We had a very untraditional Thanksgiving lunch at the new Wolfgang Steakhouse at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. As I explained in my earlier post, we found this place after aimlessly searching for a dining alternative to the mysteriously closed Cheesecake Factory. I though the restaurant was another Wolfgang Puck joint but Oscar the Grouch explained that it was actually the brainchild of a Wofgang Zweiner, former chef at Peter Luger's Steakhouse, a venerated NY place that he spends hours waxing nostalgic about to all of us. The kids were not impressed until they realized that every Travel Channel chef from Anthony Bourdain to Adam the Man vs. Food guy features Peter Luger when they go to NY.
It was a very beautiful and classically chic restaurant but without any sense of snobbery. We were dressed in our usual boroboro splendor - jeans, t-shirt, toothpaste on the corners of our mouths, makapiapia in the eyes - yet we were welcomed warmly by the staff. In fact, everyone was dressed pretty casually - nice than Zippy's but not as nice as Alan Wong's. There were a large number of local families with kids there too. That was a surprise.
As we looked at the menu, we felt bad that the Professor wasn't with us. We knew he would LOVE to eat there. So, we decided we would take him a menu and our leftovers.
The lunch menu featured soups (clam chowder or lobster bisque), salads (meat and seafood heavy), appetizers, 3 kinds of sandwiches, all kind of dead cow entrees, grilled chicken, rigatoni bolognese and aingel hair pasta with pesto (the only vegetarian entree). The least expensive entree was the pasta ($17) and the most expensive was the cajun rib eye and the petite filet mignon ($28). The beef included one side dish from an incredibly extensive list including cream corn, spinach done three ways, asparagus, steak fries, jumbo baked potato, sauteed mushrooms, onion rings, and lobster mac and cheese.
Oscar had the cajun rib eye ($28) and I had the NY sirloin steak sandwich ($20). We chose creamed spinach for Oscar's side and also ordered the German potatoes which the waiter described as "hash brown"-like sauteed in butter, onions and garlic. Oscar also opted to have a bowl of clam chowder instead of the lobster bisque. He had a glass of the house red (Coppola at $13 which is the cost of a bottle at Safeway) and I had a glass of the house riesling which wasn't as sickening sugary sweet as I usually like. It was very smooth though.
They brought out a bread basket with slices of french bread and some soft and fluffy onion rolls that I would kill to get more of. Oscar is usually not someone to pig out on bread when we go out to dinner but even he raved about the onion rolls. I kept thinking how great it would be to have those rolls with a bowl full of loco moco gravy to dip it in. So local, huh? The only bad thing was the onion pieces that fell off the bread and looked like squashed black ticks on the pristine white tablecloths.
Oscar's chowder came and it was huge. It would have been a meal for anyone alone. It was very chunky with big pieces of clam. The Diva would have LOVED it (and probably would have had two bowls).
When the dead cow came to the table, we were totally in awe. The portions were huge! There was a platter of German fries - not a plate but a big platter! There was a good 2-3 cups of spinach and I must have had 4 or 5 potatoes full of fries along with four gigantic onion rings. Good crispy non-greasy onion rings with sweet onions. Even the lettuce and tomato for my sandwich were extremely fresh and crisp. Oscar ate them separately from his sandwich since they were so good. The creamed spinach was also onolicious with a creamy mouthfeel but without any heaviness. It was surreal since it felt so filling but wasn't fatty.
The steak sandwich was gigantic. I gave 1/2 to Oscar and only finished 1/2 of my 1/2. There must have been about a pound of steak. It was so flavorful and soft. I don't think I said a word, just moaned out loud like Meg Ryan in the Katz' Deli scene in "When Harry Met Sally". It wat that good. Did I have even a tinge of vegetarian guilt over consuming one of Buddha's creatures? Hell to the no, it was that great.
