DIGEST: Hawaii Eating News

[skchai]

But first, a mini-mini-orientation for the uninitiated:

Honolulu styles itself the "Crossroads of the Pacific", though more often nowadays it's a speck in the ocean for people jetting overhead from Important North American City A to Important East Asian City B, or vice-versa. Nonetheless, its cultural diversity has been kept alive by waves of immigration and made marketable in recent years by waves of increasingly jaded tourists.

This combination, however, has inevitably led to a split of local dining into two segments. The first is Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, full of self-conscious East-West adaptation, spawning its share of celebrity chefs, such as Roy Yamaguchi, Sam Choy, Alan Wong, and George Mavrothalassitis.

The second is the everyday cuisine of local people, an ever-evolving ethnic amalgamation full of adaptations such as mochiko chicken, loco moco, spam musubi, puhelu kalbi, and kalua pig manapua, all piled on sky high on top the ubiquitous plate lunch. Some of the biggest (though not necessarily the best) purveyors of local fast food are: Zippy's (plate lunch), L&L's (plate lunch), Yummy's (Korean-style plate lunch), Ba-Le (Vietnamese-style sandwiches), and Ezogiku (ramen).

By far the best intro to local cuisine in its cultural context is Rachel Laudan ("caroline" to egulleters)'s Food of Paradise (University of Hawaii Press, 1996), winner of the 1997 IACP Jane Grigson Award.

O.K., formalities aside, here is the media digest. Since this is the first installment, there is some introductory material as well. I don't know how frequently I can update!

The two daily newspapers are the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser. The Star-Bulletin's food editor is Betty Shimabukuro, who writes a lot about local ingredients. Some of her recent feature articles:

A Taste of Tofu: All tubs are not created equal

Daikon ministry: The Honbushin community celebrates the favorite vegetable in its shared garden

Oahu sprouts new farmers’ markets

Chef devotes a dinner to a rare ’shroom (matsutake)

Forget about hair on your chest, traditional Okinawan andasu will put hair on your back, sides and the top of your head

She also writes a column called BY REQUEST. Being lazy, I just copied excerpts from the index page:

Maguro Zuke a triple winner at poke festival

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Hideo Kurihara won the trifecta at the Sam Choy Poke Contest, held over the weekend at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island.- Kurihara's . . .

Benefit book offers simple solutions

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Joline Galusha's request looked like an easy one. She wanted a recipe for lumpia. Surely, given all the recipes that have been printed on these pages, . . .

Award-winning chili brims with oxtails

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Forget the chili purists -- those people who say a true pot of chili has no beans and no ground up meat, just big ol' chunks.- The winner of Kakaako Kitchen's . . .

Tofu byproduct makes cookies soft and chewy

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

This request was so odd it was fascinating. Ernelle Leong is looking for a recipe for cookies made with okara, or soy bean meal. She had the cookies . . .

Baking makes teri chicken extra tender

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Sometimes the simplest foods are the best, especially if you can find a formula for a basic dish done particularly well.- Georgiane Senda is a faithful . . .

The Star-Bulletin restaurant editor is Nadine Kam, who writes a column called THE WEEKLY EATER. Presumably, restaurant reviews will be of somewhat less use to those to those outside the state, so I generally won't excerpt or index individual articles, but check it out anyway if you're like me and enjoy reading reviews of restaurants you'll probably never have a chance to frequent.

The Star-Bulletin also features every Wednesday recipes from two TV shows, Hawaii's Kitchen and Hawaiian Electric Kitchen (see below).

The Advertiser's food editor is Wanda A. Adams. However, since she doubles up as a feature writer, there aren't quite as many food articles as you would expect under her byline. Instead, other writers chip in, such as in the recent feature on Hawaiian heart of palm:

OFF THE SHELF: Fresh Hawaiian heart of palm versatile and nutritious by Zenaida Serrano Espanol

QUICK AND EASY: Michael's fresh Hawaiian heart of palm ahi poke

The Advertiser restaurant critic is Matthew Gray, who's pretty adept an rooting out hole-in-the-wall places. Again, I won't excerpt except in unusual cases, but here are links to the archive index.

On TV, there is a wealth of shows, as the major stations feel the need to keep up with the Hawaiian Regional bandwagon.

