*i'd like to give my advance apologies for some of the horribly blurry pictures that will eventually follow. i had cropped some of them from larger ones* Obon season is yet again upon us. and that means, good foods, Kimono's, Happi coats, dancing, and all around good times. there are a few Bon Dances around the island i tend to hit up when this season rolls around. Wahiawa's Bon Dance is one of them. what is Obon? it is a time to honor your ancestors. the obon festival, or Bon Odori, is a time when you welcome the spirits of the dead, and celebrate your ancestors. if you go to Obon, the spirits are in the air...... or so some believe. i've taken some pictures in the past, that might suggest this is true.... but who knows. either way, it is all in good spirits, and fun times. one of my #1, all time favorites to get at the bon dance is this mochi. they boil pieces of plain mochi until it is very soft, then you top the mochi with a sugar/shoyu mixture, and some kinako powder. i like mine with lots of kinako. so good! as you can see.... it is very sticky business....... you'll also find SHAVE ICE here! its good on a hot night, and after some vigorous dancing! and of course, as always, you have to have some ANDAGI! these were crispy, crunchy and delicious. Wahiawa's temple is one of the nicest ones i've seen. we came in here to pay respect. so pretty! we had a newbie friend with us, and it was then that i decided.... Bon Dance is like Fight Club = if this is your first time at Bon Dance - you have to dance.
and dance she did! :D take time to visit a Bon Dance if you're here on Oahu. a few of them have already passed, but here are the remaining dances coming up! also, if you miss the other dances, you at least have to go to the biggest one - the Okinawan Festival... don't miss it!
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i'm sure you're going to look at this post and wonder what the hell it is i'm doing...... trust me - its gonna look cool. just you wait and see. its Quiz time: in this picture, what are you looking at? A : ancient torture device B : acupuncture practice C : dinner if you said C - you win...... absolutely nothing. congratulations. the specifics of what you're looking at are cut up hot dogs (5 of them into about 1 inch pieces - you can use more hot dogs if you want, i only had 5 left) and several pieces of thin spaghetti noodles pierced through them. no, this is not the entire box of pasta, BUT i will be using the rest of the box..... keep watching.... i'm up to something.... Quiz #2 : what is in this bowl? A : industrial glue B : eggs, cheese, herbs, salt, pepper, and milk C : i would say, but kids might be reading this did you say B? - good job! again, you get no reward. so this is a carbonara-type sauce b/c quite frankly i am tired of marinara all the time. mix up 5 eggs, 2 handfuls of shredded cheese, salt, black pepper, basil and "italian seasonings", 1/2 cup of milk or cream, and put this on the side to be dealt with later! alright, no more quizzes - i'm sure your brain is tired. i just wanted to show you how cool the pasta-dogs look in the water. boil a TON of water (not literally) and put in the pasta dogs, along with the remainder of the pasta in a 1 pound box, or bag, whatever you buy is fine. alien dogs!!!!! i was going to call this "Octopus pasta" but that is way more than 8 tentacles...... drain your pasta, and QUICKLY throw in the hot pasta into your carbonara sauce. mix - mix - mix until everything is covered in sauce. taste it, add salt if needed, and enjoy! top with more cheese if you like...... this is great for kids b/c they're easily entertained. haha, just kidding.