Oscar's cajun rib eye was very tender and again, key word was soft. We couldn't help saying, "It was like buttah...." because it was! It just melted in your mouth. You almost didn't have to chew and you kind of didn't want to. You just wanted to keep it there for a while to enjoy the taste and texture. What was amazing is that Oscar had ordered it medium-well since I don't like it bloody and usually, we end up with something charred and tough. But this was as smooth as silk. We only ate about 1/4 of the rib eye and didn't even make a dent in the German potatoes but the spinach was a goner.
Our whole family are creme brulee devotees so even though we were stuffed we ordered dessert. At first I thought there was dirt on the bottom of the creme brulee container but Oscar realized it was real vanilla bean! Every bit was heaven - a mix of the brulee, a slight hint of citrus and an end note of vanilla. Wow. We even thought about asking for a doggy bag for the leftover dessert to share with the kids but then, got greedy and ate the whole thing.
Our total for lunch with drinks, appetizer and two entrees was $105.00. When we all go to Genki Sushi we usually end up spending between $60-70 and an hour later, the kids are asking for saimin. So this was a deal. Plus, we have enough food leftover for anyone who doesn't want turkey tonight.
We are already planning to take the kids for dinner - maybe for Christmas or near New Years. I can imagine it would be great at night since the restaurant looks out onto Kalakaua.
We'll just go to temple in the morning and ask Buddha to forgive us for our indiscretions....
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Walking in a Waikiki Wonderland
Maybe it is just middle-aged malaise but today is just another day off of work to me. Oscar the Grouch and I were trying to remember when we last hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at our house. When we had just the twins and one dog, we always had a big get-together at our house. We would try a different "turkey-to-go" package from a hotel or restaurant and have a household of friends over for dinner. The tradition always included a huge tupperware container of stained glass jello from my friend IY, at least 4 different handmade desserts by my other friend AN and cupcakes fabulousely decorated by another friend TJ. There were always kids barreling around and lots of wine-a-flowing. It was always a very diverse group of people with an international buffet of food. I remember thinking that there was probably no where in the world where such a rainbow of people was gathered.
Once Mad Cow came along, it seemed that there was no free time to plan a Thanksgiving get-together, to do our annual pre-Turkey day week of cleaning, or even just to call people or e=mail invitations. When TJ and her family moved to New York and AN passed away, it felt like the heart of the celebration was gone. Even when we'd have small gatherings, you felt the void of their absences. To me, it was just too much to bear. It's strange but it was comforting for me to spend time with just the immediate family (plus Mom, Dad and Jun) on Thanksgiving instead of floating in a sea of missing loved ones.
When we added Tiger to the family, that kind of put the nail in the Thanksgiving party coffin since lots of the kids (and even the moms) are pit-bully phobic. When we added rats in the basement, that poured cement over the nailed coffin.
So, tonight it will just be us at my parents' house, sans dogs but possibly with jello since IY lives across the street from my Mom and Dad. No turkey-to-go since my Dad is into seeing how big a free turkey he can get every year. My only assignment was to bring dessert.
Oscar and I are always last minute people so we set off today to pick up pies. The request was for pumpkin and apple. Knowing my penchant for being abnormal, I came up with the brilliant idea to pick up dessert from and have breakfast at the Cheesecake Factory at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The kids were at my parents' so we asked them if they wanted to go but they said no.
The first thing we noticed as we headed into Waikiki was how dead the streets were. No traffic at all and very few tourists. It was really depressing.
We parked and walked over to the Cheesecake Factory (after Oscar had a road rage moment with a Roberts' Hawaii tour bus). It was about 10:30 am. A news crew with Denby Fawcett was out in front looking to interview people with shopping bags. They were having a difficult time finding people since everyone was empty handed. The restaurant didn't open until 11 am so we made tourist and walked around to kill time.
I wanted to go to the Chip and Cookie store to buy cookies. If you don't know, that is where you can buy cookies by the artist formerly known as Famous Amos. This is a nostalgic smell to me since I used to drive to the Famous Amos store on Keeaumoku when I first got my license. That was back when Mr. Amos was still Famous and was the one actually making the cookies. I would buy a bag of the butterscotch chips and a coke and sit in my car and feed the teenage emotional monster that lived deep in the pit of my stomach. Yes, I know, eat your feelings, girl!
