odds and ends

Some random photos...this one was in-between of moonset and sunrise.

One morning while walking there was this huge rainbow, of course I was walking in a drizzle.

A flock of chickens in our neighborhood. I stopped to take their picture and they were running towards me (which is why the photo is so blurry, I panicked!)

Ikura don from Don Quijote...only US$3.99 + tax. It had tobiko (flying fish roe) and maguro (tuna) plus the ikura (salmon roe)...pretty good for the price.

How huge is this baked manapua (char siu bao/pork bun)? Got this from Chun Wah Kam in Kapolei. Their selection isn't as good as when we buy from Waimalu and this bao was mostly bread.

Also from Chun Wah Kam, their Bolo Bao. A sweet bread filled with custard topped with a crunchy cookie topping. This thing is meant to be shared!

We got 2 of these pineapples for free from Foodland with our Maikai Rewards (a point card system for the store). They were super sweet and delicious.

The full moon in July.

A Hummer decorated with maile and ilima.

The old Farmer's Market on Ward still has their old signs.

Saw this while waiting at an intersection. Pau Hana means "after work" or "after work drink"...Happy Friday!

parking

We don't own a car in Japan so I'm not too familiar with all the details but parking is definitely not free there. 

Not even in the parking lot of our apartment complex. 

I think they charge US$120/month or something ridiculous like that. 

When we lived in Hawaii the amount for the parking was included in our rent, but in Japan it is separate. 

In fact, when you go to a department store or to shop in Japan, you need to get your ticket validated or else pay out your nose! (I think with validation you get a small discount, maybe even free, but I don't know for sure) 

The parking structures in Japan are so tiny too because of lack of space. (definitely not big enough for most SUVs or the like) I must say though, with all this space in Hawaii, many drivers lack manners and park in-between two stalls (not leaving a stall for someone else to park in) or don't bother to straighten out and end up hugging the left or right side of the stall (coming way too close to their neighbor).

We are lucky to have free parking in most places here in Hawaii, I think we should try to park nicely so that everyone can be happy.

daydream

One thing living is Osaka is that the sky is never deep blue like this. (and I didn't touch up any of these photos)

Most times it is a faint/light blue or light gray (due to pollution) and people there call it a great day.

I know, I'm spoiled because I grew up with one of the most beautiful skies ever.

So I was lying down the other day, gazing up and out of the window and saw this and had to snap it, to preserve it for those winter months or feelings of homesickness.

And then I saw this sky after coming back from a great lunch with a friend and had to preserve it for future oohing and aahing as well (sigh).

How's your week going? Hope it is going well.

hawaii remembers

What kinds of things did you have for breakfast growing up?

We were lucky because on weekends Mom used to make all sorts of things for my brother and I.

One dish in particular was her peanut butter french toast.

Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (Jelly preferably guava.)

Dip into milk and egg mixture as you normally would french toast and cook with butter.

The version we had recently was different from "small kid times" (childhood) because my mom doesn't buy Love's white bread anymore, only whole wheat bread.

Another nostalgic breakfast is portuguese sausage, eggs and rice.

The spiciness and texture of portuguese sausage is something that cannot be found in Japan, though some chorizo can come quite close.

The egg has to be sunny side up or over easy...anything that will ooze over the plate, picking up some of the "juices" from the sausage, and soaking into the rice.

(Don't forget some ketchup on the eggs.)

Nowadays though, mom "fries" the sausage in the oven without having to stand by the stove (gets out a lot of oil too).

Looking back on the foods we eat nowadays, they have changed considerably from when we were growing up, but the tastes and memories have not.

hawaii eats

The last time my brother and I were in Hawaii together was maybe 3 years ago?!

My brother has been in town for the last week and it has been "eat everything on his crave list" plus stuff my mom wants him to try.

One place in particular was Kanpai Bar & Grill. We tried this place last year and loved the food.

My dad didn't get to try it when we went last year, so we were glad he came with us this time.

