Catching Up

I've been only updating to Facebook, but here's a backlog of previous posts.

Angry Korean Lady Restaurant in Honolulu - A Terrifying but Tasty Experience
Thursday, March 03, 2011 6:56 AM

In the 1960's and '70s, there was a restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown that was famous for a rude waiter named Eddie, whose service was so bad that it was legendary, and the place became a tourist attraction because of the bad service. I never heard how good or bad the food was.



Well, my Pomona College friend Val introduced me to Ah Lang Restaurant in Imperial Plaza (off of Cooke Street between Kapiolani and Queen), better known as the Angry Korean Lady Restaurant.





As you can see by the edit of the menu, the Angry Korean Lady (AKL) doesn't mince words. Apparently, masochistic Yelpers from all over have heard of her, because there were a number of tourists in the tiny restaurant.



I was fairly terrified because I had heard stories of her temper: berating diners who didn't know what to do and asking too many questions, cursing audibly and unapologetically. I was deathly afraid of making a mistake. Luckily, Val knew the drill. We sat down at a table. The menu is under a glass top. Break the glass and you pay for it - $100 for the smaller size; $200 for the bigger size.



We then had to get up, write our own order and take it to AKL in the kitchen. Since she is the only person working, it takes a long time to get your food. But it was somewhat entertaining to have her tell a diner in an annoyed voice that he would need to pay extra if he wanted more banchan, the side dishes that come with most Korean meals.



But she was apparently in a relatively calm mood, because she didn't yell, and actually gave us water before the food, contrary to what the menu says.



We ordered saba, which did come with banchan, a side order of mandoo, and Val's favorite, the savory green onion and a seafood pancake (saeng sun pah jun) with banchan, which is fair because jun isn't usually thought of as a stand alone entree. The food is good, much better than I thought it would be. The fish was cooked very well, and the banchan were strictly portioned (you only get enough for one, because that's how we ordered!) but good. The savory pancake was a standout, and it was a very large portion, completely covering a large dinner plate.



Of course, the pancake better be good because at $18, it was a shockingly high price for what I think of as an appetizer or supplementary course. The saba was $10 with banchan, making that a very good deal. The mandoo was $6 for four, a little high priced, but they were large and tasty.



AKL already included the tax in prices, so it came out to $34. I added a $5 tip, much less than I would ordinarily give, but more than I would tend to give for this level of service, which was kind of like Carl's Jr. service (Hawaii folks: Carl's Jr. is a fast food restaurant where you order at the window, they give you a plastic table marker with a number on it, and then your food is brought out to you). $39 for lunch for two is a bit high, but it was kind of fun and the food is good.



Would I go back again? I think so, especially if I'm in a certain mood and with people who would find the experience entertaining.



So give it a try, but be on your best behavior.



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. I wonder what it is about certain types of rude restaurant staff that somehow are granted an exemption from the usual indignation that happens when we get bad service. Is it because we think that it's a first generation Korean cultural style thing? Is it being repulsed by the rudeness yet secretly living vicariously through people like AKL, because don't we often wish that we could just tell people exactly how we feel anytime we want and still be successful in what we do?



I also noticed that the restaurant is closed on Sundays. Could AKL be like most first generation Koreans and be a Christian and a churchgoer? If she were, would it make you feel that she was a hypocrite? But wouldn't that make me a hypocrite for thinking that, and make a non-believer just as judgmental as a lot of non-believers feel Christians are?



And then I think about how difficult it must for God to love us. I don't know about you, but I can be pretty difficult, quirky, annoying, and any of a long list of unappealing characteristics.



And yet I know that God still loves me. God still loves AKL. God still loves you. In spite of it all. God doesn't stop loving us, despite our flaws.



That's grace - the unconditional love of God. I'm so glad that God is a God of grace. And since I am a recipient of that grace, maybe I should extend the same to others.



Okay, AKL. I'll come back. I'll pay the 50 cents for the extra banchan. Maybe I'll even tip you 20% like I give to almost every other server.

Hamura Saimin on Kauai - The All Around Best Bowl of Saimin
Monday, February 07, 2011 8:18 PM



Okay...so we've pretty much determined here that Dillingham Saimin is better than the fancier "estranged sister" Tanaka Saimin. Dillingham has an excellent broth, but a small bowl. Tanaka is kind of bland, same size bowl, nice interior.



Shiro's Saimin Haven gets kudos for allowing patrons to choose the doneness of the noodles, plus the bowls are big and you get lots of different things to go with your saimin (more than 60 combinations).



But for me, the best bowl of this distinctively Hawaii culinary invention is Hamura Saimin on a non-descript side street in Lihue on the island of Kauai.



You walk in and it is crowded. There is one big table and two horseshoe shaped counters. You wait and hope that no one takes your rightful turn for the few seats. You eat with everyone: locals, tourists, the pile of dishes in front of you and next to you from previous diners. When the dishes in front of you are finally cleared (I think it's their way to space out the orders coming into the kitchen), they are unapologetic and ask you what you want. But somehow, you don't mind. The service is really beside the point. You want to get the bowl that you hungrily watch everyone eat, and you don't particularly care if you are getting flowery pleasantries or not.