Unfortunately, we were behind a customer who bought everything in pink in the shop and was being helped by a salesperson who did not know how to ring up anything that was not made of flour. Again, after waiting about 10 minutes, we decided to leave. At least I did see the real Mr. Amos on the first floor where he was hawking cookies like the old days.
Of course, we went to the Apple Store even though I swore to Oscar that I could resist it. The Apple Store to me is like a crack den to a crack 'ho. I have to get a fix even though I have no money to buy anything. Everything was so nice and shiny! The place was full of people - mostly LOCALS which kind of threw us off. I began to contemplate whether we should pay the $23,000 tuition bill next month and give the kids socks or buy them a nice present and inform them they have to be home-schooled come January. Then Oscar started to mutter about how the salesperson was full-of-s**t saying that you could buy something today and if it went on sale on Black Friday, they would honor that price. I knew that meant he was hungry.
I am still enraptured with the new I-Phone and the fancy docking stations that are so tiny. Right now, I use a $9 Hannah Montana one that I got on clearance at Best Buy. It is stashed in my kitchen behind my rice pot, my hidden shame. The sound is good though and on those rare occasions when I do cook dinner, it does keep me entertained and bopping around.
We went back to the Cheesecake Factory at about 10:50 and waited for it to open. We talked story with some tourists about how awful parents are these days (Oscar was wearing a shirt I got for him from Vegas that said, "Volunteer Parent, I'll slap your kid since you won't") and kept waiting, waiting, waiting. A line of over 50 people formed. What amazed us was how many tourists just ignored the line of people and went to the front door trying to open it. I mean, there is a long line of folks obviously waiting to go in and you just go to the front and try to open the doors! Luckily, it was heavily Japanese tourist so people were not hostile. Can you imagine if someone tried that tonight at the Toys R Us line? Dead meat.
At 11:20, nobody had emerged from Cheesecake Factory and it did not look like they were going to open. There were no signs saying they were closed nor did anyone come out to explain why they were closed. We decided to leave and find somewhere else to eat. Being local folks (well, 1-1/2 local anyway), we had no idea where to go so we walked back towards the
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville place was right across the street so we walked across Kalakaua to see the menu. It took us a while to figure out how to enter the place since all you see is the retail shop. It turned out you have to enter to the left of the store and take an escalator to the next floor. The menu consisted of things heavily fried and tex-mexy. Not exactly what we wanted. Plus, the ambiance was pool-side beach chair un-chic.
We left and noticed that the line was gone from Cheesecake Factory but they were definitely closed. So, we thought we would eat at Panya, get the parking validation and leave. We didn't even go in since Oscar saw that the sandwiches were $13! He said it would be cheaper to pay for the parking.
Since we didn't know where to eat, we decided we would go to Borders Express to buy a paper or to ABC Drugs for a soda to get the parking validation. We went upstairs to the 2nd floor and discovered that they have a new food court there. Another local family behind us said loudly as we went up the elevator, "Hooray, Panda Express!" Clearly, they too had been wandering in search of food. It was a very impressive food court with Paradise Cafe, Maui Tacos, Ezogiku, Kenny's Hawaiian BBQ (yes, the Kam Shopping Center Kenny's), something called Monkey's and some burger place. If we couldn't find a place to sit down and be served, we would return and have ramen at Ezogiku.
We were looking for the Okonomiyaki place when we saw people standing in front of a menu. It was for W Steakhouse. We were going to go there earlier to see if we could find amenu for the Professor since we figured it would be closed. But it was OPEN and the sandwiches were only $4 more than Panya.
I'll write about my lunch in another post. I was bummed that my phone was dead at home but happy that we could at least find a good place to eat after wandering around Waikiki for an hour.
Oh, by the way, the parking was FREE from 10 to 3 so we didn't have to wander around looking for a validation.