some things i learned while making this: 1 - using thin pasta resulted in some breakage, so i suggest using regular thicker spaghetti to avoid this 2 - the pasta contained inside the hot-dogs still gets cooked - i have no idea how, but it does. just go with it. 3 - poking pasta through hot dog pieces is TIME CONSUMING..... make this a family project, know what i'm sayin? wrangle up your slaves to help you do this part. 4 - the regular carbonara recipe includes bacon, so i strongly encourage the addition of bacon. why i did not this time is beyond me... i think i was tired :P Happy Cooking! YES, yes, i know - another really late post..... i know. here i am, talking about last May's Eat The Street, and June's Eat The Street is right around the corner.... i know. i suck :( please forgive. i say - hey, better late than never! here are drool-worthy pics from May's Eat The Street. try not to eat your computer. check out this crowd! people and food trucks as far as the eye can see!!! it rained, but that did NOT stop anyone! SOUL PATROL = our first stop was this soul food truck. you may have heard of them? they first started out as a truck, but now have a restaurant near the University of Hawaii. i've always wanted to try their food, so why not now? what you're looking at is a delicious container of collard greens. it was smoky, hammy, and so-so-so good! SOUL PATROL = the "mixed plate" from their truck. it contains fried chicken, cole slaw, fried pork (i think, sorry i can't remember), baked black beans and cornbread with honey. if i could marry food - i would have proposed right then and there. SOUL PATROL = you know what that is? THAT is the best shrimp and grits i've ever had. ever. EVER. and i've had some shrimp and grits..... trust me - if this is your first experience with shrimp and grits, then no other will compare ever again. EAT THIS - EAT THIS NOW..... its a little pricey, but trust me, it is 100% worth it. PIZZA = yeah, ok, so we did not get pizza b/c #1 the line was hella long, #2 they were still cooking the pizzas and #3 i didn't really feel like pizza :( however, i was impressed that this company actually TRAVELS around with a brick oven! amazing. maybe i'll try next time we go. i guess we'd have to go early...... excuse me - does that say MALASADA BURGERS?! i must try this........ we're stopping....... so THIS is the malasada burger. no, it does not look appetizing..... and some of you might be saying "malasada burger? ew!" but hey, don't knock it till you try it...... perhaps another angle will make it look more appetizing? so is this workin for you yet? and what did it taste like? well, eat a burger, and then eat a malasada with that burger.... TA-DA. its like you were there. :P Unfortunately - i don't think i'll be getting this again. BUT i do encourage you to try it. it wasn't bad, just un-impressive. Mexican sodas really are the best sodas..... this is Tamarind flavored! if you don't like tamarind, you will not like this beverage. but if you DO like tamarind... you will love, love, love this soda :D so delicious. check out the taco trucks at the event, and you will find this soda..... and finally.... the "waffle dog." if you were thinking KC Waffle dog - you are wrong. this is nothing like that.
the KC Waffle dog was like riding a unicorn, while this waffle dog was more like riding a donkey. this waffle dog was bland. the KC waffle dog was so much better. man, i miss KC drive inn!!!!! the next Eat The Street event will take place on Friday, June 24th. make sure you mark your calenders, and come hungry!!! check out my "Other Great Sites" tab at the top of this page, and click on "Street Grindz" for more info! So.... in MAY i did a charity walk for a friend of mine in the hotel industry. yes - i know.... its JUNE now. practically the end of June. to be honest, i completely forgot i had the pictures still locked away on my camera. so here they are. it not only was a charity walk - it was a food walk! i did not end up getting everything they had to offer (i was either full, or not interested), but i did pick up a few treats along the way! check out this crowd!! it was crazy..... because there were so many people, there were some stations that we did not get food from. for example, we missed the chocolate covered strawberries :( that's okay! its for charity! the theme of the walk was "Put your best slipper forward". thus, these giant-ass slippahs. even doggies walked along! despite the fact that people were not allowed to bring dogs...... :P the first thing we got was this big chocolate chip oatmeal cookie! or should i say "THE" cookie..... delicious! a small shot of Haupia. so good :D what could be at this next station? it looks promising! ................................ MINI MANAPUAS! but, what kind of filling? its chicken! really good - i wish they gave more than one :( lunch at the end = Portuguese sausage hot dog, Chinese chicken salad, breaded chicken cutlet and fried rice. i also had a banana, but it was in my pocket at the time. there also were more cookies, cupcakes, fruit and tons of water along the charity walk, which was a total of 6 miles!!!! needless to say, my legs were useless the day after.
do something for charity! the benefits are great! :D no... unfortunately, i did not make the chicken wings in that picture. i'm sorry for teasing your visual taste buds. HOWEVER, i AM looking for a master recipe of epic fried chicken proportions!
after reading THIS ARTICLE and.... THIS ARTICLE.... i am determined to master the fried chicken wing. if you have any recipes that you can share with me, that would be great :D until then.... i will update you on how my fried chicken wing experiments are going as they progress. WISH ME LUCK! :) |