I ordered the extra large special: a hefty bowl of saimin with wun tun, spam, fishcake, hard boiled egg, vegetables, green onions, and roast pork. It is heavenly. The broth has a nice dashi flavor. My friend and colleague Wesley Elmore, the local United Methodist pastor, thinks the broth is too salty, but I think it's just right. The noodles have a nice texture, and the wun tun has a nice gingery snap to the flavor.



Doctor Trey, one of the top ukulele teachers and music producers in Hawaii, says that there is a great hot sauce that they serve with it. I didn't know to try it...but will the next time.



People raved about the lilikoi (passion fruit) chiffon pie. I thought it was okay - not as good as the one a former church member at Kailua United Methodist Church used to make. The saimin is all that matters.



You can be sure that every time I'm on Kauai and it's possible, I'll be at Hamura's.



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. As I was sitting down, I conversed with several people around the tables. One of the ones who sat down as I was almost finished asked me if I had just come from a service. I had mentioned that I was a pastor during the meal, but didn't think I had told her and her companion. As I was leaving, I realized I was still wearing my name tag from church earlier!



I was relieved that I had behaved myself and didn't make any wisecracks or otherwise embarrassed my profession.



But it was also good that I didn't know and still behaved myself.



They say integrity is how you act when no one is watching. Maybe it's also when strangers are watching and you don't realize they know something revealing about you.



I hope to keep doing that, even when I'm not put into a great mood with great noodles....

Quick Bites 2: Restaurants in Honolulu, Maui, and Southern California
Wednesday, February 02, 2011 4:22 PM

Here are several places I've tried recently:



HONOLULU

TANAKA SAIMIN: I now know why Boulevard Saimin changed its name to Dillingham Saimin - apparently the two sisters who ran Boulevard Saimin went their separate ways, but an agreement was apparently reached that neither could take the original name. So the original location has been re-named Dillingham Saimin, and the new Tanaka Saimin on Nimitz Highway near Costco has the family name.



Both restaurants have basically the same menu. Tanaka is larger and has a beautiful brand spanking new interior, but Dillingham is far superior in taste (especially the broth and the wun tun). The service at Dillingham is experienced and efficient, if not overly friendly. Tanaka's staff is friendlier, but sometimes a little clueless and not as efficient.



MAUI

HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE: Just a few miles from the airport on the way to Haleakala crater, in the middle of a farming community, sits Chef Bev Gannon's crown jewel restaurant, converted from an old country general store. The sashimi napoleon is to die for, and the quesadillas with the edamame "guacamole" is surprisingly good. The hoisin baby back ribs are another winner. They also have a kids' menu, a nice touch for a high end restaurant. It is hands down my wife Becky's Maui favorite.



SANSEI KAPALUA: One of Chef D. K. Kodama's restaurants, it has delicious sushi and other Japanese-style dishes. The "Matsuhisa Style" miso butterfish is delicious, as is the panko encrusted ahi roll. They didn't have enough ripe avocado to make a caterpillar roll, but the unagi roll with a bit of avocado was superb. I loved the clean flavors of the opakapaka sashimi, and thought that the oyster sunomono was incredible. Sansei also has a kids' menu; of the two, I rate Sansei's kids' offerings to be a bit better than Haliimaile, but that's splitting hairs - my kids liked both restaurants. It would also be splitting hairs to choose my favorite of the two. Can't go wrong with either one.



HOME MAID BAKERY: A local Hawaii style favorite off the beaten track in Wailuku. They have malassadas and pretty good mochi, but what they are known for are the crispy manju. Basically, they are like eating delicious mini-pies with a super flaky, crisp crust. Our favorites are the apple and the peach (the latter were sold out on our recent trip, so get there early), but they also have chocolate, sweet potato, white bean, azuki bean, among others.



LOS ANGELES AREA AND ORANGE COUNTY

LITTLE DOM'S: Whenever a restaurant has "little" in its name, based on my experience, I have "little" expectation that the food is going to be imaginative or outstanding. So when my good friend, colleague, and outstanding cook Myron Wingfield suggested this Los Feliz restaurant, I was a bit skeptical. I shouldn't have worried. The food is superb. I loved the papardelle with Italian sausage: homemade and rough torn pasta with outstanding sausage - not your everyday type. The dark kale salad was simple and delicious, and the Italian Wedding Soup was good (although not as good as my wife Becky's). Everything seemed to be good to outstanding there. Many of my other foodie type friends also recommend it. Try Little Dom's, for a big and pleasant surprise.



MAISON AKIRA in Pasadena: a Japanese take on French food. Went there for brunch recently. Sushi and pate on the same buffet? It definitely works. There is a carving station with roast beef, turkey, and lamb. Since the restaurant is in the hometown of the grand dame of French Cooking in America, there is Beouf Bourguignon in a nod to Julia Child. Nice dessert table as well.