Once Mad Cow came along, it seemed that there was no free time to plan a Thanksgiving get-together, to do our annual pre-Turkey day week of cleaning, or even just to call people or e=mail invitations. When TJ and her family moved to New York and AN passed away, it felt like the heart of the celebration was gone. Even when we'd have small gatherings, you felt the void of their absences. To me, it was just too much to bear. It's strange but it was comforting for me to spend time with just the immediate family (plus Mom, Dad and Jun) on Thanksgiving instead of floating in a sea of missing loved ones.
When we added Tiger to the family, that kind of put the nail in the Thanksgiving party coffin since lots of the kids (and even the moms) are pit-bully phobic. When we added rats in the basement, that poured cement over the nailed coffin.
So, tonight it will just be us at my parents' house, sans dogs but possibly with jello since IY lives across the street from my Mom and Dad. No turkey-to-go since my Dad is into seeing how big a free turkey he can get every year. My only assignment was to bring dessert.
Oscar and I are always last minute people so we set off today to pick up pies. The request was for pumpkin and apple. Knowing my penchant for being abnormal, I came up with the brilliant idea to pick up dessert from and have breakfast at the Cheesecake Factory at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The kids were at my parents' so we asked them if they wanted to go but they said no.
The first thing we noticed as we headed into Waikiki was how dead the streets were. No traffic at all and very few tourists. It was really depressing.
We parked and walked over to the Cheesecake Factory (after Oscar had a road rage moment with a Roberts' Hawaii tour bus). It was about 10:30 am. A news crew with Denby Fawcett was out in front looking to interview people with shopping bags. They were having a difficult time finding people since everyone was empty handed. The restaurant didn't open until 11 am so we made tourist and walked around to kill time.
I wanted to go to the Chip and Cookie store to buy cookies. If you don't know, that is where you can buy cookies by the artist formerly known as Famous Amos. This is a nostalgic smell to me since I used to drive to the Famous Amos store on Keeaumoku when I first got my license. That was back when Mr. Amos was still Famous and was the one actually making the cookies. I would buy a bag of the butterscotch chips and a coke and sit in my car and feed the teenage emotional monster that lived deep in the pit of my stomach. Yes, I know, eat your feelings, girl!
Unfortunately, we were behind a customer who bought everything in pink in the shop and was being helped by a salesperson who did not know how to ring up anything that was not made of flour. Again, after waiting about 10 minutes, we decided to leave. At least I did see the real Mr. Amos on the first floor where he was hawking cookies like the old days.
Of course, we went to the Apple Store even though I swore to Oscar that I could resist it. The Apple Store to me is like a crack den to a crack 'ho. I have to get a fix even though I have no money to buy anything. Everything was so nice and shiny! The place was full of people - mostly LOCALS which kind of threw us off. I began to contemplate whether we should pay the $23,000 tuition bill next month and give the kids socks or buy them a nice present and inform them they have to be home-schooled come January. Then Oscar started to mutter about how the salesperson was full-of-s**t saying that you could buy something today and if it went on sale on Black Friday, they would honor that price. I knew that meant he was hungry.
I am still enraptured with the new I-Phone and the fancy docking stations that are so tiny. Right now, I use a $9 Hannah Montana one that I got on clearance at Best Buy. It is stashed in my kitchen behind my rice pot, my hidden shame. The sound is good though and on those rare occasions when I do cook dinner, it does keep me entertained and bopping around.
We went back to the Cheesecake Factory at about 10:50 and waited for it to open. We talked story with some tourists about how awful parents are these days (Oscar was wearing a shirt I got for him from Vegas that said, "Volunteer Parent, I'll slap your kid since you won't") and kept waiting, waiting, waiting. A line of over 50 people formed. What amazed us was how many tourists just ignored the line of people and went to the front door trying to open it. I mean, there is a long line of folks obviously waiting to go in and you just go to the front and try to open the doors! Luckily, it was heavily Japanese tourist so people were not hostile. Can you imagine if someone tried that tonight at the Toys R Us line? Dead meat.
