Category: Blog

If you’re like us, you’ve been running around, buying, wrapping, and delivering…buying, wrapping, and delivering….

But I just wanted to wish everyone a most Merry and Safe Christmas.

One of my favorite items, is the Oatmeal/Raisin Cookies that a really good friend of ours makes.

Those that know me are aware that I really don’t care for "sweets". But this is one of my weaknesses. Just great, old-fashioned cookies, that she does so well. A few years ago, she found out that I really enjoy these; and nowadays, in addition to a "tin" of assorted wonderful cookies, she makes me a "tin" of all oatmeal! Here’s to wonderful, thoughtful friends! I have to be careful not too eat too many though…ahem, there’s alot of roughage in oatmeal! LOL!

Merry Christmas!

As all you regular readers can tell. there have been no posts over the last couple of days. There have been some problems with Typepad, the Web Blogging Service I use. I had a few posts in the "queue" that are now lost in the vapor of cyberspace.

But will have new posts starting (hopefully) on Sunday. I’m hoping to be back on my regular schedule.

Mahalo,

Kirk

A quick note about Hijiki. A regular reader, sent me some links regarding levels of Inorganic Arsenic in Hijiki which I used in one of my Nimono Dishes. So I just wanted to pass them on to you all:

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jul/hijiki

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/foodfacts/arsenice.shtml

http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/food-safety-topics/chemicals-in-food/hijiki-arsenic/

And a few more:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040731f1.htm

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v18je17.htm

This interesting post lists the Brands tested by the Food Standards Agency in the UK; it also reveals that the FSA did not take into consideration the rinsing and cooking:

http://www.simoncox.com/mt3/2005/11/itsu_bean_and_hijiki_lunch_roll.php

As with all info of this type I think the same New Zealand FSA article linked above had the following:

"Does this put my health at risk?

Exposure to low levels of organic or inorganic arsenic is not a health concern. Organic arsenic is commonly found in seaweed and other marine foods but has not been linked to any human illnesses.

Inorganic arsenic, formed from the combination of arsenic with oxygen, chlorine or sulphur, is more toxic and is known to add to the risk of people getting cancer if it is regularly consumed.

However it is not usually found at high levels in food. Hijiki does contain high levels of inorganic arsenic."

And the New Zealand FSA sent out this additional press release that states:

"the New Zealand Food Safety Authority says that it is very unlikely that anyone consumes enough each day to be at any risk."

http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/fsnet/2004/10-2004/fsnet_oct_21.htm#story1

I really don’t eat alot of this; so this won’t stop me from eating the little bit of Hijiki in my Onigiri, or with my bentos. In addition, many people I’ve known have been eating Hijiki their entire lives, and have not suffered any negative effects. But I thought that some sort of full disclosure is necessary. Call it "food for thought".

Thanks for the links Anna!

I’d just thought I’d do a quick get well soon post for Clare of Eat Stuff, who’s been Admitted to the Hospital due to an unfortunate incident. Take care, and best wishes for a complete recovery!

Very soon everyone in San Diego can have the very same heartburn that Angelino’s have been having for years! Actually, I like Tommy’s, but the Missus always gets heartburn from the chili. Saw this while waiting for a light on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, and took a picture, and immediately called the Missus! We had just been talking about heartburn (I’ve only had it once in my life!).

This is for Jack B. and Beth’s Hubby, who both can now get heartburn like they’ve never had it before! Lot’s of Love!!! Burp….

The last heat wave really put a damper on my appetite. All I really wanted to eat was Hiya Yakko (cold) Tofu.

So utterly simple, yet refreshing. All I do is add some shoyu and green onions, and maybe some Asazuke Kyuri (pickled cucumbers).  This is comfort food of the highest level to me. The only problem was finding a brand of tofu here on the Mainland that I enjoyed.

I was looking for a nice balanced, beany taste, like my beloved Aloha Tofu back home. I've finally settled on Nijiya Organic Tofu($1.49). It has the right balance of beaniness, along with the firmer texture I enjoy. The one thing I don't get is how this tofu lasts so long – back home tofu would expire in a couple of days, makes me a bit worried when I see that tofu will last for more than a month!

I ended up having a whole block of cold tofu 4 times last week. And enjoyed it each time. Here's to simple cold tofu! Comfort food of the highest order.