PBS Hawai`i's version is HAWAII COOKS with Roy Yamaguchi, which I believe is gradually extending its national distribution. Here are some copied-and-pasted excerpts from the home page.

Soybean (9/3 & 9/6) It’s probably the most versatile and revered legume in Asia, while in the West, soy and soy products are only now being hailed for their health benefits. From bean to tofu, Hawaii Cooks looks at the many ways soybeans are utilized in the islands. Soybean pods on the vine, soymilk dripping from crushed beans and silken tofu floating in a water bath are just some of the products that are captured.

Cooking Segments

Ruth Rasmussen: Wok-Charred Edamame

Yamaguchi: Kalua Pork with Taro Sauce and Tofu-Yuba Stir Fry

Future Chefs (9/10 & 9/13) The future of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement is well in the hands of a number of up-and-coming chefs. Hawaii Cooks examines a highschool culinary program at Leilehua as well as a collegiate level program at Leeward Community College that are making sure a steady stream of qualified culinary professionals continue to fill the industry. Mentor and apprentice, chefs Alan Wong and Lance Kosaka join Roy in the kitchen to share recipes that hold special meaning to them as they discuss their careers and the future of the industry.

Cooking Segments

Alan Wong: Pickled Mango Vinaigrette

Lance Kosaka: Shrimp and Clam Linguine with Chile, Lemon Grass, and Black Bean Sauce

Going Fishin’ (9/17 & 9/20) From sacred Hawaiian fishponds to the modern tanks of fish farms at the Big Island’s Ocean Science and Technology Park, raising quality seafood has always been a priority in Hawaii. Hawaii Cooks examines farm raised seafood with a look at how both traditional techniques and current aquaculture methods are helping to develop a steady supply of superior fish and shellfish.

Cooking Segments

Yamaguchi: Hawaiian Cioppino and Crostini with Eastern Rouille

Sake and Rice (9/27) Hawaii Cooks ventures to Portland, Oregon where Roy’s signature Y sake is produced. Japanese chef and owner of Imanas Tei Izakaya, Kesuke “Casey”Asai, joins Roy in the kitchen to prepare a simple and tasty dish that is a perfect accompaniment to sake.

Cooking Segments

Kesuke Asai: Aku Tataki

Yamaguchi: Molded Sushi with Unagi and Spicy Crab

KITV (ABC) has the granddaddy of these shows, the HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC KITCHEN, running since 1995 and so-called because of its sponsor. A sampling of some recent shows (you need to register to see the recipe index):

Taste of Hilo with Restaurant Kaikodo and O’keefe and Sons Breadbakers - 9/14/2003

Demonstrated By: Michael Fennelly and Jim O’Keefe

    * Ahi Spring Rolls

    * Barbecued Oysters

    * Quick Puff Pastry Dough

    * Fresh Apple Turnovers

    * Li Hing Fresh Fruit Tarts

    * Sausage Apple Rolls

. . .

Aloha Festivals 2003 - 8/16/2003

Demonstrated By: Helen Kuoha-Torco and Barney Issacs

    * Butter Mochi

    * Hawaiian Beef Stew

    * Ono Loaded Saimin

. . .

Vietnamese Cooking with A Saigon Café on Maui - 7/1/2003

Demonstrated By: Owner Jennifer Nguyen & Chef Long Van Nguyen

    * Beef Salad with Garlic and Egg

    * Fried Whole Fish

    * Green Papaya Salad

Year of the Hawaiian Forest with Malama Hawaii - 6/16/2003

Demonstrated By: George "Chef Mavro" Mavrothalassitis

    * Limu Kohu Ahi Poke

    * Lilikoi Malasadas with Guava Coulis and Ice Cream

. . .

Korean Centennial pt. 2 - 2/16/2003

Demonstrated By: OnJin Kim of OnJin's Café

    * Korean-Style Fresh Watercress Salad

    * Korean-Style Oxtail Soup

    * Korean-Style Shrimp and Chive Pancakes

2003 Narcissus Festival pt.2 - 2/1/2003

Demonstrated By: Terrill Chock - Narcissus Festival General Chairman, 2002 Narcissus Queen Kuuleialoha Chun, 2002 2nd Princess Sherri Seto

    * Bitter Melon and Pork with Black Beans

    * Cold Ginger Chicken

    * Green Curry Chicken

Incidentally, KITV has its own food page, complete with restaurant reviews by local newsreader idols, but the page doesn't have any mention of Electric Kitchen. Strange.