At 11:20, nobody had emerged from Cheesecake Factory and it did not look like they were going to open. There were no signs saying they were closed nor did anyone come out to explain why they were closed. We decided to leave and find somewhere else to eat. Being local folks (well, 1-1/2 local anyway), we had no idea where to go so we walked back towards the
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville place was right across the street so we walked across Kalakaua to see the menu. It took us a while to figure out how to enter the place since all you see is the retail shop. It turned out you have to enter to the left of the store and take an escalator to the next floor. The menu consisted of things heavily fried and tex-mexy. Not exactly what we wanted. Plus, the ambiance was pool-side beach chair un-chic.
We left and noticed that the line was gone from Cheesecake Factory but they were definitely closed. So, we thought we would eat at Panya, get the parking validation and leave. We didn't even go in since Oscar saw that the sandwiches were $13! He said it would be cheaper to pay for the parking.
Since we didn't know where to eat, we decided we would go to Borders Express to buy a paper or to ABC Drugs for a soda to get the parking validation. We went upstairs to the 2nd floor and discovered that they have a new food court there. Another local family behind us said loudly as we went up the elevator, "Hooray, Panda Express!" Clearly, they too had been wandering in search of food. It was a very impressive food court with Paradise Cafe, Maui Tacos, Ezogiku, Kenny's Hawaiian BBQ (yes, the Kam Shopping Center Kenny's), something called Monkey's and some burger place. If we couldn't find a place to sit down and be served, we would return and have ramen at Ezogiku.
We were looking for the Okonomiyaki place when we saw people standing in front of a menu. It was for W Steakhouse. We were going to go there earlier to see if we could find amenu for the Professor since we figured it would be closed. But it was OPEN and the sandwiches were only $4 more than Panya.
I'll write about my lunch in another post. I was bummed that my phone was dead at home but happy that we could at least find a good place to eat after wandering around Waikiki for an hour.
Oh, by the way, the parking was FREE from 10 to 3 so we didn't have to wander around looking for a validation.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Back to the Future
Ever since I got back from Las Vegas, I have been waxing nostalgic about life when I was a carefree college student. I am trying to figure out what triggered this - I think it all started with Michael Jackson passing away. It is a really strange feeling that has enveloped me since he died. I just cannot accept it and I am wondering why I am taking it so personally. I mean, it's not like I knew him or even met him. The closest I ever got to him was being in the audience when the Jacksons came to play at the Blaisdell Center during the Destiny Tour (MJ was still black then but with a narrower white nose.)
I find myself craving things that have to do with that time in my life when I knew all of the choreography to Thriller (and didn't have three kids hysterically laughing behind me at my total lack of rhythm) and could wear a tube top without my chichis swinging low like those African ladies with the plates in their lips.
I have been reading a lot of biographies of people I admired when I was younger. I'm getting heavily back into The Police. I started reading Andy Summers' autobiography when I was in Vegas (along with a book on an Italian-American who became a part of Tokyo's yakuza society after WWII) and started on Stewart Copeland's autobiography today. I thumbed through a coffee table book on KISS fanzines while at Best Buy today and boy, that was a blast to the past. I actually bought some of those back in the day when I would run to the store to buy the latest issue of Creem Magazine to see if there was a photo of my favorite, Peter Criss the Cat Man that I could tack to my wall.
Of course, I am brought back to the reality of life today as I read Stewart's entry about the fundraising responsibilities that come with being the Dad of seven kids and how he and Gene Simmons performed for parents night at their kids' school. Every fantasy I have ever had about being Mrs. Stewart Copeland has been shattered knowing that if we ever got together, our blended family would have enough kids to garner our own TLC reality show.
I also spent last weekend watching a 3 hour documentary about Joe Strummer of the Clash and another 2 hour documentary about Keith Haring. I had to change the channel on the Keith Haring movie when the Diva came in since he was discussing why there are so many phallic images in his artwork (complete with illustrations). Almost bought a eco-CD of the Clash today but decided to do something nice and bought a Doobie Brothers eco-CD for my Mom instead. Actually, I was more interested to see what an eco-CD is and looked like than listening to music.