YANG CHOW: I have long heard of this Chinatown institution, but never ate there until just the other week. I had heard Adam Gertler of the Food Network rave that the slippery shrimp at Yang Chow was the "Best Thing I Ever Ate with Chopsticks." My verdict? Well...the place, even at 4:00 p.m. was packed to overflowing, and I did think that the slippery shrimp were good, but the "best thing I ever ate"? Probably not. The clientele is almost all non-Chinese, so authenticity isn't the hallmark. I would say that Yang Chow makes excellent food designed for an American palate. So if you like that kind of food (and I do from time to time, including the other week), you'll like Yang Chow very much. If you prefer more authentic Chinese food, you will be better off heading east to the San Gabriel Valley.



HONG MAI: At the other end of the authenticity spectrum, my friend and colleague Bau Dang took me to this Vietnamese restaurant in Westminster, which has the highest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam. Hong Mai is famous for the duck with bamboo noodle soup. It is boiled duck cut up and served on a bed of greens. There is a tangy dipping sauce to go with it. You also get a bowl of noodles with preserved bamboo. Very good. The spring rolls were better than most. But my favorite thing there was the simple beverage of pure coconut juice with pieces of young coconut meat (which is sort of like thick pudding) in the glass, something I used to drink and eat that often when we had a coconut tree in the yard of our previous home. Do try Hong Mai. It's about as authentic as you can get.



Enjoy....



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. HBO has a new documentary about some Cistercian Monks from the Stift Heiligenkreuz (the Abbey of the Holy Cross) in Austria. They are the newest sensation in Europe with a CD of Gregorian chant. It is a bestseller and the abbey has attracted a lot of attention.



It is interesting that the subject matter of the music is a requiem, or funeral mass. While for many this may seem like a morbid subject, for the monks, it is a celebration of joy, beauty and the eternal.



What is refreshing is that while there is a lot of commercial attention, it seems that the monks keep things in proper perspective. When leading a tour of the abbey, one of the monks was asked if they could sing a chant for the tour group. The monk politely declined, saying that the chants were prayers and meant for worship, and not for performance.



Apparently, even when the CD was being recorded, there was a worshipful atmosphere around the recording, including being recorded in the sanctuary of the abbey.



I'm not sure if the deeper meaning of the chant will permeate most listeners. But with medieval music drawing interest at the same level as popular music, perhaps a few more will be drawn to exploring their spiritual side. And that is always a good thing.

Quick Bites 2 - Honolulu, Maui, Los Angeles
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 11:16 PM

I know it's been forever since my last post (actually only last year), but here's a sampling of places I've tried for the past few months:



HONOLULU

TANAKA SAIMIN: I now know why Boulevard Saimin changed its name to Dillingham Saimin - apparently the two sisters who ran Boulevard Saimin went their separate ways, but an agreement was apparently reached that neither could take the original name. So the original location has been re-named Dillingham Saimin, and the new Tanaka Saimin on Nimitz Highway near Costco has the family name.



Both restaurants have basically the same menu. Tanaka is larger and has a beautiful brand spanking new interior, but Dillingham is far superior in taste (especially the broth and the wun tun). The service at Dillingham is experienced and efficient, if not overly friendly. Tanaka's staff is friendlier, but sometimes a little clueless and not as efficient.



MAUI

HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE: Just a few miles from the airport on the way to Haleakala crater, in the middle of a farming community, sits Chef Bev Gannon's crown jewel restaurant, converted from an old country general store. The sashimi napoleon is to die for, and the quesadillas with the edamame "guacamole" is surprisingly good. The hoisin baby back ribs are another winner. They also have a kids' menu, a nice touch for a high end restaurant. It is hands down my wife Becky's Maui favorite.



SANSEI KAPALUA: One of Chef D. K. Kodama's restaurants, it has delicious sushi and other Japanese-style dishes. The "Matsuhisa Style" miso butterfish is delicious, as is the panko encrusted ahi roll. They didn't have enough ripe avocado to make a caterpillar roll, but the unagi roll with a bit of avocado was superb. I loved the clean flavors of the opakapaka sashimi, and thought that the oyster sunomono was incredible. Sansei also has a kids' menu; of the two, I rate Sansei's kids' offerings to be a bit better than Haliimaile, but that's splitting hairs - my kids liked both restaurants. It would also be splitting hairs to choose my favorite of the two. Can't go wrong with either one.



HOME MAID BAKERY: A local Hawaii style favorite off the beaten track in Wailuku. They have malassadas and pretty good mochi, but what they are known for are the crispy manju. Basically, they are like eating delicious mini-pies with a super flaky, crisp crust. Our favorites are the apple and the peach (the latter were sold out on our recent trip, so get there early), but they also have chocolate, sweet potato, white bean, azuki bean, among others.



LOS ANGELES

LITTLE DOM'S: Whenever a restaurant has "little" in its name, based on my experience, I have "little" expectation that the food is going to be imaginative or outstanding. So when my good friend, colleague, and outstanding cook Myron Wingfield suggested this Los Feliz restaurant, I was a bit skeptical. I shouldn't have worried. The food is superb. I loved the papardelle with Italian sausage: homemade and rough torn pasta with outstanding sausage - not your everyday type. The dark kale salad was simple and delicious, and the Italian Wedding Soup was good (although not as good as my wife Becky's). Everything seemed to be good to outstanding there. Many of my other foodie type friends also recommend it. Try Little Dom's, for a big and pleasant surprise.