KHON (Fox)'s show is HAWAII'S KITCHEN. The KHON site unfortunately hasn't been kept up to date, but a more up-to-date archive is provided by Suresave Supermarket's site. Some recent recipes:

Sep. 20, 2003   

Fettucine with Shiitake Cream Sauce

Pasta with Thai Coconut and Herbed Sauce

Fresh Tortellini with Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Sauce

Fusilli Pasta with Asian Pacific Pesto

Sep. 14, 2003

Broiled Sea bass

Sukiyaki

Sep. 7, 2003

Rebroadcast from 3/23/03

Agedashi Tofu

Poached Moi

. . .

KHNL (NBC) has SAM CHOY'S KITCHEN, which is nearly as ancient as Hawaiian Electric Kitchen, running since 1996. Suresave also has an archive of these recipes. Excerpts:

Show 08/30/03

Apple Crisp, Bluberry Cobbler Show 08/23/03

Pickled Mango, Mango Bread

Show 08/16/03

Cool off from the summer heat with these delicious drinks

Show 08/02/03

Chicken Parmesan and Seafood Pasta

Show 07/26/03

Pulehu Flank Steak with Dad's Sunday Potatoes and Nalo Greens with a Kona Prange Vinigrette, Grilled Marinated Shrimp with Aloha Soy Drizzle, Mango Salsa and Soba Noodles.

Show 07/19/03

Macadamia Nut Ahi Poke with Furikake Crisp, Shoyu Lemongrass Glaze, Shoyu Lemongrass Glaze,Sake Vinaigrette, Furikake Crisp, Poke Kahiko.

Show 07/12/03

Local Style Beef Salad and Braised Lamb Shank Show 07/05/03

Pork Luau, Cinnamon Roll

KHNL also runs frequent segments called CHEAP EATS with Sam Choy and Lyle Galdeira. In which they sample a full range of Hawai's plate lunch and other fast food offerings. Needless to say, Choy has good taste. But perhaps a bit eclectic. O.K. Saimin, Manapua, Bento, Okazu, Pizzerias, etc. But Kalani and Kamehameha School Cafeteria? Iolani and Punahou Carnival?? Streaming media for some segments (but somehow not all).

O.K., that's it for now.

Pin me up Jinmyo. . .

Edited September 23, 2003 by skchai (log)

[alanamoana]

i'm happy to see this digest started. please also see under the cooking forum "spam and mac salad".

i have to take some time to read the reference material but i'd love to see some more people contributing to this: kimo, foodzealot, karenS and anyone else who has direct contact or roots in the islands. it isn't really enough to have a post occasionally when an eGulleteer takes a vacation on maui (not that we don't appreciate your posts regarding the restaurants where you dined...we're just a little jealous ).

this is something that i hope will get a little more important over time as hawaii is such a food centered culture.

[alacarte]

This is an exciting addition to the digest list. Thanks so much for doing it -- this is something totally off the radar screen for most of us!

[skchai]

Mahalo for your comments.

Any other contributions you guys can make to this digest would be highly appreciated. I would particularly welcome info from the neighbor islands, since I don't get over there very much and don't really keep up with their media (even though I was a West Hawaii Today reporter at one point in my life).

Comments and questions from mainlanders, international folks, and the "brain drain" diaspora are also appreciated, of course. News about local / Hawaiian food on the mainland or elsewhere would also fit, as would links to other websites and to Hawaii-related egullet threads (I'm obviously this thing pretty broadly).

Here are some recent related egullet threads found and / or noted already:

spam and mac salad: "hawaiian" foods

FoodZealot bio: ?Who does he think he is?

anyone in hawaii?: just checking

Hawaii - Big Island recs sought

Maui restaurants?: Fancy and not so fancy

Honolulu Trip Report: Chef Mavro, Alan Wong’s and More

There seem to be a lot appearing here very recently - there were hardly any in the past! A good sign, I hope. Please post links to any I missed.

