a big pile of ahi sashimi along with their fireworks is "no ka oi". One of the most interesting parts of this ritual is the annual "ahi price monitor", where the local papers start to report with miniscule accuracy the price of various cuts. . . If you don't believe me, here are the annual ahi monitor articles from the Star-Bulletin over the last few years: 2003. Flippin' over fish: Retailers expect an adequate supply of ahi for New Year's, by Leila Fujimori 2002. Sashimi in good supply for New Year: The larger stock is pushing prices down, some fish sellers say, by Star-Bulletin staff 2001. Sashimi Selection: Ahi prices could rise depending on the final catches of the year, by Lisa Asato and Diana Leone 2000. Ahi plentiful for New Year’s: Prices are expected to be about the same as last year, say fishmongers, by Janine Tully 1999. Folks forking out big bucks for holiday food: Markets are gearing up to meet the huge demand for ahi, sushi, laulau, mochi and champagne, by Crystal Kua 1998. Ahi prices are starting to stabilize: The big New Year's rush for sashimi-grade ahi has passed, and prices are settling down, by Suzanne Tswei 1997. Fish-buying frenzy gets under way: Ahi should range from $8 to $20 a pound, a market spokesman said, by Craig Gima My question, such as it is, is: how and when did this tradition get started? As far as I know, there is no special connection between sashimi and New Year's Food (Osechi Ryori) among Japanese in Japan. Cantonese in SE Asia eat raw fish salad (Yue Sung) for New Year's, but it seems kind of stretch to use that to account for the popularity of sashimi at New Year's in Hawai`i. Also, any recollections of experiences Hawai`i people past and present have had with getting ahold of that prized ahi on New Year's? Any similar types of traditions elsewhere in the world?

Looked it upon on the web, and it seems UH press issued three editions - 1956, 1972, and 1984. Seems about the right time for a fourth edition, no? There also seem to be plenty of used copies available. Here's the Amazon link (which in turn links to various used bookshops). Mary Sia's Chinese Cookbook

Rachel, Sorry, don't really know about the cookbook. However, the Sias are considered the "first family" of pediatrics in Hawai`i. I believe that Calvin is now retired, but his son Michael is a pediatrician at Kapiolani and on the UH faculty. Both are fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics - only a handful of people in Hawai`i have received that honor. . .

For those of you wondering if it's possible to get decent bagels anymore anywhere in the country, here's an interesting related thread on the NY forum: H&H v. Tal

Yuchun Restaurant 825 Keeaumoku St. Honolulu HI 96814 808 944-1994 One of our family's favorites. Yuchun Restaurant specializes in naengmyeon (Korean cold noodles) made out of chik (kudzu root). Yes, it's the same kudzu that is the pestilent scourge of the Southeastern U.S. (see below), but is viewed by as a uniquely healthy gourmet food ingredient by Koreans and Japanese. Indeed, the restaurant's clientele seems to consist of approximately equal parts Korean tourists, Japanese tourists, and local people of all ethnic groups. Kudzu has been traditionally used as a treatment for a variety of ailments, including fevers and alcohol addiction, in a variety of East Asian countries. The roots can be made into a number of different preparations, the most popular being a kind of tea made from the roasted ground roots, a very expensive cooking starch made from the filtered and purified ground roots, and the specialty here, noodles. They look a bit like buckwheat noodles but are an even darker gray color, almost black. In fact, my daughter (who is a great fan) always tells us she wants to go to the "black noodle" place. The noodles are pretty gelatinous in consistency, though not quite to extent as bean thread noodles, and have a slightly sweet taste. There are two traditional ways of preparing kudzu noodles in Korea, both adaptations of cold noodle dishes that are more commonly prepared with buckwheat noodles. The first is mul naengmyeon ("water" cold noodles), a kind of cold beef broth over noodles, garnished with slices of boiled beef; pickled cucumber, radish, and Asian pear; half a boiled egg; and some sesame seeds. The second is bibim naengmyeon (tossed cold noodles), which consists of the noodles served with a generous amount of chili sauce and the same garnishes as the water cold noodles. Both are popular way to cool down in the summer, in particular, in Korea. In Hawai`i of course, cooling down is a popular passtime both summer and winter. Most people who come to Yuchun Restaurant order one of the sets that allow you to combine either of the naengmyeons with either kalbi (broiled marinated beef rib) or bulgogi (broiled marinated boneless loin). One naengmyeon of either kind with a meat of either kind is $14.95, and two naengmyeons with one meat is $21.95. We usually order one of each kind of naengmyeon, along with a platter of bulgogi (our daughter doesn't like meat on the bone). Here my wife and daughter wait patiently while I take a picture. The mul naengmyeon is in the foreground. The cloudiness is one unusual aspect of their presentation. While some places will place pieces of ice in the broth to cool it down even further, Yuchun actually reduces its broth to an icy slush and presents it to that way. It's a nice touch - you get a really cold broth without the dilution that comes from putting ice in it. Though I'm not a connossieur of naengmyeon broths, my wife says that it's very good and I take her word for it. The chili paste on the bibim naengmyeon is very hot and slightly sweet, not quite as palate-numbing as you might find at some other Korean restaurants. Both bulgogi (on the cow-shaped hotplate) and kalbi (not shown) are cut relatively small for easy chewing. Your food always comes with complimentary cups of roasted kudzu root tea. In all, a kind of comfort food experience - one that is heightened by the extremely nice and solicitous staff. Other than the aforementioned dishes, Yuchun Restaurant also features a full range of Korean restaurant standards. Among their better dishes are those that feature their hot sauce - one is the special tteokboki, a dish of rice cakes, beef, fish cake, and veggies cooked in front of you in hot sauce. The other is their yangnyeom dak twigim, fried chicken legs doused in hot sauce. The restaurant's appeal to multiple communities is exemplified by its gaudy multilingual sign, which features English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese writing. It ornaments the facade of an ancient, fraying-at-the-edges commercial building also housing, bizarrely enough, a large striptease joint, a porno emporium, a Vietnamese karaoke bar, the conveniently located Korean Senior Citizen's Center, and an antique furniture store. The Korean Full Gospel Church is located in the next building, presumably to rescue seniors who go astray. Botano-historical note: Kudzu (Pueraria lobata aka Pueraria hirsuta aka Pueraria montana var. lobata) was officially designated a "noxious weed" by the USDA in 1972. As Southerners know, millions of dollars a year are spent to eradicate it from hillsides and highways in this country. While the various culinary uses of the vine are not exactly unknown to specialists, they have never been exploited in the U.S. to anywhere near the extent that they are in the vine's East Asian home countries. For a great overview, see the Amazing Story of Kudzu home page from the University of Alabama. A plethora of photos of kudzu-covered buildings, trees, and everything else can be found on Jack Anthony's Kudzu pages. Finally, you can find a bunch of recipes for Kudzu-related foods.

