Have Your Candy and Eat the Wrapper Too

Tomoe Ame Rice Candy has been a classic in Hawaii for generations. It’s often brought up whenever discussing “Hanabaddah days”, a Pidgin English slang locals use when referring to childhood memories.

Rice candy shown with plastic wrapper and unwrapped, yet STILL wrapped with clear edible rice paper (foreground). That sticker is the “amusing toy” of the day. Click image for larger view, which depicts the reverse side of the box with different artwork on it.

The single most important feature that sets this Japanese candy apart from all other candies is its edible clear Rice Paper wrapper. As an adult, this probably doesn’t mean much, but when you’re a kid, this is really neat!

What’s almost deceptive is the non-edible clear plastic outter wrapper with the red label. If this was your first time eating this, you’d probably think the rice paper was also plastic and remove it as well. Don’t do that! That’s half the fun! As a kid, you have this “look, I’m eating the wrapper!” feeling of achievement, for whatever that’s worth. lol The rice paper actually serves the purpose of preventing the gooey sweet rice candy from sticking to the plastic wrapper.

As soon as you pop one in your mouth, the rice paper immediately dissolves, revealing a chewy, very sweet orange and lemon-flavored morsel. The list of ingredients include corn syrup, sugar, sweet rice. lemon and orange flavoring and coloring. Perhaps the corn syrup is what gives it that sticky gooeyness. They really are tasty.

Another novelty about Tomoe Ame is the “Amusing Toy” each box includes. IIRC, the toys in the past were more substantial molded plastic items. Today they’re either a sticker or water-based tatoo transfer. My “amusing toy” of the day was a sticker of a singing frog & what is that… a cat? Amusing indeed. lol

The box shown here was $1.20 at Shirokiya. Tomoe Ame Rice Candy is produced by Tomoe Confectionery Co., Ltd. in Nagoya, Japan and imported by Taiyo, Inc. in Honolulu.

While we’re on Japanese candy classics, another popular, more modern item is these Pocky “Choco Sticks”….

These took a while to catch on in the US, but now theyr’e very popular and widely distributed in various forms of packaging and brand names.

The biscuit stick has an hearty baked bread golden flavor and crispy texture. The chocolate coating is very good in quality. When you bite into it, there’s a distinguishable flavor and texture contrast between the two, similar to eating an ice cream cone. You gotta’ love that.

What’s simple-yet-brilliant is the uncoated ends, so snacking on these is a neat M&M’s slogan (you know what that is!) experience.

This box was on sale for $1.69 (reg. $2.50) at Shirokiya. It includes two sealed foil pouches, each filled generously with Pocky Sticks. It’s manufactured by Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. in Osaka, Japan.

Chain Chain Chain…

Chain of Fools is a great song, but enough about music. Let’s talk burger chains. There’s a good reason these White Castle Cheeseburgers are in a package. White Castle is one of several popular burger chains in the mainland that still don’t have any locations in Hawaii. Well our local Sam’s Club has helped fill that void by offering White Castle burgers by bulk in the freezer section.

After watching the movie Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, it sparked some curiosity in me as to what makes these “Slyders” so special. Well, curiosity may have killed the cat, but hopefully here it won’t kill my arteries. Our office vending machine recently began dispensing them, so I took the opportunity to finally try one (make that 2).

This package of 2 “Slyders” costed $2.25 vending machine price. It includes two cheeseburgers totalling 3.66 oz.. I take it the term Slyder relates to their rather miniature size, which allows you to “slide” one of them into your mouth practically in one bite. Of course, I wanted to savor the flavors involved here, so I nibbled at it in sections like a little guppy.

They were thawed to refrigerator temperature, so all it required was a quick 35 second zap in the mic’ to heat these bad boys up…

35 seconds and their done.My knife collapsed the bun when I cut into the on the right, revealing the wafer-thin square patty.

The ingredients list says the patty has dried onions in it. You can sort of taste that. The bun had a suprisingly supple texture, dispelling the fact that it was nuked. Although the “toasted” top crust was a bit soft. Their size and shape are like a dinner roll. It kinda tastes buttery too, thanks to the cheese.