[skchai]

It's Wednesday, so already we got some newspaper updates:

Just when I said that Wanda Adams, Advertiser Food Editor, doesn't publish as many articles as you would expect under her byline, we get three:

OFF THE SHELF: Fat-free okara can be used in soups, as meat substitute

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Poke recipes embrace innovation

QUICK BITES: A taste of Taiwan (+ Kona Brewery's IPA, Kapi`olani CC Farmers' Market, etc.)

Not that there's any cause and effect. . .

Here's stuff from the Star-Bulletin by Betty Shimabukuro:

Sam Choy says he's been scared straight into reversing a lifetime of bad health habits (+ Hookipa 2003 info)

Starting with right mango key to best chutney (+ Discover Moili`ili Festival info)

Star-Bulletin's weekly sampling of recipes from two TV shows:

HAWAII'S KITCHEN: Pesto takes on an Asian flavor

ELECTRIC KITCHEN: Stuffed Maui Onions

[a-nomad]

Aloha all!

I'm also glad you started up this area on Hawai'i...

I sometimes feel a little isolated from the rest of egullet way out here.

I'm another 'year-round' local resident of Oahu (I live in Honolulu) .

I love Hawai'i because it has such a diversity of restaurants and food.

I also have a small restaurant column called "Island Flavors" that appears in many of the local military papers (circulation totals around 60,000). The column doesn't really critique the restaurants as much as it just introduces military servicemembers (stationed here) and their families to local eateries. In the past few months, I have written about everything from great little local Manapua shacks and burger joints to the award winning restaurants of local celebrity chefs like Sam Choy, Alan Wong and Chef Mavro. Since two of the military papers are published by the Advertiser (Army, Navy) and two by Midweek (Star-Bulletin) (Marine, Air Force), I have been given the opportunity gotten to work with both papers and their writers. Well, I just wanted to drop in and say hi.

See ya round egullet.

[skchai]

I also have a small restaurant column called "Island Flavors" that appears in many of the local military papers (circulation totals around 60,000). The column doesn't really critique the restaurants as much as it just introduces military servicemembers (stationed here) and their families to local eateries.

Welcome to the thread A-Nomad!

Are your restaurant writings available anywhere on the web? If so, would appreciate if you could post here every now and then links to your latest insights.

Mahalo Nui Loa. . .

Edited September 25, 2003 by skchai (log)

[skchai]

In the interest of stirring up some more posts about Hawai`i, I started a few new threads in the Pacific NW / Alaska / Hawaii Forum. Looking for some kokua from previous posters and lurkers - get those typing fingers moving . .

Saimin in Hawai`i: Favorites, Origin, Definition, more. . .

Hawai`i Plate Lunch: Past, Present, Future. . .

The Future of Hawai`i Restaurants: New Concepts, "Theories of the Mid-Range"

[Rachel Perlow]

May I make a suggestion? I know there must be a very good and probably socially and politically correct reason for spelling Hawaii, Hawai'i. However, we try not to use unusual spellings or accent marks on eGullet. This is not because of disrespect for any culture or language, but for the sake of search engines. eGullet's search engine doesn't work with apostrophes, and Google's misses words with accent marks.

There is a fuller explanation from Fat Guy, in the Accent Marks thread.

The jist of it being that if someone searches Google or eGullet using Hawaii in the parameters, these threads will probably not come up in the results.

[skchai]

I know what you are talking about. It's definitely a problem. However, the obverse problem is that if we use "Hawaii", web searches with "Hawai`i" as the search string will not find us.

Use of the "`" (`okina), indicating a glottal stop, has become the standard in media and everyday usage in Hawai`i / Hawaii. For instance, this style has been adopted by all the local newspapers and magazines I'm aware of. I'm talking about English-language print media, not Hawaiian language. Hence it's not clear at this point, even from a national or international point of view, which style is more prevalent. Moreover, use of the `okina promotes more accurate pronounciation, which is the main reason why it's become popular locally. People who want to comprehensively search for articles regarding some aspect of the state have to search using both strings (though using one or the other is actually a decent way of filtering for articles that originate in-state or out-of-state).