A little over a week ago Reid from ‘Ono Kine Grindz tagged for this meme. He in turn had been tagged by Clare from Eat Stuff. So with sincere apologies for my tardiness in completing this I’ll give it a shot here. This is all off-the-top-of-my-head, so I’m pretty sure this list would be different on every attempt.

The rules of this meme are simple.  Write about five foods from your childhood that you miss…what’s the catch?  There is none, really.  AND so that the people that started this darned thing can keep track of it, here’s something else that you need to do:

Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog’s name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross-pollination effect.  Then tag three people and you’re over and done with it all.

1. Do Or Do Not

2. BeautyJoyFood

3. eat stuff

4. ‘Ono Kine Grindz

5. mmm-yoso!!!

Ohhh-Kay let’s get started!!!

1. For the faint of heart, time to leave. It’s funny but from this humble beginning, I somehow ended up eating what I eat. Mayonnaise and Ketchup, yes, you heard me mayo and ketchup, mixed together. It had to be Best Foods Mayo and Del Monte Ketchup. So how did I enjoy this pseudo-Thousand Island dressing. On rice, of course! Yeah, yeah, yeah, you heard me right. Dressing on rice,very, very nice! Even before my kim chee and rice, there was ketchup and mayo on rice, french fries, plain macaroni, bread, basically any starch. But rice was #1! I hated the lumps though, so would have to smooth out the mayo before adding the ketchup, after all – Ya Gotta Have Standards!

2. Woolworth’s Fried Chicken. This was love at first bite. Remember "You do the pickin’ when you buy chicken at Woolworth’s"? Mom & I used to catch the bus down to Fort Street Mall, and buy the chicken, which they put into a foil bag, than go and sit and eat it on one of the many benches along Fort Street Mall. Years later, before all the Woolworth’s were closed down, I went in and ordered the fried chicken. Unfortunately it wasn’t very good at all. Made me wonder if the recipe had changed, or maybe you can "never go back home again"?

3. Pork Chow Mein. I’m sure you’re wondering, what about Pork Chow Mein? Well, as a youngster, I was a bit of a "pokey" eater, never really ate much. Then, when I hit the 3rd grade a strange thing happened; I developed an appetite, I mean an appetite! This coincided with our patronization of a certain Chinese Restaurant, whose name I can’t remember. If anyone knows the name of this place, please let me know. It was located on corner on Waialae and 10th Avenue, on the Mauka side of the street (in other words it wasn’t King’s Garden – too "high maka-maka" for us). I’m sure the Pork Chow Mein here wasn’t any great culinary masterpiece by any means, but I went from hardly being able to eat a few fork fulls, to eating an entire order in one sitting. I remember that one of the Waitresses would sit and watch me eat, totally amazed! Maybe I missed my true calling in life – Side Show Attraction? So when people would look at my Elementary School pictures and wonder how a sudden" growth spurt" occurred between 3rd and 4th grades, I’d always answer, "pork chow mein". ‘Nuff said!

4. Chow Fun. I guess I have a thing about starch. But there’s a particular Chow Fun I’m talking about. I’ve only had it about 4 times in my life, and again I don’t remember the name of the place. But it was located on Front Street in Lahaina. My Mom, was born and raised on Maui, so we’d get to Maui every so often to visit. There used to be a place that had this wonderful chow fun – they used to wrap it in pink butcher paper. The Chow Fun had pieces of french fries in it, a carb-lover’s dream! There was a 20-plus year gap between my last visit to Maui in the late 90’s and my previous visit in the early 70’s. It felt kind of sad, I didn’t recognize a single thing except the old Banyan tree in Banyan Tree Park.

5. Vienna Sausage. I really can’t stand the stuff anymore. But as a kid I loved to eat Vienna Sausage and musubi! I remember my Mother putting the Vienna Sausage into a thermos, pouring in hot water, than closing the thermos. When we hit our destination, she’d open the thermos and pour the water out; and viola! Hot Vienna Sausage, perfectly sized finger food.

So who am I tagging? A trio of fun, interesting, Food Bloggers – Pam from Daily Gluttony, Elmo from Monster Munching(Elmo – don’t tell me you don’t have any childhood memories, ok!), and another Ex-Pat Kama’aina and Rookie San Diego Food Blogger, Annie from Green Beans in San Diego. Have Fun……

During the course of my "travels" I’m always trying to "sniff out" or find new places to eat, I sometimes see or hear of new places that are set to open. Over the last few weeks I’ve been hearing about K’s Sandwiches, a Banh Mi place opening on the corner of Mesa College and Linda Vista:

*** Update 08/25 K’s sandwiches is now open ***

Looks like they’re about ready for the grand opening. I originally heard of this place from my Buddies at Sandwich Emporium. So it seems that this place is creating a bit of a buzz. Knowing that I’m always looking for a good Banh Mi – I’m sure to be one of their first customers.