Like most packaged frozen meals, these were certainly salty – 610 mg. of sodium specifically. While we’re on facts, the two also provide you a heart stopping 17g of fat, 8g of that saturated and 1g trans fat. I hope doctors don’t read food blogs. lol

Overall I’d equate the flavor to that of a base-model McDonalds Cheeseburger, sans the condiments MikkeyD puts on theirs.

It’s been said these taste WAY better when you’re drunk. With that in mind, would I buy these in bulk at Sam’s Club? Only if my shopping cart also includes a case of beer. Now that I think about it, that’s probably why Harold and Kumar liked them so much… because they were stoned out of their mind.

Other mainland burger chains that have yet to sail to Hawaii shores include Sonic, In-N-Out and Fat Burger. Surely I’m missing a few names that are specific to a certain region.
Chains that Hawaii currently DOES have include McDonald’s (the first one to come to Hawaii), Burger King, Jack in the Box, Wendy’s, Ruby Tuesday (sort of a burger place), Cheeseburger in Paradise and the latest arrival from California, Islands Fine Burger restaurant.

I just hope all the mass-marketing chains don’t start taking their burger wars to the grocery store freezer. “Microwaveable Big Mac vs. the Microwaveable Jumbo Jack”. That’s scary.

But wait! What about our local chains? Well, we all know Zippy’s is known for Zip Pacs, plate lunches and Napple turnovers, but for what it’s worth, they also serve a pretty darned good burger!…

Zippy’s BBQ Cheeseburger (teriyaki gravy added by special request) includes fries and a medium drink for $5.05

Zippy’s Primeburger Deluxe with Cheese includes fries and a medium drink for $5.50

The Zippy’s cheeseburger (top photo) patty is on the smaller side, with the Primeburger patty larger – probably a quarter-pounder.

As with most fast food chains, Zippy’s uses a flat top griddle to cook their burgers vs. an open flame, so the term “BBQ” burger is a misnomer. Still, the burgers have a nice sear with a flavorful charred crust, medium done inside. The buns are standard sesame seed fare. The fries are pretty good. Tender inside, crispy out. The Teri sauce is kind of thinned out into a brown gravy, which I prefer over the concentrated glazed type. Even better when you drizzle it over some Mac’ Salad. O.K., I’ll stop grossing you out now. lol Overall the combination of the patty and the fresh veggies and bun, along with the golden fries is a satisfying meal at a great value.

One of the keys to Zippy’s success is their consistency from restaurant to restaurant. Even with these burgers, you can be sure whether you order one in Pearl City or Hawaii Kai, they’ll always taste the same. No surprises. Just done good and done right.

White Castle Cheeseburgers (frozen packaged variety)
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Zippy’s Burger Combos
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Korean Specialties at Palama Market

Several weeks ago, for the first time I visited the original Palama Market on Dillingham Blvd. in Kalihi, a supermarket that caters to Oahu’s Korean community. I was absolutely fascinated with the wide selection of delicous-looking Korean specialty items I’ve never seen anywhere else.

Sea Food w/Green Onion Pan cake

My friend discovered this Seafood Pancake at a Korean Festival a few years ago, so when he spotted it in Palama Market, he immediately snatched one up for us to try. As odd as the name sounds, let me tell you, this stuff is ONO! It’s a medley of seafood items such as immitation crab, fish and shrimp with large stocks of green onion, carried in a slightly flavored flour and egg “pancake” batter.

It has distinguishable seafood flavor, though not “fishy”. The pancake batter is a nice “filler” providing a semi-chewy texture. The flavor sort of reminds of the deep-fried gobo fish cake from the big island. It’s non-messy finger-food serving size would definate make it a potluck hit. Anyone who knows the recipe for this, please let me know!

This is all I have for now – of course just one of MANY prepared specialties in Palama Market too numerous to mention. The market also has a full-service produce and meat department, a hot food Korean take-out shop and an extensive self-serve line-up of freshly made marinated Korean vegetables and seafoods. You want Kim Chee or Taegu? Come here. They’ve got every variety under the sun at very reasonable prices.

Palama Market has two locations: Palama Shopping Plaza on Dillingham Blvd, across the former GEMS and a new one on the corner of Kalakaua and Makaloa st. near the Kaheka Don Quijote.