In the long run, I hope that Google will tinker its algorithm to ignore diacritical marks when searches originate from its English language standard form, while paying attention to them when searches originate from forms for languages in which ignoring such marks would lead to ambiguity. It can''t be THAT hard and they're certainly not averse to tinkering. Even hot-linked searches that bypass the form can be distinguished based on their "ie=" (encoding) and "hl=" (language) fields in their cgi interface.

In the meantime, I'm willing to use "hawaii" if this is strict Egullet policy. However, it wasn't clear from the thread you mentioned whether this is the case. Steven wrote that he "recommend"(ed), not required, the use of basic English-language keyboard characters. Jason even suggested ways to use character map in windows to enter special characters! So I (and the other Hawaii / Hawai`i posters, presumably) would appreciate some clarification before deciding how to proceed.

Thanks, though, for your concerns!

[skchai]

An addendum to my previous post: I did the obvious and tried simple searches on google using "hawaii" vs. "hawai`i". "Hawaii" turned up "about" 24,300,000 hits while "Hawai`i" turned up "only" 962,000. So I guess the non-diacritical usage is more common (BTW `okina is a grave (`), not an apostrophe ('), though it doesn't matter to google, which treats both more or less as if they were spaces).

So there may be some reasons to drop the `okina to improve search engine visibility. However, as you may know, Google Pagerank algorithm ranks pages based on a recursive centrality formula that weighs both number and popularity of links in. It's likely that the links from pages that use "hawai`i" as their anchor text would be authoritative and hence more popular, so the evidence, even from ranking criteria alone, isn't as clear-cut as it might seem at first glance.

Edited September 28, 2003 by skchai (log)

[Fat Guy]

Our search engine can handle "Hawai`i." What it can't do, and won't be able to do any time soon, is return "Hawaii" results when somebody searches for "Hawai`i," or vice-versa. One thing that I think is safe to assume is that anybody who knows how to type "Hawai`i" is going to know that you have to search for both "Hawai`i" and "Hawaii." Whereas, the average person (almost everybody, that is) who spells it "Hawaii" is probably not even aware of the other spelling or thinks it's with an apostrophe. So we don't really have to worry about the "Hawai`i" crowd -- they'll find stuff no matter how it's spelled. What we have to worry about it the "Hawaii" crowd finding "Hawai`i" references. So "Hawaii" is probably the more eGullet-friendly term. But if there are valid reasons why "Hawai`i" is a better term, I wouldn't want to overlook those.

[skchai]

Steven, your logic is too strong! I must go back and undergo more training!

How about this - I will use "Hawaii" in the headers but "Hawai`i" in the body of messages. I assume this should take care of the search problem but also allow for the more accurate usage otherwise.

Is there some way for me to to go back and edit the headers for threads I've started in the last day or so? I have links to them in post a little before this one. Tho' it may be irrelevant given the underwhelming response they're received!

Edited September 29, 2003 by skchai (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

That would depend on whether or not the searcher checks 'entire post' or 'title only.' Try to use Hawaii in the text of the post at least once.

If there is any specific title that you want to change, just click report this post and ask the moderator to edit it for you.

[skchai]

If there is any specific title that you want to change, just click report this post and ask the moderator to edit it for you.

Done.

That would depend on whether or not the searcher checks 'entire post' or 'title only.' Try to use Hawaii in the text of the post at least once.

Sorry for belaboring the point, but I'm certain that any search which has 'entire post' checked will also check the title as well. I even went out and searched a particular thread under a word that appears only in the title but not in the body, whilst checking 'entire post'. The thread came up in the results anyway.

Thanks,

Sun-Ki

[Rachel Perlow]

Yeah, that would work then.

[caroline]

Sun-Ki, three cheers for starting this thread. It wasn't where I would have expected to find it or I'd have been egging you on from the start.

Just in case anyone's wondering, this whole business of glottal stops and diacriticals is not some weird scholasticism on Sun-Ki's part. As he says, he is following standard usage in the Islands. And the usage is not irrelevant to food because food (like the diacritical issue) is one strategy for negotiating your way through a cultural mix that is, well, to say the least, quite unlike anything seen on the mainland.