The Todai people have opened up a new operation, called "Makino Chaya", in Honolulu only. It differs from the rest of their places (and pretty much any restaurant I've seen) in being an ala carte restaurant, though it is still all-you-can-eat. I've started a thread on it in the Hawai`i forum: Makino Chaya

Has anyone tried this new place in the old King's Bakery Spot on King and McCully? It bills itself as a "Izakaya Seafood Buffet" whatever that means. It's neither an izakaya (Japanese-style bar) or chaya (teahouse), but something like an all-you-can-eat Japanese-influenced small plates place. It's owned by the Todai people, and seems to be an experiment in a slightly different concept. We went at lunch (we were originally planning to go to Jimbo's udon next door, but it was full). It was, if I recall correctly, 11.95 for adults and half that for children. It's nearly twice that at dinner, but there is a much larger selection. There is a small salad bar and place where you can serve yourself things like chicken katsu, but for the most part you order off the menu. You can order up to two items per person at a time (including children), and when you've finished eating all that, you can order up to two items per person again. We only managed 1.5 rounds anyway before getting pretty full. The lunchtime menu is fairly standard stuff (mixed tempura, tempura udon, zarusoba, unagi donburi), with a few slightly less common things thrown in (ginger pork, hayashi rice with shrimp, chirashi sushi, salmon batayaki). The tempura was quite competent, while the fish on the chirashi sushi was noticeably fresher than what I remembered from Todai, including amaebi, though the crab was ersatz. The unagi was miniscule and enveloped by egg shavings on its bed of rice. The salmon was cooked perfectly, not dried out! The ginger pork was soupy and not that gingery, but my son ate the whole thing. No dessert at lunch, except for orange slices. Verdict? Can't complain for $11.95! Some of the crude preparation you would expect for such a mass production, but otherwise slightly better than expected. Place was packed when we went there - probably will remain packed if the prices and choices remain the same. Probably won't go back there, however, since we're not exactly looking to gain any more weight. The dinnertime menu is much more ambitious, and it seems the Todai people have gone out of their way to import some of the kind of homestyle or izakaya dishes you rarely find on Japanese menus in the U.S., though I can't say anything about the execution. The actual restaurant aside, what do people think of the concept? A priori, it seems implausible to me that they could prepare all-you-can-eat food to order without driving their kitchen staff insane. They seem to have "solved" that problem by sticking to fairly quick and simple prep and keeping boxes of precut ingredients at the ready (their kitchen is open), but is it worth the trouble of moving away from the conventional buffet concept?