Seafood & Onion Pan Cake (Palama Market)
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Ramen Quest: Chapter 2

Sun Noodle Tonkotsu Ramen

As you may have read in chapter 1, I’m quite fond of Hawaii’s own Sun Noodle brand packaged fresh ramen – specifically the Shoyu flavor. Well there are 4 other varieties from them that I’ll gradually get to, including Shio (clear, salty broth), Miso (fermented Soy Bean Paste broth), Cold (sort of like a Somen Salad) and continuing here now with Tonkotsu Ramen.

As you can see above, The Tonkotsu, like all the other varieties are packaged the same way. A liquid soup broth and two servings of fresh ramen noodles individually packaged on a disposable plastic tray (included mainly for packaging purposes). You simply cook it then add the condiments of your choice.

With this style of fresh ramen, you add the liquid soup base straight into the serving bowl and pour about 2 cups of boiling hot water in with base to make the broth. Because the soup base often has some (cold) congealed oil in it, it’s best to “melt it” by putting the sealed packet in the boiling water for short time, then open and pour it into the bowl. You then boil the noodles in it’s own water until cooked tender, usually under 3 minutes, drain water thoroughly then add to the bowl of broth. Unlike dry ramen where the powdered soup base is usually put into the same pot of water that you boil the noodles in. After that, simply add your favorite toppings.

As you can see above, the Shoyu broth is dark brown, but still clear. The Tonkotsu broth has a significantly “cloudy” light tan appearance. The intensity of broth flavor between the two ar about the same, primarily in it’s salt/shoyu content. While I taste some shoyu flavor in the Tonkotsu, it’s more of a pork-based “meaty” flavor. Both broths have an oily film floating around, adding a nice slick “slip” to the noodles as you slurp them up.

I still prefer the Shoyu flavor since it’s a bit more “neutral”, allowing the Chashu, Menma and other condiments’ flavors to play a supportive role in the sum of its parts. The Tonkotsu broth is indeed delicious, although a bit more dominant, making all the condiments and noodles taste like one homogenous “soup”. Still, I also really liked this Tonkotsu flavor and will buy it again as a variety option.

Sun Noodle Tonkotsu Ramen

Tasty Island Rating:

Note on a few toppings…

Someone commented, asking where and how the Menma is packaged. Well the answer’s here…

Yamachan Brand Menma (Marinated Bamboo Shoots)

Don Quijote has these conveniently located on the top shelf in the same refrigerator case with the fresh packaged ramen selections. In my opinion, Ramen just isn’t Ramen without this. There’s several varieties of Menma, but this particular one is the one you want. It’s marinade is shoyu and sugar-based, and it almost has a mushroom-like meaty flavor and texture to it, complimenting the slippery, almost egg-flavored starchy noodles beautifully. It costs about $3 for this package, which could probably make you 3-5 bowls of ramen, depending how much you use. You can also get a HUGE bulk size package called Ajitsuke Menma for about $9 at Marukai (for the SERIOUS Ramen lover!).

Green Onion (left) and Negi (large Japanese scallion, right)

Pictured above is a size comparison of a typical bunch of green onions to the much larger Negi on the right. The flavor of Negi is pretty much the same. The thick white base stock is the part used most often, sliced into very thin slivers for ramen. This base stock had about a 5/8″ diameter, but there were some in the store that were over an inch. That’s huge!

What's Growing Out Back

Outback Steakhouse is growing, with 4 locations now on Oahu. But enough about steaks, what I’m really talking about here is what’s growing out in the backyard!

Mom’s place in Hawaii Kai has an interesting variety of fruits and herbs which (for the most part) are certainly put to use in our kitchen.

Hawaiian Chili Pepper tree

Hawaiian Chili Peppers are probably very high on the Scovel Scale for heat. A raw bite into one of these little demons will certainly sending you running for the water fountain, or possibly the emergency room. It’s commonly used in Hawaii to make Chili Pepper Water, a liquid condiment that you pour on food, similar to how you’d use Tobasco sauce. It’s also used to make Pepper Jelly, which is really ono on Saloon Pilot Crackers. Also commonly used (very sparingly) in poke and in my late uncle’s smoked meat marinade. The young ones are green, turning to yellow than “ripe” when they’re a bright reddish-orange. They keep for a long time in the refrigerator and can also be frozen for later use.