So looking forward to lots of posts from alanamoana, kimo, foodzealot, a-nomad et al.

Oh and are you going to include Honolulu Magazine, Sun-Ki,

Rachel

[skchai]

Rachel, thanks so much for your expression of support. I'll try to meet your expectations and keep it going as best I can - with of course the kokua of the hopefully ever-expanding Egullet "Hawai`i Club".

And thank you for writing the one book that, more than any other, has raised the visibility of our local foodways on the mainland and throughout the world!

BTW, regarding Honolulu Magazine. They do have a website, but unfortunately it only provides a table of contents of their print issues. I will try to get ahold of their restaurant survey when it comes out and provide a brief digest, however.

O.K., it's Wednesday, so here are few more updates from the Honolulu newspapers.

In the Star-Bulletin (all three of the feature stories by Betty Shimabukuro):

Showdown: Spam vs Tulip vs Treet. Tulip is a Dutch (!) version Spam made with bacon. I won't give away the thrilling results.

Maui store is a cheesy good time. Who Cut the Cheese? in Kihei.

Beef dish brings Snyder $10,000. Sort of like simplified, Japan-Americanized Pho.

Hawaii's Kitchen: Polenta with seared scallops

Electric Kitchen: Minestrone, Won Bok Slaw

Not much in the Advertiser food section this week:

Checking out Chinatown By Zenaida Serrano Espanol. Lyon Arboretum's Cook's Tour - durian, menpachi, frogs. . .

QUICK BITES by Wanda A. Adams. Chocolate buffet fund-raiser, Kapolei pumpkin patch, gifts to community colleges in honor of late WOW pastry chef Heather Ho, Taste of China trade show at Blaisdell Center.

Not in the food section, but a big story:

Fire destroys Hilo's Maebo Noodle Factory by Rod Ohira. Maebo is the manufacturer of "One Ton" wonton-pi chips, the one with the old-fashioned weightlifter on the package, as well as one of the last local manufacturers of saimin noodles for retail. Blane Maebo hopes to be producing again with new facilities and equipment in two months.

I've started a thread in the Pacific NW / Alaska / Hawai`i Forum about this, with more info.

[skchai]

The weekly update from the Star-Bulletin:

BY REQUEST: Mochi Duck is a challenge to recreate, by Betty Shimabukuro

HAWAII'S KITCHEN: Caviar garnishes scallop dish

ELECTRIC KITCHEN: Ahi returns to spotlight

From the Advertiser:

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Rehab's `ohana shares recipes, tidbits, by Wanda A. Adams

"Celebrity" (Neil Abercrombie's mom, Peter Canlis) recipes from the hospital's cookbook

QUICK BITES: Festival of food, by Wanda A. Adams

Food & Wine Festival of the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel features chefs from Hong Kong and Thailand, Oktoberfest at the Ala Moana Hotel, Dvorak's Shrimp Shack reopens at Kaya's Market, David Paul extends his kama`aina two-for-one discount

To fill things out, some recent restaurant reviews from the papers:

Chef Kiyoshi plating for peace at Youme.n restaurant, by Nadine Kam

Chocolate casts its magic spell at Enchanted Lake shop (Chocolate Sushi), by Nadine Kam

Japanese-style bar Nonbei serves a tasty menu, by Matthew Gray

"Niniku-Ya" The Garlic Restaurant, by Rae Gee

Also, in case anyone missed it, this bad news:

Washington Saimin latest to go

[skchai]

Another pretty slow week. In the Advertiser:

Tours to offer taste of Hawai'i. By Beverly Creamer. State Department of Agriculture wants to create a open farmers' market along the Kewalo Basin in Kaka`ako, one that could turn Honolulu into a "farmer's market city" like Seattle or Vancouver.

OFF THE SHELF: Squeezable herb, spice flavors pricey but convenient. By Wanda A. Adams British Pepper and Spice Co.'s gourmet spice blends in toothpaste tubes.

QUICK BITES: Cooking classes. By Wanda A. Adams. . . at Lyon Arboretum. Colonade Asian Noodle Cafe opens on Westin Maui. Annual Great Kapolei Pumpkin Patch opens this weekend at Aloun Farms. "Chocolate" traveling exhibit opens its run in family section of Bishop Museum.