MAISON AKIRA in Pasadena: a Japanese take on French food. Went there for brunch recently. Sushi and pate on the same buffet? It definitely works. There is a carving station with roast beef, turkey, and lamb. Since the restaurant is in the hometown of the grand dame of French Cooking in America, there is Beouf Bourguignon in a nod to Julia Child. Nice dessert table as well.



YANG CHOW: I have long heard of this Chinatown institution, but never ate there until just the other week. I had heard Adam Gertler of the Food Network rave that the slippery shrimp at Yang Chow was the "Best Thing I Ever Ate with Chopsticks." My verdict? Well...the place, even at 4:00 p.m. was packed to overflowing, and I did think that the slippery shrimp were good, but the "best thing I ever ate"? Probably not. The clientele is almost all non-Chinese, so authenticity isn't the hallmark. I would say that Yang Chow makes excellent food designed for an American palate. So if you like that kind of food (and I do from time to time, including the other week), you'll like Yang Chow very much. If you prefer more authentic Chinese food, you will be better off heading east to the San Gabriel Valley.



HONG MAI: At the other end of the authenticity spectrum, my friend and colleague Bau Dang took me to this Vietnamese restaurant in Westminster, which has the highest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam. Hong Mai is famous for the duck with bamboo noodle soup. It is boiled duck cut up and served on a bed of greens. There is a tangy dipping sauce to go with it. You also get a bowl of noodles with preserved bamboo. Very good. The spring rolls were better than most. But my favorite thing there was the simple beverage of pure coconut juice with pieces of young coconut meat (which is sort of like thick pudding) in the glass, something I used to drink and eat that often when we had a coconut tree in the yard of our previous home. Do try Hong Mai. It's about as authentic as you can get.



Enjoy....



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. HBO has a new documentary about some Cistercian Monks from the Stift Heiligenkreuz (the Abbey of the Holy Cross) in Austria. They are the newest sensation in Europe with a CD of Gregorian chant. It is a bestseller and the abbey has attracted a lot of attention.



It is interesting that the subject matter of the music is a requiem, or funeral mass. While for many this may seem like a morbid subject, for the monks, it is a celebration of joy, beauty and the eternal.



What is refreshing is that while there is a lot of commercial attention, it seems that the monks keep things in proper perspective. When leading a tour of the abbey, one of the monks was asked if they could sing a chant for the tour group. The monk politely declined, saying that the chants were prayers and meant for worship, and not for performance.



Apparently, even when the CD was being recorded, there was a worshipful atmosphere around the recording, including being recorded in the sanctuary of the abbey.



I'm not sure if the deeper meaning of the chant will permeate most listeners. But with medieval music drawing interest at the same level as popular music, perhaps a few more will be drawn to exploring their spiritual side. And that is always a good thing.

Meatless Mondays - Or Some Variation Thereof
Monday, October 11, 2010 8:25 AM

One of the recent trends in the foodie world is Meatless Mondays: where you make a conscious decision not to eat meat on Mondays. According to a new Facebook foodie friend, New York City has picked this up in a big way, and the difference in a city of that size is significant.



Why do this? While the greater nobility is to give up meat altogether, that just isn't going to happen with most people. A reduction, however, is much more likely and doable. If one gives up meat one day a week, that amounts to a bit over 14% reduction in meat consumption, which adds up. Less meat is better for the environment, better for one's heart and arteries, better for one's cholesterol count.



The main problem I have with Meatless Mondays is that I can't always gracefully maintain this schedule. If I am invited to a meal and there is meat on the menu, what do I say? "Uh, sorry, but I can't eat your carefully and lovingly prepared meat dish because it's Monday...how about if you give that to me to go and I'll eat it tomorrow"? I don't think so.



When I was in Nashville, I slept in the first morning very late because of the time difference (didn't have a meeting that day). I went straight to lunch and just had to have a Tennessee pulled pork sandwich. For dinner, I just couldn't resist a steak. After all, I had been so good about the cholesterol thing for awhile.



The next day, I made sure I didn't have the sausage and eggs that were so temptingly in front of me at the breakfast buffet. I opted for oatmeal and fruit. At lunch, I skipped the turkey or ham sandwiches, and consciously chose the vegetarian sandwich. At dinner, I did eat the chicken, but skipped the beef. A couple of days later, the Meatless Mondays concept came up again (I had heard it earlier on my favorite food podcast, which I'll blog about later).



I thought about it and I came up with a satisfactory solution. I'm not going to pick a single day to give up meat. But I will make a decision to reduce meat consumption weekly by an easy to follow formula: Eat at least two meatless meals - either lunch or dinner - per week. Since I rarely eat meat for breakfast, I decided that 6 meatless breakfasts per week would equal one meatless lunch or dinner. That adds up to more than a full day of meatless meals. If I eat meat at two or more breakfasts in a week, I have to add a meatless lunch or dinner. This gives me the flexible schedule while still reducing meat consumption.



For me, one lunch a week can be a Veggie Delight Subway sandwich. A common dinner in our home is spaghetti with olive oil and garlic salt or Angelo Pietro Sesame-Miso dressing. By spreading out the meatless meals, it becomes very easy to do.