Meyer Lemon

Meyer Lemon is said to originate from China, with a cross in flavor between a lemon and mandarine orange. It’s a suitable substitute in most recipes that call for regular lemon. It has a sort of yellow-orange color when fully mature. Look at the rather beautiful flower this decorative fruit tree also bares.

Calamansi

Calamansi is a citrus fruit that originally came from the Philippines. It looks like a small lime when ripe, growing no larger than a golf ball, though usually a bit smaller than that. It’s very tart with a sort of combined lemon-lime flavor.

Calamansi is great for flavoring seafood dishes and also squeezed over Pancit Filipino noodles. It also a good flavor enhancer in mixed drinks such as Vodka Tonic. Aloha Maid, a Hawaii juice manufacter sells ready-to-serve sweetened Calamansi Juice in cans.

Breadfruit, a.k.a. Ulu

Breadfruit, also called ‘Ulu in Hawaiian is a staple food throughout the pacific islands – most notably Samoa. It’s very starchy and usually baked before eaten. My cousin loves it simply like that with some margarine on it. We’re not really into it and end up giving our tree’s harvest to family and friends.

Star Fruit

Star Fruit has such a unique flavor and texture. Just as that link suggested, it’s sort of like a combination of a pear, apple and grape. The edible skin has a waxy texture to it. They can be very tart when not fully ripe, with some of that tartness evident even at its ripe stage, though very sweet and “fruity” as well.

Rosemary

Rosemary has a sort of pine-like flavor and fragrant aroma that compliments beef and lamb dishes perfectly. In fact, a leg or rack of lamb roast without it would almost be a sin! I also like to chop it and sprinkle on baked Yukon Gold Potatoes drizzled with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper.

Asian Flat Leaf Chives

Chives are part of the onion family and are basically like a miniature scallion. This variety has a flat leaf profile, unlike the tubular profile of standard chives. These have a more “earthy” than “oniony” flavor. I most often use them chopped fine and put over a fully-loaded baked potato… one of my favorite comfort foods! Sometimes I’ll use them full length as a garnish for presentation when we entertain guests.

Bananas in early growth stage


Hawaiian Ti plant

The Hawaiian Ti plant or Ki is something many of us Kama’aina take for granted because of its abundance in the islands. From what I understand, these are hard to come by in the mainland. My sister in Missouri keeps Ti leaves rolled up in Ziploc bags in the freezer. Some recipes I’ve read say Banana Leaf is an adequate substitution, but I hear it imparts a slightly different flavor. Ti leaves are an absolute requirement to properly flavored dishes such as Laulau and Kalua Pig. Ki was highly regarded and considered sacred by the ancient Hawaiians.

A red-eyed ladybug strolls upon 2 kumquats

This rather cool macro shot (click the photo to view it full size) captures a a ladybug lazily resting on this Kumquat tree branch. She (aren’t all ladybugs “she”? lol) has silvery-blue dots on her black body and little red eyes. This bug’s actual size is no larger than 2 grains of rice. The diameter of those Kumquats are about 1″.

The Kumquat is another fruit originally from China. They ripen to a bright orange color and can be eaten with the skin on. It’s sweet on the outside and rind, but the inside is very tart and not desirable to eat. They’re OK, but not my favorite.

All these photos were taken by me yesterday, Sunday, October 22, 2006, which gives you an idea of what’s growing in Hawaii Kai’s climate during this time of year. Of noticeable absence are our White Pirie and Shibata Mango, which of course is out of season right now. Also, our Basil and Mint herbs were in a new growth cycle and not worth photographing.

Next time I’ll share photos of the beautiful flowers we’ve got growing Outback.. I mean.. out back! Hey, pass me the A-1 Steak Sauce.

Tasty Island Rating
Not rated.

Soniaʻs Orange Shells Filled with Poi

Yes, you heard right. I’m spreading the word about this incredibly creative and unusual recipe Sonia shared today on her food blog. Who would have thought of combining Poi with Shoyu, Goat Cheese and Oranges? Sonia did just that and claims it’s really ono!

O.K. Sonia, I believe you, and now I must add this to my growing list of to-do recipes, along with several recent ones Lindy posted. Mahalo to all the bloggers out there sharing their knowledge of good food!

