This will be my first crack at writing about one of my passions in life…yes, you guessed it…food. Blame my family for bringing out this “monster” in me especially with all the “food porn” pics I inundate my Twitter stream with love to share online.
A little background story. My family grew up in various parts of Asia and our home cooking included influences from China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. All the great dishes from my family’s recipe book also gave way to a lot of unusual ingredients. I owe it to my dad for building my courage to try bizarre eats like jellyfish (makes a delicious salad with julienne cucumbers and a savory peanut butter sauce), pig’s feet (delicious when braised), and preserved eggs (also known as thousand-year-old eggs; goes great with pickled ginger). I’ve learned never say “no” to new experiences – one trait that every foodie must have.
Tune in for more personal stories and adventures revolving around the theme: FOOD. By the way, I’ll explain what this picture is all about in my next post…
Since I love cooking and eating (add me on Twitter too), here’s a list of Hawaii’s restaurants and chefs to follow. Feel free to view my full list of all Hawaii travel Twitter accounts as well. If you’re looking for a place to grab a bite or want to know what’s going on in Hawaii’s culinary scene, this list provides great Twitpics and mentions of new menu offerings and deals to save on your meals. Feel free to leave a comment with additional restaurants and chefs that I should include. Mahalo!
Updated April 9, 2009/2:30 p.m. HST (13 links to date)
Where to eat and drink
Big City Diner (Oahu) ~ five locations on Oahu with great selection for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner
Chef Mavro (Oahu) ~ James Beard award-winning chef George Mavrothalassitis; restaurant is rated AAA five diamond
J.J. Dolans (Downtown Honolulu, Oahu) ~ pau hana at this Irish pub that serves an interesting mix of pizzas
Kincaid’s (Ward Warehouse, Oahu) ~ reasonable place to bring the family for seafood and steaks
I’m making things easier and thought I’d split up my list into separate posts. Here’s the first one for Hawaii hotels to follow on Twitter. A lot of these folks are sharing great deals to their followers as well as updates on events and news at their properties. Feel free to leave a comment with additional hotels and resorts that I should include. Mahalo!
Updated April 9, 2009/2:20 p.m. HST (8 links to date)
After seeing Nathan Kam’s recent post of Visitor Bureaus on Twitter, I thought I’d follow up with a listing of Hawaii’s travel-related Twitter accounts. If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii or just want to be in the “know,” these folks can provide great links to deals for hotels, airfares, and restaurants as well as upcoming events and festivals to schedule in your list of things to do while in the islands. It’ll be an ongoing list as we all know that more and more folks are joining Twitter each day. Feel free to leave a comment with additional links that I should include. Mahalo!
Updated April 9, 2009/4:20 p.m. HST (58 links to date)
Links for planning your Hawaii vacation (16 links)
HVCB finally ends its Bay Area promotion this week with a final concert series at the three Gordon Biersch locations in San Francisco, San Jose, and Palo Alto.
San Francisco 5-7 p.m. Steven Espaniola 8-11 p.m. Raiatea Helm
I’m organizing a tweet-up from 12-2 p.m. at Gordon Biersch San Francisco on Friday, March 27 for those interested in meeting Raiatea Helm and learning more about Hawaiian music and her background.
There’ll be free Gordon Biersch garlic fries for all attendees and you’re more than welcome to stay for lunch. Please DM me on Twitter (@michaelni) if you’re interested in attending.
It was one of the first things that President Barack Obama did during the inauguration parade today.
Local residents do it when they’re driving or hanging out with friends. It’s the common gesture that’s known as the “shaka” sign.
Throughout the generations, various stories have been told to explain the origins of the shaka sign, with some dating back to the plantation days in Hawaii. The meaning can differ from one local to another; however, it remains a gesture of thanks, understanding, and the aloha spirit of Hawaii. I’m glad that the “shaka” traveled more than 3,000 miles and is now a presence at the White House.
How to “Shaka”
Extend the thumb and pinky finger.
Keep the three middle fingers (index, middle, and ring) curled.
Face the back of the hand towards the person that is being greeted.
Whenever my friends are craving dim sum, they usually bring me along for kicks. Since I speak Cantonese (yes, I’m full Chinese), I just place our food order for them. Beware though…because I might order those braised chicken feet. Yum!
I found this rap by Jin a few years ago and always crack up when I listen to it. I figured I put his music video on my blog to share with all my friends. For those that speak Cantonese, you’ll know exactly what he’s saying. If not, there’s a English translation on the YouTube link. Yum dom cha…sic gor bao. LOL. I’m craving dim sum now. Who wants to go?
Disclaimer: you won’t find any bikini-clad women at your local dim sum shop…Jin probably added them to be more hip hop. haha.
I took these photos last week. Here’s a comparison of what Honolulu looks like with power and without power I didn’t take them at the same time but you can tell how much a difference power makes.
Alright. My friend sent me this parody on YouTube.com and it’s frickin’ hilarious. I can actually associated with everything he says…uhh raps. Haha. To all my fellow asians, what do you think???
A little background story. My family grew up in various parts of Asia and our home cooking included influences from China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. All the great dishes from my family’s recipe book also gave way to a lot of unusual ingredients. I owe it to my dad for building my courage to try bizarre eats like jellyfish (makes a delicious salad with julienne cucumbers and a savory peanut butter sauce), pig’s feet (delicious when braised), and preserved eggs (also known as thousand-year-old eggs; goes great with pickled ginger). I’ve learned never say “no” to new experiences – one trait that every foodie must have.