Thanks so for all your informative replies. . . The Noah's that I used to frequent was the one on College Ave. in Berkeley. I believe that was the original location. But you're right that my taste buds may have been too gullible in those days and conditioned by substandard stuff. I can't say they're any more sophisticated today, however! I did notice that when Noah's opened a location on Univ. Ave. in Palo Alto in the mid-90s it wasn't nearly as good as the College Ave. one. I believe that was before the company got bought up. As to why the ersatz bagel is so popular - I guess the same reason that people prefer Wonder bread - it's soft, squishy and not challenging to eat. Similarly the super-size bagel can be explained by the super-size muffin or cookie - people are used to "good food" with "large quantity". Now that sounds really antagonistic!

Hope this isn't too late, would like to add a few comments: Cafe Poca Cosa - would concur with Oh Toro about lunch being better. Also, it's much cheaper for lunch than dinner, though you get basically the same kind of food. Go for the "Suzanna's Combination" or whatever they call it - 4 entrees, though your ability to pick is limited. Ask them to serve the salad on the side, otherwise it can obliberate your entrees. I never could figure out why they did it. El Charro - since this is the first place the appears on a lot of tourist-oriented lists and has a cookbook authored by the Sterns, perhaps the previous posters though it wasn't necessary to mention it or that it was overpublicized. But go anyway - the Carne Seca and Cheese Crisps are really defining Tucson / Sonoran dishes that a lot of other places imitate. Mariscos Chihuahua - go there for the seafood cocktails. Two locations, one on Grant @ Grande on the west side and the other on 22nd near Reid Park Zoo on the East. La Parilla Suiza (i.e. The Swiss Grill) on Oracle serves chilaquiles, though perhaps not the kind you are looking for - huge amounts of cheese on it. It's a branch of a Mexico City chain - most people seem to order one of the chorizo / cheese / carne asada combos with plenty of tortillas. If you want to try the real thing in Sonoran / Arizona fast food, go to any of the Los Betos drive-throughs around town. Order the carnitas burro or torta. The food is not great and the ambience grungy but a huge contrast to Taco Bell if you're looking for things you wouldn't be able to find in Podunk.

Star-Bulletin: Kewalo eatery serving up its last: Kanda Lunchwagon plans on closing on Christmas Eve, by Rosemarie Bernardo Known for its beef curry Local beef industry awaits mad cow fallout, by Rod Antone BSE outbreak in the state seen as highly unlikely L&L Drive-Inn aims to open 52 sites in '04, by Erika Engle Both in Hawai`i and on the mainland - already has 23 leases and 12 signed letters of intent for new franchises. Existing operations have done well everywhere so far except for Connecticut (?) Sushi & spirits, by Betty Shimabukuro Reviews of D.K. Kodama's Sushi Chronicles and Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi's book on tropical drinks STUFFS: Morsels Mochitsuki 2003 (ricecake pounding) to be held at the Honbushin International Center BY REQUEST: ’Tis the season for special mochi recipes, by Betty Shimabukuro Coconut mochi, to be precise KEY INGREDIENT: Candy Canes, by Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga BY THE GLASS: New Year’s Eve is a time to indulge yourself, by Roberto Viernes Can't afford Dom Perignon? Try Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve or Pommery Brut Royal, both $32. Advertiser: Pupu party for people on the go-go, by Wanda A. Adams No, it's not what you think it is. . . A plentitude of pupu for your next home soiree, by Wanda A. Adams Dessert miniatures transcend petit fours By Wanda A. Adams Frances Yoshinaga Pons' line of elegant miniature desserts, called Sugar Rush FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Put a lid on the bad marinara and bring us a Trader Joe's by Wanda A. Adams QUICK BITES: Panya Bistro opens at Ala Moana Center Japanese-style bakery also offers noodle and rice dishes And Happy Holidays to you too. . .

Piripiri chicken was invented in Mozambique using chilis that had been brought over from Brazil by the Portuguese colonial rulers, it was then carried over to Macau by those same rulers. How's that for a multi-continent colonial saga?! The word piripiri itself is of Swahili origin - it's clearly a cognate of the word "berebere" used in Amharic to refer to chili-based sauces. Wonder what it referred to before the chili existed in Africa. . . Frango piripiri is also a very popular dish in Portugal as well, to put it mildly. The chicken is grilled, then doused in the hot sauce made from chilies, lemon juice, olive oil, and / or garlic, etc. It is usually served with french fries, as the . I assume that's similar to what's being sold in Macau as "African Chicken"? The Mozambican version is a bit more complex - coconut milk and cilantro are sometimes added to the mix. It's usually served with rice rather than fries, though there are no clear-cut rules it seems. Piripiri mixture can also be used to marinate all sorts of seafood, particularly prawns. . .