Try it out....



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. Usually my postscripts are in some ways related to the "script," but the whole issue of violence against gay people has been on my mind. I think the gay-bashing torture incidents in the Bronx have been yet the latest incidents in horrifying abuse of homosexual persons.



And, unfortunately, Christians are often identified as those who are among the most homophobic people in our society. In fact, a poll revealed that a prevailing attitude among many non-churched people is that Christians are homophobic, hypocritical, judgmental, and intolerant.



People who follow Christ should never have those labels as the primary way people perceive them. Being loving, accepting, and relational is how a Christian - or for that matter, anyone - should be.



It's time that Christians lead the way in speaking out against such unconscionable acts of violence, and extending a sense of friendship and reconciliation to all people, including and especially GBLT.



But what about what the Bible says about homosexuality? Frankly, I don't know if there will be a resolution very soon to the debate about homosexuality and the Bible/theology. What I do know is that there can be no debate about the call to Christians to love and relate even to those they do not agree with.



I heard a sermon given by Pastor Elwin Ahu of New Hope Christian Fellowship, which is in the Four Square tradition, a theologically conservative denomination. At one point he started talking about a story on the television program "Nightline" about a gay couple adopting a baby. He described how the clerk at a baby supply store was helping the couple, how nice and helpful she was. Pastor Elwin turned to his wife to make a comment, and I thought, "Uh, oh...here it comes." I thought he was going to make some homophobic comment. What he actually said was, "That clerk is a much better Christian than I am."



He went on to say that he knew what the Bible said (to him), and he was clear on his position on homosexuality. He was also clear that he had to extend the love of Christ to these people and relate to them as children of God.



I realize that this pastor's position may not go far enough for some. Perhaps not. But it is an important start. I think Christianity has devolved in too many places to "agree with what I believe," rather than sharing an unconditional love that breaks through barriers, dogma, and disagreement. When we begin with the perfect love of Christ and relate to people as children of God, we will understand what the biblical writer John was saying when he said that "perfect love casts out fear," and I hope, casts out violence and hatred, and brings a new understanding and possibilities for harmony and peace.
Quick Bites – A Sampling of Good Eating
Wednesday, October 06, 2010 3:17 PM

I know haven't blogged too much lately, and there have been a few reasons: first, I started a new position as the superintendent of the Hawaii District of the United Methodist Church; and second, my cholesterol spiked to 295 and I went on a very severe diet—happily, in just one month, my cholesterol is down to 218, still borderline, but out of the truly dangerous zone. So here are a few of the places I’ve tried in the past couple of months:



1. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Arcadia, CA. You have heard me talk about xiao long bau, the famous Shanghainese soup dumplings. I have long heard that Din Tai Fung had the best in Southern California. They are very good, although I would get the regular pork ones over the crab and pork dumplings. They also have a very good dumpling with sweet red beans. The savory stir-fried sliced rice cake is also good. Frankly, while I thought it was good, I actually think that a place in Honolulu is even better:



2. Ming’s Chinese Restaurant at Dillingham and Waiakamilo. I’ve blogged about this place before, but having eaten there several more times (for awhile, my family ate there once a week), I have to give it a higher recommendation. The xiao long bau are better than at Din Tai Fung, and so is the sliced rice cake dish (the rice cake is just like sliced duk that Koreans eat in soup for New Year. Because of my concerns about cholesterol, we focused on vegetable based dishes. The gai-lan (Chinese broccoli) is good, and a very interesting dish is the sauteed potato and French beans: French fry shaped potatoes stir-fried with green beans. I liked the regular sautéed tofu dish far better than the stuffed tofu I had before—it’s healthier too. For dessert, Becky and I love the sweet ginger soup with black sesame seed filled dumplings. They even have a decent Korean style Ja-Jiang Myun (black noodles for you Korean Drama fans) For me, Ming’s is the most authentic Chinese food in Hawaii (yes, I love Pah Ke, but the best dishes there are the more Hawaiian Regional Cuisine than Chinese, and, of course, the absolutely amazing desserts).



3. Dillingham Saimin (formerly Boulevard Saimin) at Waiakamilo. I was concerned when I saw the name change on this venerable saimin house, which has one of the best tasting bowls on Oahu, if a somewhat small portion. But apparently everything is the same—maybe they wanted the name to locate it more specifically--and a recent visit bore this out.



4. With the cholesterol thing, I’ve been eating more fish, and another place at the intersection of Waiakamilo and Dillingham is Bob’s Barbecue, and their tasty grilled saba (mackerel). It still has the best chicken teriyaki in Honolulu, and there is an added bonus for me: if you don’t want the ubiquitous macaroni salad, you can substitute kimchi!



5. El Cholo in Pasadena (also the original on Western and 11th in Los Angeles and another location in Santa Monica). It’s difficult to classify one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in the L. A. area. Is it truly authentic? Perhaps not, but Angelenos have been loving this place for nearly a century. During my last visit, I ordered a “Taste of History,” with a taco, a cheese enchilada, chile relleno, and my favorite, a green corn tamale. Available only from May through October, the green corn tamales are sweet and delicious. I’ve sometimes ordered to go so that Becky can have some. Note: currently on Fair Oaks Blvd., they are moving to the Paseo Colorado, the upscale mall on Colorado Blvd. at Euclid, just steps away from the United Methodist Conference Center.