In the Star-Bulletin:

BY REQUEST: Right dressings take salad from ho-hum to yum. By Betty Shimabukuro. Made by Marsha Cades, chef at Kaka`ako Kitchen.

HAWAII'S KITCHEN: 25 garlic cloves flavor spaghetti. With Bob Longhi

ELECTRIC KITCHEN: Baked salmon a family affair. With Patricia Rodriguez

Perhaps readers of this digest (assuming such people exist) could suggest types of food-related stories or journals that they would like to have reported here. Thanks!

[skchai]

O.K, the latest edition of the Honolulu Advertiser's annual guide has just come out. Hot off the presses, errh, server!

Hawai`i's Best Restaurants

I've started a thread on the Pacific NW, Alaska, and Hawai`i Forum with links to this and a whole bunch of other guides to local dining:

A Guide to Guides to Hawaii Restaurants

Also this week in the Advertiser:

Finding a quality cut

Includes: grass-finished beef from A'ala Meat Market via J. J. Andrade Meat Market in Honoka`a; free-range, no-antibiotic beef from various sources, kalbi and teriyaki-marinated ribs from Kalihi Super Meats; a list of a lot of places in Chinatown that carry all parts of the pigs.

OFF THE SHELF: Catch the tail end of the 'dragon's eye' longan season

QUICK BITES: Japanese food fest.

"Aki Matsuri" at Japanese Cultural Center; former UH football player Tyler Tanigawa opens "Tani's Lunchwagon" after stints at Sam Choy's and Mariposa; and more.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Mililani's grad 'Grinds' take the cake

High School graduation committee releases "Grrr-eat Grinds" for their senior party. Favorites include (Guamanian) Chamorro dish called champuladu (any relation to Okinawan champuru?), chocolate congee.

All above articles by Advertiser Food Editor Wanda Adams. I guess I have to post an apology to Ms. Adams for saying the doesn't put that much out on her byline - she's really outdone herself this week!

In the Star-Bulletin:

Discovering America, one pie at a time, by Betty Shimabukuro

Bill Windsor stops in Hawai`i on the last leg of his quixotic (?) trek to sample as many pies as possible across the U.S. Calls Leonard's Malasadas the "best doughnuts in America".

BY REQUEST: Chinese recipe comes with language class, by Betty Shimabukuro

A recipe for Mapo Tofu, complete with its complicated history.

THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN: Rock shrimp make tasty dish, with Chef Mariano Lalica of Meritage Restaurant

HAWAII'S KITCHEN: Eggs Benedict, Kaimana-style, with Ken Furuta and Rene Caba of the Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel

Finally, another sad note:

Wilfred N. Kawamura, founder of W&M Bar-B-Q Burger in Kaimuki, passed away last week. A humble but popular burger place with only four items on the menu, it is responsible for that grilled-meat smell that you sense whenever you're crossing the intersection of St. Louis Heights Dr. and Waialae Ave. W&M will be closed in mourning until the end of the month, but Kawamura's children have vowed to keep it going after that. . .

Obituary in the Advertiser:

Founder of Kaimuki burger place dies, by Curtis Lum

and in the Star-Bulletin:

Founder's burger place became local landmark

[skchai]

I'm asking again for suggestions on content that could make this thread more useful to readers. There's haven't really been a lot of pageviews or responses, so perhaps you guys are not finding it very interesting? If so, please let me know if there is something that's missing . . . feedback of any kind will be appreciated!

Anyway, here are this week's articles -

Star-Bulletin:

Untricky Treats Homemade goodies can be a simple proposition, by Betty Shimabukuro

BY REQUEST: Veggie lasagna rivals flavor of meaty versions, by Betty Shimabukuro

THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN: Fill quesadilla with fresh fruit, prepared by Julia Zee and Kapuanani Rothfus

HAWAII'S KITCHEN: Flaming dessert is impressive, prepared by Ben Wong and Rodney Uyehara of the Bistro at Century Center

Advertiser:

Chocolate is hot, by Wanda A. Adams

Waste not the seeds, flesh of your jack-o'-lanterns, by Wanda A. Adams

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Try cooking your gifts for the holidays, by Wanda A. Adams

QUICK BITES, by Wanda A. Adams

Swirl, sweet store founded by Aaron Kwon, opens in Ward Village. Big Island Festival features Food & Wine Mag's 2003 Best New Chefs. Kona Coffee Cultural Festival on the Big Island Nov. 7-16. Jill's Country Kitchen of Ocean View wins Chile Pepper Magazine's best hot sauce prize.