I commented to Sonia about how my grandmother used to make us Hot Milk with Poi. The Poi has to be really, really fresh. Heat milk on stove then FLOAT the milk over the poi in a bowl. Donʻt mix it together. Scoop some of the milk with the poi in your spoon and slurp it down. Sounds gross, but itʻs really ono! Also helps stabilize the digestive system and relieve tummy aches.

Now Orange Shells Filled with Poi. That is wild. She also posted a really nice photo of the finished dish. You gottaʻ see it to believe it! I still donʻt believe it. lol

www.SoniaTastesHawaii.com

Lunch Today at Todai

I couldn’t resist that title. Actually “today” is “kyo” in Japanese. Anyhow, we celebrated a belated birthday lunch today at Todai Seafood Buffet in Waikiki. This was actually the first time at Todai for all but 1 in our party of 5. After hearing mixed reviews from others and less-than-favorable comparisons to the also popular Makino Chaya Japanese Buffet, we decided it was time to see and taste Todai for ourselves.

We arrived just before opening for lunch at 11:30am, with a short wait in front before doors opened. We made reservations, so our party was quickly called in to be seated. A friendly staff greeted the hungry pre-lunch crowd with an enthusiastic “Irashaimasu!” Our waitress explained the “system” of the buffet line and that drinks needed to be ordered through her, making it clear that most of the beverages included free refills. Liquor is also available.
Time now to get up and scope it out! We make a walk-around for a preview. The sushi is the main attraction at the front corner station, which also shares feeding space with the dessert, salads and fresh fruit line. If the house sushi selection isn’t enough for you, opt for the made-to-order hand rolls where you tell the sushi chef behind the counter what to put in, sort of like a Sushi (mini) Subway sandwich.

To the right of the sushi station is the hot foods such as Miso and Egg Flower Soup, a variety of steamed and grilled fish fillets, grilled chicken and pork ribs, Sukiyaki, stir-fries and tempura.

Following are photos of plated selections some of us chose…

Todai offers an eclectic variety of Sushi


Clockwise from top: Made-to-order sushi hand rolls, house-made Gyoza, Crab Cakes, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura, Curried Potato Fritter (placed on Tempura), Kim Chee (from salad bar) and bowl of Tempura Dipping Sauce with grated Daikon.

Seafood from the hot station. Clockwise from top: Shrimp Tempura, Gyoza, Crab Cake, Grilled (sweet) Saba, Mussel in Soup Broth, Steamed Mahimahi with Asian Pesto, Baked Salmon in Dill Cream Sauce and Miso Soup (center).

More of the same hot items, with the addition of grilled teriyaki chicken, chow mein and fried rice

My favorite of the sushi rolls was this “Shrimp Katsu” Roll, which has an Aioli Sauce and Tonkotsu Sauce drizzled on it. Look at all those flavors and textures that go into each roll. Love it!

After satisfying just about every sense of taste, it’s time to bring on the sweet! Here (above) we have a Blueberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake, Papaya-Mango Custard and Coffee Mocha Mousse.

Todai Seafood Buffet is located at foot of the Canteberry Condominium in Waikiki, above Singha Thai Restaurant. This is on the corner of Ena Road and Ala Moana Blvd, across from the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Wailana Tower. Parking is located off of Ena Rd., in the same building (The Canteberry). Parking is free for the first 2 hours with validation. You’ll likely be STUFFED long before those 2 hours are up.

In summary, our visit dispelled our skepticism over the hype and left us very satisfied. Everything (except for a few dessert items) tasted made-to-order fresh. Likely arriving when doors first opened for lunch played a key role here. The value is exceptional; regular lunch time ALL YOU CAN EAT! prices are $14.95, reduced even less to the $12.95 Kama’aina rate for our group. The dinner price is about $10 more. Still, even without fresh poke, sashimi, crab legs or other pricey seafood dinner add-ons, there’s enough variety during lunch to leave you wanting to come back just to try something you didn’t have enough room for the last time.

Todai is certainly a contender for “best asian buffet” in Honolulu. Makino Chaya may have an edge with the made-to-order hot foods menu, but Todai seemed to have a cleaner, more refined, elegant and organized buffet line. You can certainly see a “corporate image” thing going on here in a GOOD sense of the phrase.