6. The Sweet Onion in Waynesville, North Carolina. If you ever get a chance to visit Lake Junaluska, the site of a beautiful United Methodist retreat center just outside of Asheville, stop in at the Sweet Onion, a casual fine dining restaurant that has good Southern classics. The fried onions are terrific, as are the fried catfish, the best I’ve ever had (we obviously were slipping a little bit on the diet). The shrimp and grits are okay, but they aren’t nearly as good as you can get at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, where the University of North Carolina is located (where the Tarheels play).



7. Butts on the Creek, Martinsville, North Carolina. Another good Southern barbecue place with a name that makes you giggle. Good fried catfish, pretty good barbecue, lovely, rustic location.



8. Salsa’s, Asheville, North Carolina. You wouldn’t think that North Carolina would have good Latin cuisine, and I inwardly groaned when the son of my seminary buddy I was visiting insisted on eating at this Mexican-Caribbean restaurant. But it was actually very good. We started with tortilla chips with three delicious salsas: Fire Roasted Tomatillo and Peanut; Holy Guacamole with tomatillo, cilantro, and lime; and Grilled Tomato, Carrot and Sesame Seed. Going back to the cholesterol watch, I had a shiitake Pionono with roasted vegetables in another great tomatillo sauce with mashed sweet potatoes, beans, and plantains. The most interesting dish was the molcajetes, a stew of different ingredients in a stone pot (kind of reminded me of dol sot bibimbap in appearance but not flavor). I was pleasantly surprised with the entire experience.



Enjoy!



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. Asheville is not at all what you would imagine a Southern city to be. It’s like an upscale version of Berkeley, California. Walking around, there is a town square where a bunch of people were in something called a “drum circle,” people crushed together, bobbing up and down to a rhythmic drum beat.



There are permanent al fresco dining installations, and the streets were filled with entertainers amidst the throngs of mostly happy people.



There was also a somber woman who did not smile, dressed like she walked out of Haight-Ashbury from the 1960’s, holding a sign that simply said, “Be Good.” I so wished I took a picture of her and the sign so you can all see the image, because I have been almost haunted by the memory of the sign that insisted that I be good, juxtaposed by the woman's completely pensive visage. Perhaps it evokes the reality that goodness is an increasingly rare quality in the world today, the plaintive expression is a mourning of that. The memory of that will always remind me to do a very simple thing: be good.

Morimoto Hawaii - First Take
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 9:28 PM

I apologize that it's been so long since my last post, but I am so happy to be able to write about the new eponymous Hawaii location of Masaharu Morimoto, the famed Iron Chef of both Japanese and American versions. Becky was invited to take part in a fundraiser for Ballet Hawaii last Thursday. For a very reasonable donation, we were treated to one of the best meals at a truly great restaurant--before today's official opening.



The restaurant is located on Hobron Lane at the edge of Waikiki, across the street from the Red Lobster, not too far away from the Ilikai Hotel. It is a bit difficult to find, but on this occasion, there was a very nice greeter ready to take us up the stairs. We were then warmly greeted by another friendly person, where we were escorted into the restaurant and into our seats. We had a beautiful view of the Marina, and a great view of Chef Morimoto himself supervising the kitchen.



It was a truly memorable meal: yellowtail "pastrami" seasoned with brown sugar and spices; an unbelievable Wagyu carpaccio in yuzu shoyu; a great steamed halibut with scallions, shoyu, and ginger; a fine spicy "angry" chicken with an incredible foie gras chawan mushi; a terrific tofu cheesecake. That was the printed menu, and it was one of the best meals I have ever had.



But Chef Morimoto had a surprise for us, and added a sushi course. Four small pieces of fish on rice, so simple, so seemingly innocuous, and yet, one of the most sublime things I have ever eaten.



I ate at the first Morimoto Restaurant (thanks to my sister and brother-in-law) in Philadelphia and had the same feeling: the rest of the dinner was wonderful, but it was the sushi that was truly memorable (although that Wagyu carpaccio is right up there). BTW, I learned a little secret: Morimoto's dipping sauce is shoyu with some dashi mixed in--it gives it a great extra umami deliciousness.



The service, as expected, was absolutely impeccable--personable, efficient, friendly, and not at all stuffy.



I'm sure it will be a splurge, and you won't get to write most of it off like we did, but you'll never forget the experience.



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. Our outstanding server told us that she had had four consecutive weeks of training on how to be a Morimoto server. She also shared that Morimoto is relentless in his quest for perfection in his restaurant.



Perhaps one of the reasons I love food so much is that it is linked to the spiritual: nourishment for the body is linked to nourishment for the soul.



The United Methodist Church and other mainline denominational churches are experiencing decline. I wonder if it is because we have lost passion, preparation, and a desire to pursue excellence in our spiritual development relentlessly?



If we could put the same kind of thought, effort, and dedication (faithfulness?) to building a church like Morimoto builds a restaurant, perhaps there truly might be hope for the Church in the 21st Century.