I was driving up Clairemont Mesa Blvd when I saw this sign:

*** Update 09/26 – Golden City has now opened ***

I was really depressed when Golden City closed last year. They really filled a niche – Well priced, decent, Cantonese Food. Priced right so that you could possibly eat there everyday if you wanted to. Golden City had great lunch and late night specials – like Peking Duck (two dishes) for less than 20 bucks. I still miss the Kwai Fei Chicken and Salt & Pepper Pork Chops. You could get three roasted meats over rice for $3.88. I’ve been looking fruitlessly for another restaurant to take it’s place. So I’m somewhat excited to see what this incarnation of Golden City will be. The location is the corner of Kearney Villa and Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

Here’s part 2 of our Ten Questions with Reid from ‘Ono Kine Grindz; enjoy! Thanks again Reid!

6 – In your opinion what are the benefits of blogging, and are there any negative aspects that you’ve encountered?

The benefits are many and the negatives, or downsides, are few and far between.  For me, it’s really great to get to know people through the blog. It’s a way for me to share my experiences with food (something I love) with a large number of people and it’s a way to bring “home” to those of you that are far from it.  Believe it or not, many of those who leave Hawaii don’t come back as often as we’d like to think. Besides, for me this is a way to relax and unwind after a long day at work.
So far the only negatives have been the responses to some not so good reviews that I give to some places. Case in point, Baba Neo.

7 – Do you have any specific approach when selecting a particular subject? Basically, I’m asking, what is your style?

There really is no specific approach or style, but for a while I was just going everywhere and trying to be nice about it. I’m sure you can tell that by reading my earliest posts. Now, I’m more apt to be as honest as I can be without being too brutal. When I write on my blog, I’m basically listing my thoughts, so you might hear the same things over and over again.
I’m not like the food writer who has to come up with stuff that sounds good.

8 – Ever think that’ll you’ll run dry? With “tongue firmly in cheek” (because you seem to everywhere at once) – Do you ever go back to a restaurant? And what happens if you go back and the restaurant has changed dramatically from the original post, would you repost, or edit your former post?

Well, to tell you the truth, I read somewhere that there are 2000+ food establishments in the State of Hawaii and even if I did three reviews a week for the entire year, it would take me more than 12 years to get to them all. That said, I don’t feel that I’ll run out of ideas, but I might get sick of eating out before that happens.
To answer the second part of the question – yes, I do go back to restaurants, in fact many times. A lot of them are my favorites and the new places only make up a small minority of my dining out. In fact, I can eat through my three reviews on the weekends then visit my favorite places during the week. I don’t think I’ve ever been back to a place that I’ve negatively reviewed. Case in point, Green Door Cafe.  A lot of the local food critics have given that place the thumbs up, but in my opinion, it’s not authentic and not worth the price I paid.   

9 – What would be the earliest recollection(s) that you have of eating in a restaurant and do you think that had any impact on the way that you view food?

The first vivid memory that I have of dining out was at the Black Angus in Vancouver when I was 7 years old. I had taken a trip there with my grandmother, my grandmother’s sister, and my grandmother’s sister’s daughter. The entire restaurant was configured with walls made out of smoked glass. Add dim lighting to the mix and the whole place turned into a very dark maze. 
But to answer the rest of the question, no, it didn’t have any impact on the way that I view food in general.

10 – Does your “dream job” have anything to do with food in any way?

It’s funny that you would ask this question because for the last several years I have honestly thought of quitting my job to take up the culinary arts program at KCC.  It’s not going to happen anytime soon of course, but that is something that I’m actively considering. Other than that, a friend and I have tossed around the idea of opening up a small shop selling of all things nasi lemak, Malaysian coffee, kaya toast(picture courtesy ‘Ono Kine Grindz), and Nyonya kuehs. It would really be funny if it actually happens.

Thanks for your time Reid, and thanks for the great pictures and reviews on ‘Ono Kine Grindz. Keep up the great work!