Next time you consider Willows, Pagoda, Makino Chaya or Hanaki on your lunch buffet radar, Todai should be right there along with them.

Tasty Island Rating:

Pauhana Friday at the Mai Tai

Popcorn Shrimp – $5.00 Hang Ten Special

Aloha Friday. It was a hard work week. You’re beat. Pooped. Worn out. Ready to start off a relaxing weekend. Where do you like to go for really ono pupus, music and wala’au time with family and friends?

Home? Bar? Restaurant? Beach?

Last week was indeed a tough one for us, so we unwinded with friends last Friday at the Mai Tai Bar in Ala Moana Shopping Center.

“Hang Ten” happy hour happens between 4-7pm and 8-11pm daily, which includes a variety of pupu and drink specials and live music.

My favorite pupu here is the Popcorn Shrimp (shown above) which, during happy hour is only $5.00… what a deal! The regular menu price is $8.00, which is still reasonable. It includes a mound of I’d say U-20 shrimp tails, deep-fried in a nicely crisp “popcorn” batter on a bed of sliced cabbbage with the most killer remoulade (that pink one on top) I’ve ever tasted. OMG..so awesome! The other sweet & sour sauce is also tasty, but that remoulade though. Da’ bomb.

My second favorite is the Coconut Shrimp…

Coconut Shrimp – $5.00 Hang Ten Special

A bit larger shrimp tails in a coconut crusted batter, served over pickled julienne carrots and daikon with an Cajun marmalade dipping sauce. Supah, supah ono and also just $5.00 during those times. Another super deal.

There’s several other pupu items for $5.00 as well as a selection of Mai Tais (of course), Martinis, Wine and mixed drinks for $4.00 as well as pitchers of Bud Light (I think) and Kona Longboard for $7.00. These low prices are truly amazing considering Maitai’s ritzy Ala Moana location, with neighbors such as Macy’s and Nieman Marcus just a walk away. It’s no wonder this place really packs a crowd. Locals always know where’s the deals! There’s actually quite a few tourist shoppers who drop in out of curiosity (the crowd).

Another draw here is the live music, performed daily from 4-7pm and 9-12pm.

Kimo Opiana jammin’ some R&B and local hits

Kimo usually plays Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-7pm. Cory Oliveros plays the same time on Thursdays. Various (usually Jawaiian) bands play the 9-12pm shift. Kimo and Cory are both absolutely awesome musicians. The type who can play just about any song you request, although they usually have their own signature play list.

Kimo has a smooth, powerful voice and a sometimes playful approach to his music, like substituting lyrics such as “Hotel California” with “Hilton Hawaiian Village”. Cory is more applied and serious, more on the Jazz side, showcasing his technically advanced advanced guitar work; something I really get into.

Maitai Bar “front side”, facing Bubba Gump and CPK. Those green and red packages are Maui Style Potato Chips, which are complimentary.. just ask.

Ma Tai Bar is located on the third level on the “Diamond Head” end of Ala Moana Shopping Center. They’re just steps away from Bubba Gump Restaurant (who owns Maitai) and California Pizza Kitchen. In fact, all the food served here comes out of Bubba Gump’s kitchen.

It’s an open-air establishment, with nice cool tradewinds that breeze right on through. There’s one main bar (shown above) with 2 long side bars on each end that are served from the main bar and chairs all along. The surrounding area has tables and chairs and rattan sofa seating around the perimeter, giving you that “at home” feeling. It’s rather spacious (do the math here on $/sq. ft. lease rent and your head will spin), with most nights filling up to standing room only. This place gets REALLY CROWDED. In fact, if you get there after 6pm, unless you’re really hot-lookin’, chances are slim you’ll find seating.

I doubt the new Pearl nightclub in the nearby Ho’okipa Terrace will make a dent in their crowd. It’ll just give them a place nearby to go when Maitai closes. lol What’s best about Mai Tai’s besides the happy hour specials is the relaxed “island syle” atmosphere and fun, friendly and (mostly) attractive crowd. When you’ve had your Mai Tai fill, you can then do some shopping just a step outside. Nice.