Island Manapua Factory Manoa Marketplace 2752 Woodlawn Dr. #5-113 Honolulu HI 96822 808 988-5441 / 5442 What's manapua, and how is it different from dimsum? Proceed, dear reader, and I will enlighten you . . . The Island Manapua Factory occupies an inconspicuous corner of the venerable Manoa Marketplace strip mall; it's only noticeable at lunch when long lines of customers stretch out their door well into the outdoor eating area shared by the numerous eating places in the mall. The Manoa location is actually the second one, the original is located on Gulick Ave. in Kalihi. Manapua originated, like much of Hawai`i popular cuisine, in the lunch carts that roamed around to feed plantation workers in the early part of the 20th century. Chinese immigrants sold large steamed buns bao as a kind of eat-out-of hand meal. These buns soon acquired a Hawaiian name, mea `ono pua`a, or "delicious things filled with pork", which contracted and contracted until we got the term we use today. Similarly, alternate coinage got attached in Hawai`i to har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) which are called pepeia`o, and siu mai (steamed pork dumplings) which are called, somewhat perversely, "pork hash". While the origin may be Cantonese, the manapua that you see for sale at Island Manapua factory are a far cry from the bao you'll find at the Hong Kong seafood palaces. First of all, the variety is much wider and more eclectic. While it's unusual to find to more than one or two varieties (usually char siu and curry chicken) at proper dimsum places, manapua comes in dozens of varieties. At the Manapua Factory (don't call it the IMF!), you'll find the following steamed types: braised pork, char siu (glazed roast pork), oyster sauce chicken, curry chicken, smoked turkey, mixed vegetable, black sugar, and lup cheong (Chinese sweet / dry sausage). It's with the baked types, however, that the East-West thing really gets going. Besides most of the fillings found in the steamed varieties, there are also breakfast (spam and eggs), ham and cheese, hot dog, Peking Duck, and custard. Here's the baked manapua display at the Manapua Factory. The torpedo-shaped ones are hotdogs, the strange canolli-looking ones are lup cheong. This leads to a second difference between the manapua and your typical bao -manapua are much larger. The bao you get at Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurants are about the size of half a baseball, while manapua are usually at minimum about the size of a half a softball and range much larger than this. One reason for this is that manapua are supposed to be meals in themselves, not just a "small bite" to complement a larger meal. When local people buy manapua, they buy it in the same way that they would buy a burger - something to eat quickly, along with a can of guava or passion fruit nectar. Which brings us to the final characteristic that distinguishes manapua from Hong Kong bao. Manapua are almost exclusively fast food; it would be very unusual to find them on the menu of a local sit-down restaurant, much less one with aunties pushing carts around. Almost all of Island Manapua Factory's business is take out - there are only a couple of small tables to sit at. Prices are cheap - 80 cents for most steamed manapua, 90 cents for most baked one. At lunch time, things get pretty hectic behind the counter! They don't take credit cards or checks, and if you get your order wrong the first time, too bad. Be prepared to wait in the long, long, line again. Aside from manapua itself, the Manapua Factory offers a full line of dimsum of the pork hash and pepeiao variety, as a number of non-Chinese local hand-held fast food specialties such as mochi (pounded rice cake) and musubi (rice shaped into a ball or cube). The musubi is a kind of East-meets-East-meets-West fusion; it comes with char siu, lup cheong, or spam toppings - you can see it, second from the far right end of the counter pictured above. You can also get good roast duck, char siu, and roast pork with crackling, as well as a variety of steam-tray specials such as "minute chicken" or spareribs in black bean sauce, that you can order with rice or chow fun. Around New Year's day, they carry gao, a kind of festive cannonball made from glutinous rice, brown sugar, and coconut. We come here all the time, but on the day we went with the camera, they were having a special kind of manapua - shrimp and black bean sauce. So we tried that, along with the baked peking duck manapua. Above is a lewd "action" shot of two kinds of manapua side-by-side. O.K., the shrimp and black bean one is not exactly brimming with shrimp, but it did have four or five in there somewhere. The black bean flavor is kept pretty subtle; it doesn't salinate the whole mixture like you sometimes get elsewhere. The duck is chopped up pretty small, as you can see. There was hoisin sauce in that mixture, but not so much as to overpower the flavor of the duck. Close to the University of Hawai`i, Manoa Marketplace is a straight shot down East Manoa Road, guarding the entrance to the valley. It's anchored by a Safeway and Long's Drugs, though both are highly "indigenized" and carry a wide variety of local products. It also has a good mix of ethnic restaurants: a Korean plate lunch place, a ramen shop, a Vietnamese sandwich shop / Thai restaurant, a Japanese buffet, a fast food sushi place, a sit-down Korean place, and a traditional plate lunch place, as well as burgers and pizza. So you can go there for lunch or dinner with a crowd, and have everyone split up and get something different. Which my family usually does.

That sounds too `ono for words! You're right that that the key to successful spam seduction is to make sure it is fried crisp - I think the main reason lot of mainlanders have bad memories of spam is that they were served it cold or barely warmed-up.