The Spoonhouse in Gardena - My Favorite Japanese-style Pasta
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 4:30 PM
If I had to pick one pasta dish that I love the most, it would have to be spaghetti (or linguine) with clams. Unfortunately, if I had to pick one pasta dish that I dislike the most when it's not prepared right, it's spaghetti (or linguini) with clams. When it's not done right, it's usually overcooked pasta with canned clams and either a bland bottled clam juice sauce, or a creamy variation on a bad alfredo sauce.



In America, the best spaghetti con vongole - spaghetti with clams - I have ever had was at the now closed Toto Spaghetteria in West L. A. Chef Antonino made it perfectly: fresh clams, butter, olive oil, garlic, a little white wine, a little natural clam juice and salt (a very important ingredient). Alas, the restaurant closed and Antonino moved briefly to Da Pasquale in Beverly Hills, and has since moved on to a restaurant somewhere in Marin County in the Bay Area.



Recently, I found an excellent version at Cafe Angeli in West Hollywood (more on that place in a future post), but it's so humbug to get there.



So for twenty years or so, I have found a very satisfying hybrid version at the Spoonhouse at 1601 W. Redondo Beach Blvd. in Gardena, at the corner of Redondo Beach Blvd. and Denker Ave.







I love coming here, and besides In-N-Out, it is the one place I try to make just about every time I visit L. A., usually with my incomparable friends, Pastors Derek Nakano, Ken Suhr, and Kitae Choi.



The pasta here is one variety: spaghetti of unusually high quality, cooked perfectly in their patented pasta cooker (you can buy the dried pasta to try at home). They have a pretty good Italian style spaghetti with clams, and the barca d'oro - "boat of gold" in Italian - a Sicilian style red sauce with mixed seafood, is very good for those who like a more rustic tomato based sauce. You can get spaghetti with sea urchin and seaweed, and just plain old spaghetti and meatballs. There are many interesting variations. Check the menu (you can enlarge the photo by pressing Ctrl + until you can read the menu items):







But I almost always get the No. 4: Japanese style (soy, butter, lemon, clam juice, and garlic) clam sauce with shiitake and/or shimeji mushrooms, nori strips, and if desired (and I always do) shiso, a Japanese herb.







For me, a true Happy Meal is the No. 4 with both kinds of mushrooms and shiso, their simple One Dollar Salad (iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and a Benihana-style soy, lemon, ginger, and onion dressing), and an iced coffee (served with simple syrup so you don't have to worry about sugar crystals not dissolving).



The prices are reasonable: the plates are $7.25 (for olive oil and garlic or simple tomato sauce) to about $11.25 if you want the No. 4 with everything.



As is it often said in Hawaii: definitely a winner.



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. Just finished the United Methodist annual conference. The speaker was Rev. Eun Pa Hong, pastor of a large (over 4,000) church in Korea. His emphasis was on prayer, and how prayer can really change lives. I have, or course, heard that topic many times, but somehow, his conviction made me take it more seriously than I sometimes do.



After lunch with Derek, Ken, and Kitae, I asked them if we could go back to their church (Faith UMC in Torrance, a great church) and pray for each other. It was a great way to center and humble ourselves at the altar, and prepare ourselves for the new conference year (pastors in the UMC are assigned for a year beginning on July 1 and through June 30.



I pray by myself a lot, but don't have people pray for me in my presence enough, and it never fails to lift me up when it happens. Hope you can give it a try sometime.
Chosun Galbee - "The Best I Ever Ate" As Well
Monday, May 31, 2010 10:52 PM
Tonight I watched the latest episode of the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." It was on the best grilled meats. I let out a howl of joy when Chosun Galbee at 3300 W. Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles was one of the featured restaurants. www.chosungalbee.com



The exterior from the street looks like a non-descript Koreatown building. But after you go to the parking lot and walk into the space, you see a sleek, contemporary interior (and alfresco dining area as well). It is definitely a cut above the average Korean restaurant and my absolute favorite Korean restaurant.



And the food is also outstanding. The kalbi (this restaurant chooses an unusual spelling of Korean short ribs) is superb, especially when dipped in their special sauce. The usual but high quality banchan (side dish accompaniments) are provided and are delicious. Interestingly, everything is a la carte, including lettuce for sam and even rice.



The place is not cheap: $32 for an order of kalbi, which will have some of you yelling "WHAT??!!" and declare that it is not worth it. But it is the only place I've been to where first and next generation Koreans and non-Koreans uniformly enjoy the food.



BTW, I always order a bowl of naeng myun to go with my kalbi (it is the traditional type with a straight savory broth and light brown buckwheat noodles - I guess once an L. A. guy, always an L. A. guy - see my previous post if you don't know what I'm talking about).



It's great for a special occasion with family and friends, or anytime for a terrific meal.



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P. S. One of the most incredible phenomena of the past few decades has been the astronomical growth of Korean churches. The largest church in the world, the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul has close to one million members, plus millions more linking to their website. The largest Methodist Church is also in Korea, with "only" 80,000 members.