I did feel incredibly old when the kids were singing "Killing Me Softly" on the Wii and said it was a song by the "Foo-Gees". I had to remind them that yes, the song was done by the Fugees (prounounced like the Japanese mountains) but in the dark ages when I was young, it was orginally done by a talented singer called Roberta Flack. Not like they cared or anything. I thought I would go into a whole diatribe about the evolution of neo-soul from soul but I knew they didn't care at all.
I wonder what will be the pop culture heritage my children will tell my grandchildren about. "In my day, poor Taylor Swift was pushed to the side at the MTV awards by Kanye West...." "Remember when everyone switched from Roxy to Quicksilver?" "I was there the day Chocolate Rain was first played on YouTube." It seems so tragically inconsequential and immaterial.
I grew up on a diet of punk, ugly raw and powerful. I wanted to be edgy and nonconformist in the way I lived my life which has manifested in me being "the artsy mom" rather than the "anarchist artist" I aspired to be. I wanted to pierce my nose, wear black all the time and just be someone people want to avoid. Well, people do avoid me but it is because I am usually trying to sign them up to volunteer for a PTA event I am chairing.
However, I am planning to get two more tattoos next year....unfortunately, I have to get my kids' permission first.
Anarchy is a b-yatch.
I find myself craving things that have to do with that time in my life when I knew all of the choreography to Thriller (and didn't have three kids hysterically laughing behind me at my total lack of rhythm) and could wear a tube top without my chichis swinging low like those African ladies with the plates in their lips.
I have been reading a lot of biographies of people I admired when I was younger. I'm getting heavily back into The Police. I started reading Andy Summers' autobiography when I was in Vegas (along with a book on an Italian-American who became a part of Tokyo's yakuza society after WWII) and started on Stewart Copeland's autobiography today. I thumbed through a coffee table book on KISS fanzines while at Best Buy today and boy, that was a blast to the past. I actually bought some of those back in the day when I would run to the store to buy the latest issue of Creem Magazine to see if there was a photo of my favorite, Peter Criss the Cat Man that I could tack to my wall.
Of course, I am brought back to the reality of life today as I read Stewart's entry about the fundraising responsibilities that come with being the Dad of seven kids and how he and Gene Simmons performed for parents night at their kids' school. Every fantasy I have ever had about being Mrs. Stewart Copeland has been shattered knowing that if we ever got together, our blended family would have enough kids to garner our own TLC reality show.
I also spent last weekend watching a 3 hour documentary about Joe Strummer of the Clash and another 2 hour documentary about Keith Haring. I had to change the channel on the Keith Haring movie when the Diva came in since he was discussing why there are so many phallic images in his artwork (complete with illustrations). Almost bought a eco-CD of the Clash today but decided to do something nice and bought a Doobie Brothers eco-CD for my Mom instead. Actually, I was more interested to see what an eco-CD is and looked like than listening to music.
I did feel incredibly old when the kids were singing "Killing Me Softly" on the Wii and said it was a song by the "Foo-Gees". I had to remind them that yes, the song was done by the Fugees (prounounced like the Japanese mountains) but in the dark ages when I was young, it was orginally done by a talented singer called Roberta Flack. Not like they cared or anything. I thought I would go into a whole diatribe about the evolution of neo-soul from soul but I knew they didn't care at all.
I wonder what will be the pop culture heritage my children will tell my grandchildren about. "In my day, poor Taylor Swift was pushed to the side at the MTV awards by Kanye West...." "Remember when everyone switched from Roxy to Quicksilver?" "I was there the day Chocolate Rain was first played on YouTube." It seems so tragically inconsequential and immaterial.
I grew up on a diet of punk, ugly raw and powerful. I wanted to be edgy and nonconformist in the way I lived my life which has manifested in me being "the artsy mom" rather than the "anarchist artist" I aspired to be. I wanted to pierce my nose, wear black all the time and just be someone people want to avoid. Well, people do avoid me but it is because I am usually trying to sign them up to volunteer for a PTA event I am chairing.