Mai Tai Bar – Ala Moana Shopping Center
website

Tasty Island Rating:

Quik Note on the QUAKE…

We were in our condo in Waikiki when it hit. My girlfriend was up, getting ready for work and I was asleep. She immediately ran in the bedroom and woke me up, as she was pretty frightened. I awoke to the bed shifting side to side and a house plant doing the Hula. The first quake was certainly stronger, with a significant side-to-side movement of our building. Not jolting enough to topple or break anything though. Sort of like mild turbulence on an aircraft. Still, it was pretty scary. Every second felt like a minute. The second tremor was similar in sensation but weaker and shorter.

As soon as it ended, my next thought was TSUNAMI! Thank, thank, thank God (and madam Pele) we didn’t have one. Just 4″. Oooh… get the boogie board!
My girlfriend beat the soon-to-be-HOURS blackout and made it down the elevator in time to go to work. Yes, being a hotel employee, she had to work. Actually she faired better than I did by keeping busy. I was absolutely BORED out of my brains! No electricity meant NO TV and NO Internet.. ackkkk! To top it off, it was a muggy, rainy day. Just a dreadful, wasted Sunday.

My heart and prayers go out to those on the Big Island who suffered lost homes and property damage. Let’s hope madam Pele remains kind to us. Despite property damage, nobody was killed or seriously injured. She truly was kind.

With rattled nerves this week, we might have to consider another pauhana Friday at the Mai Tai.

S&S Saimin

Sustenance & more Sustenance. That’s what I’ve termed S&S Saimin, my favorite work lunch and overall resort-to meal. S&S has been a household name for Saimin in Hawaii for generations.

Itoen recently sold the brand to H&U Inc., dba Sun Noodle.

I’ve doctored the bowl shown above with Menma (marinated bamboo shoots). Otherwise it comes ready-to-serve in a bowl with FRESH noodles, powdered dashi soup base and all the garnishes including luncheon meat, Kamaboko, and green onions . Simply empty the dashi packet in, add boiling hot water, let it steep for about a minute or two and enjoy. Oishii!

The container bowl is made by a type of poly-styrofoam (with cover) that stands up to the microwave rather well. Since I keep them in the freezer, I usually have to nuke it after adding hot water to restore its heat.

They’re available in the refrigerator section at most Hawaii grocery stores, and also by “bulk” in a box of 12 (5.0 oz. each) for about $8.00. This yields you a “complete” meal for under 80 cents. What a deal! Even if you need to eat two to feel full (like me), that’s still cheap! Love it.

Before these ready-to-serve bowls came out, S&S Saimin was sold in basic form in sealed plastic bags with just the noodles and powdered dashi. You had to add your own garnishes. I’m glad they stepped on the convenience wagon and made it so easy now to enjoy a good bowl of Saimin.

Now that Sun Noodle is running the ship, I hope they take note and do the same thing with their fresh Ramen! Imagine being able to enjoy Chashumen with all the garnishes – just add hot water. That’d be awesome!

Tasty Island Rating:

*New* Spam Musubi Rating System

I decided to add an informal rating system for The Tasty Island based on Hawaii’s very own Spam Musubi! Informal, meaning that the “Musubi Grade” won’t be mathematically averaged from total point scores on a set of various criteria, but simply by my overall impression of the restaurant, item or recipe at hand.

There’s undoubtedly other websites out there with the same or similar grade icon. Still, it’s another fun, simple and easy way to identify with visitors that The Tasty Island truly has Hawaii in its heart. Later on to keep things interesting, I may consider changing the icon to Shave Ice!

Where did this soon-to-be “famous” Spam Musubi come from, you ask? A small convenience shop on the ground floor of the Dole Cannery. Perfectly delicious. A 5-Spam Musubi’er!

The Tasty Island Spam Musubi Rating System:

• 
  (5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)
• 
  (4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)
• 
  (3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)
• 
  (2) Good. I’m glad I tried it. (Ono)
• 
  (1) Average. (She Go)

Notice I don’t have anything below average as I don’t want to go into “bashing” territory. If an item is included and is below average, I may make a note of it and that’s it. If it’s so bad that it reduces my entire impression of the product or restaurant, then that said place or product will simply not be qualified to be posted on this blogsite. This isn’t the “yucky” island, it’s The TASTY Island!