In Hawaii, the three largest United Methodist churches are predominantly Korean. The largest of them all, Christ UMC in Honolulu, is the oldest Korean church outside of Korea, founded in 1903 (my home church, now called the Los Angeles Korean UMC, founded in 1904, lays claim to being the second oldest overall, and the oldest on the U. S. mainland; San Francisco's Korean UMC insists that they have the oldest continuously serving Korean Methodist church, founded in 1906 and did not have a dormant period like the L. A. church did early in the last century).



Anyway, people have asked me what accounts for the enormous growth of Korean churches. Is it because the church functions as a cultural center for the Korean speaking community (church attendance among second generation Korean-Americans is dramatically less)? Is it because Korean Christianity very insightfully harmonizes Christian theology with Confucian philosophical values, which dominate Korean culture? I'm sure that there is something to those factors.



But I think the primary factor is prayer. Devout Koreans have something called early morning prayer, sometimes seven days a week.



The Rev. Paul Yonggi Cho, pastor of the Yoido Church, once talked about starting out in ministry. He said that he prayed four hours a day. He said that it wasn't because he was such a devout person. It was because he was so unsuccessful at first that he had nothing to do but pray. After a long period of praying, he finally was able to find someone willing to accept his pastoring. And he went on from there.



We often think of prayer as a panacea for our problems, and a miracle source for our deepest desires, wishes, and needs. But prayer's greatest strength in how it shapes us as people and tunes us to our relationship with God. When we are more intimately connected to God, we are more in tune with how we are to live our lives and we are better able to meet the challenges and situations we face.





















Yu Chun Restaurant on Kapiolani - the Best Naeng Myun on Oahu
Monday, May 31, 2010 7:31 AM
Naeng Myun is a Korean dish that literally means "cold noodles." I believe that it is the best hot weather dish of all. Most hot weather food choices are insubstantial like salads or sweet like ice cream. Naeng myun is savory, cold, and hearty all at the same time.



Okay...it is true that the dish was invented during the winter months in North Korea, when eating cold things was natural and easiest. But an ice cold bowl of naeng myun is the best thing for me to cool off a sweltering summer day in Honolulu - or any day, anywhere.



Most of the time, naeng myun is made from buckwheat noodles and served with daikon, cold pressed beef, half of a hard boiled egg, and when it's done right, slices of Korean pear. You add vinegar and hot mustard to taste.



A style of eating naeng myun is to have kalbi or bulgogi served with it. I was tickled to see this combination referred to on one menu I saw as "L. A. style naeng myun."



Yu Chun Restaurant on Kapiolani (next to McKinley Car Wash) has my favorite bowl of naeng myun. Their specialty is chic naeng myun - with the noodles made from arrowroot in addition to buckwheat. This results in a dark noodle as opposed to the light brown noodles usually served.



The broth comes out like a slush, and has some sweetness to it. In addition to the usual vegetables, koh-choo-jang (hot bean paste) is an unusual ingredient that is added.



You can get a serving of kalbi or bulgogi with two bowls of naeng myun, or if you are hungrier, have a bowl with barbecued meat all to yourself.



When you take your first slurp and spoonful, you get a great feeling of refreshment, as the ice cold broth/slush cools you off and the noodles settle in with a burst of flavor.



I was just there on Friday...it's already time to go back.



Grace and aloha,



Tom



P.S. Naeng myun is a term that is derived from Chinese, and represents the interesting development of the Korean language. There are many words used in Korean that are actually dialectal versions of Chinese, in addition to "pure" Korean words. An easy example is Korean last names - such as Lee or Chung - which often sound like Chinese names, which they originally were. Names like Kim and Sunoo are more distinctively Korean names.



Sometimes, there are Chinese and Korean versions of the same words. Naeng soo - cold water - is derived from the Chinese, but the interchangeable chan mool is a "pure" Korean term.



It used to be that the Chinese terms were considered more genteel as the language of the Korean royal court was Chinese. That is changing, however, and now it is often preferred to use the more exclusively Korean terms.



There has long been a debate over what version of the Bible one should read. In many corners, the King James Version is considered to be almost sacred in and of itself, and no other version will do. It is almost as if the Bible was originally written in Shakesperean English. Of course, the Bible we use today is derived mostly from translations of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, with a little Syriac and Aramaic thrown in.



The King James Version is beautiful and poetic, but is so archaic in its language that it is difficult to understand. It is also not the most accurate version.



When people ask me what version of the Bible to get, I will first recommend the New Revised Standard Version, because it is the most accurate translation (as opposed to a paraphrase). Another choice is the New International Version, which has the benefit of headings for different sections (although these editorial decisions are sometimes biased toward a more conservative theological view).



For those who like the King James Version's poetic beauty, but a more contemporary English understanding, the Revised Standard Version is good for this. Psalm 23, for example, still retains the lyrical and familiar language, but is easier to read.



As for paraphrases, which are intentionally written with an editor's personal interpretation in mind, I do not care for the Living Bible, but often like The Message.



A great resource is biblestudytools.com, at which you can access several versions of the Bible and compare on your own. I also have the Bible on my Blackberry, and I am planning to get a kindle version of the Bible, which can be read on a computer, an I-Pad, as well as a Kindle Reader.