Cheesecake Factory to open in Waikiki, by Andrew Gomes

Will it draw in kama`ainas for its super-size entrees?

[skchai]

Star-Bulletin:

Those OTHER fish earn upscale attention, by Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga.

Elmer Guzman shows how to make use of reef fish that never show up in your average supermarket - moana, manini, uhu, akule, kumu, and more.

Hawaii's Kitchen: Fruit juice sweetens crispy fish, with Chai Chaowasaree of Chai's Island Bistro

Electric Kitchen: A trio of dishes a la Swiss Haus, with Freddy Halmes of Swiss Haus

Advertiser:

Cook it low and slow, by Wanda A. Adams

Using a slow cooker to make Kalua Pig, Okinawan Shoyu Pork, etc.

QUICK BITES: Hawai'i gets No. 1, by Wanda A. Adams

Franchise of Jackie (Chan)'s Kitchen, that is.

[Pumuckel67]

Aloha und Guten Tag:

I hope my comments fit within the purpose of this thread. It is interesting to me that many German recipes are titled “Hawaii” Salad, Baguette “Hawaii”, or “Hawaii” Cake, for, it seems, as long as there is a piece of pineapple in the recipe (Ananas=Pineapple) it will be called "Hawaii 'something.'" As one can see in the following recipes the amount of pineapple can vary between 3 slices , 4 tablespoons, 1 can etc. I find this very fascinating and was wondering if this is the case in other countries as well. I do know that one of the main US pizza places offers Hawaii pizza, which includes pineapple as a topping. These are the examples I found:

Hawaii-Salat

• Zitronensaft: 2 Esslöffel, Sellerieknolle: 1, Kopfsalat: 1, Äpfel: 2

• Mandelstifte: 50 Gramm, Orange: 1, Mayonnaise: 3 Esslöffel

• Bd. Radieschen: 1, Scheibe Ananas: 3 , Wasser Salz Pfeffer Zucker: 0.5 Liter Prise Calvados: 1

Baguette Hawaii

1 Baguette, aufbackbar ,

2 Stück Sahne-Schmelzkäse

1 Pck. Schinken, gewürfelt

1 Käse (Edamer)

4 EL Ananas

4 TL Mandeln, gehobelt

2 Prise Pfeffer

Hawaii Torte

2 Eier , 50 g Zucker, Vanillin Zucker, 30 g Mehl, 25 g Speisestärke, 1 Msp. Backpulver

Für den Belag: 1 Dose Ananas in Ringen, 850 ml, 1 Dose Frucht Cocktail, 850 ml, 1 Päck. gemahlene Gelatine, 500 g Quark, 400 g Sahne, 100 g Zucker, 1-2 Päck. klarer Tortenguß

Aloha, und Tschuess

[FoodZealot]

Pumuckel67, welcome to eGullet. You've asked a valid question, although it might be best addressed in a new thread. But to try and answer you, it is quite common to see steaks, pizza, salads and just about anything containing pineapple named Hawaiian or Hawai'i. Usually, it's presence in the recipe is the only criteria.

While I understand why Hawai'i and pineapple are associated, it is a pet peeve of mine, because IMHO, most of these uses of pineapple rarely have resemblance to the way pineapple is eaten or cooked with in Hawai'i. Nor do most of these dishes originate in Hawai'i. The only exception that I can think of is using pineapple juice in teriyaki sauce/marinade. I suppose my problem with it is semantic. I think it's something analogous to chop suey (invented in America) and China. I doubt if I'm the first to say this (please excuse the grammar), but I do say it often:

• Just because you put barbeque sauce on it doesn't make it barbeque;
  and just because you put pineapple on it doesn't make it Hawaiian.
  

While we're talking about pineapple, I've heard that pineapple is a common addition to modern sauerkraut preparations in Germany. Have you heard of this?

~Tad