This time around we ordered the kalbi shortribs, caesar salad, spicy garlic chicken and fried rice (with 2 eggs).

The kalbi was a little too salty for me, but had a lot of flavor.

I also like the wedge-style caesar salad...the garlicky dressing was nice too.

The spicy garlic chicken and fried rice was just as I remembered it...delicious!

After lunch, mom wanted some dessert, so we hunted out some Ono Pops at Marukai Ward.

They have some unique flavors.

I tried the Dark Chocolate w/Chinese 5-spice--70% chocolate and 5-spice...tasted like an adult version Fudgesicle.

My brother chose the Kona Latte--it was like a nicely sweetened coffee drink.

Mom and Dad chose the Kula Strawberry with Maui Goat Cheese---tart and refreshing.

It was a great lunch and even though my brother's visit was short, I hope he enjoyed his visit home, it was nice seeing him.

bangkok chef

One of the places on my mom's list to try has been Bangkok Chef.

Apparently they are a tiny restaurant in Chinatown which has been around for awhile, and have expanded to Manoa.

Since we figured parking would be kinda crazy in Chinatown, we checked out the one in Manoa.

We got there a little after 11:00 and the place was empty.

We placed our order and as we waited for our food, the place filled up.

Here's what we ordered: Fried chicken wings--lemon grass flavored fried chicken wings...the girl at the counter suggested that we order it ala carte so we would get more wings (10 pieces) and no rice...$7.25 + tax. These wings were so juicy and we loved the crisp skins. Dipped in nuoc mam (sweet chili sauce) this was really good.

Eggplant chicken--this came with sliced chicken, eggplant, sauteed in a spicy sauce with lots of fresh basil. Since we ordered this as a "plate" this came with half the container being filled of jasmine rice, which is their standard rice for all plates....$5.70 + tax. If you want brown rice or sticky rice, it will cost you a little more (I think like $.50 more).

We also ordered 2 orders of their summer rolls. These were HUGE!...$4.50 + tax for 2 pieces.

And an order of their spring rolls...$5.95 + tax, this comes with 6 pieces.

Why my mom had this on her "to try" list was for only one thing...their house delight...mango ice cream over warm coconut mochi rice sprinkled with crushed roasted peanuts...she ordered 4 because she wasn't gonna share with anyone...$3.50 + tax for 1.

We thought the mango ice cream should've been more "mango-y". Actually fresh mango in vanilla ice cream would've been nicer (and probably more expensive, though I hear that Roselani makes a good one).

And the place was so "loud" with chatter that it was quite hard to hear what we were saying to each other.

My last and final peeve was that each dish came in a styrofoam container. Granted if you wanted to take home your leftovers you didn't have to go ask for a container, but for all of us eating at the restaurant, I thought it was a really big waste of these containers and could envision even more trash being shipped to other States...

All in all, the food was good and I would go back, I just wish they would consider the environment a little more.

Bangkok Chef
2955 E. Manoa Road (past Manoa Marketplace)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.988.0212
Monday-Saturday 10:30-21:00
Sunday 12:00-20:00

UPDATE:I wrote that they have a shop in Chinatown, but found out that it is on the outside of Chinatown on Nuuanu Avenue.

hawaii (hopefully ) helps

I'm not quite sure when I thought about doing this, but it must have been about two or three years ago.

The longest my hair has ever been was before getting married, it was just below my shoulders not past the middle of my back.

Anyway, I just came back from the hair salon because I am giving my hair to someone who needs it.

Locks of Love is an NPO that helps children in the U.S. and Canada with long-term hair loss due to illnesses find some confidence and normalcy by providing hair pieces for them.

One of the reasons I chose Locks of Love was because they accept hair that has been colored. (There was a program that I found in Japan, but they were not accepting hair that had been colored nor was it a year-round thing.)

The "rules" on how to donate to Locks of Love is noted on their website. I hope they'll be able to use the hair that I send in and make a child (or two) happy.

By the way, the hair salon I went to did a fabulous job and I think I lost a couple pounds in the process!