However, I am planning to get two more tattoos next year....unfortunately, I have to get my kids' permission first.
Anarchy is a b-yatch.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Boyz in the Hood
On this eve of Veterans Day, it still seems surreal to me that we are in mourning over the killings at Fort Hood, TX. Killings that were done by one brother of his fellow brothers and sisters in the Army. Each day when I go to work, I see how deep and strong the bonds are between the soldiers. Even though the veterans I work for may have been in different companies or fought in different battles, they share a common history and experience that will forever keep them close. They may get into heated arguments over politics or the direction that their beloved club should take in the future but I know that even now, if they had to risk their lives for each other (or for any one of us in their 'ohana), they would do so without hesitancy or thought. Their minds would go into autopilot to a time nearly 70 years ago when it was their duty to not leave anyone behind. Even with the horrific combat experiences they have lived through - the carnage of war, witnessing the deaths of their friends, coping with PTSD - each one of them still maintains a strong sense of dignity, humanity, compassion and kindness. They are the first to tell you they are not heroes, they were just doing their jobs.
I do not think that back in WWII, the thought of being killed in cold blood by their fellow soldier would even have been fathomable. That kind of hazard was not even a consideration. From what they tell me, guys who "snapped" did not become violent or attack others. They simply went catatonic, curled up in fetal position and were on the first plane home.
As I listen to the reports on Fort Hood, I wonder how the boys of the 100th and 442nd who were subjected to the sorts of taunts and harassment as the Fort Hood Murderer managed to cope and keep their heads above the ugliness. To this day, when the veterans talk about experiencing racism and being called the J-word by Caucasian officers , they will always shed tears. The men who can speak of bloody battles without blinking an eye fall to pieces when they recall being the victims of racism. They can barely get though a sentence about these experiences without falling apart. So much for sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.
What I fear though is another round of Muslim-phobia. The kids and I had a long discussion in the car today (yes, I know I am raising three militants. I keep having visions of my kids as Michael Evans in Good Times raising the black power fist ) about why criminals who are of color are always identified as such (Muslim-American, African-American, Latino) but this never seems to happen when the criminal is Caucasian. You know every little bit about the history of the Fort Hood Murderer, even what type of Islamic dogma he adhered to, but what do you know about the cultural or racial backgrounds of America's most notorious white criminals? What is Charlie Manson's ethnicity? Where did Jeffrey Dahmer's ancestors come from? If you are killing for Jesus, that seems plausible but if you have even a hint of non-Christianity in your background or an elevated melanin level in your genes, it's over.
When 9-11 occurred, I thought that living in Hawaii, anti-Muslim sentiment would not rise but I was wrong. We had a friend who fainted as she was exiting from an airplane. Rather than take her immediately for medical assistance, they kept her on board for a prolonged period of time, fearful that she was acting or was somehow plotting an act of terrorism under the guise of unconciousness. I don't think I even have to tell you that she is not white nor Asian nor Hispanic. She "looked Muslim" to the flight crew so she was automatically suspect.
We have to remember to blame the person, not his culture. He is evil, pure evil and that is that.
But more importantly, never forget the brave men and women of Fort Hood. Those who passed away, those who are injured, those who continue to serve our country in the face of such horror in their own home, those who support and love them.
Please thank any man or woman in uniform not just tomorrow but every chance that you get. Whether you support or oppose our current state of the military, we need to let them know that we support the people. I like to say that I am anti-War but pro-soldier.
I do not think that back in WWII, the thought of being killed in cold blood by their fellow soldier would even have been fathomable. That kind of hazard was not even a consideration. From what they tell me, guys who "snapped" did not become violent or attack others. They simply went catatonic, curled up in fetal position and were on the first plane home.
As I listen to the reports on Fort Hood, I wonder how the boys of the 100th and 442nd who were subjected to the sorts of taunts and harassment as the Fort Hood Murderer managed to cope and keep their heads above the ugliness. To this day, when the veterans talk about experiencing racism and being called the J-word by Caucasian officers , they will always shed tears. The men who can speak of bloody battles without blinking an eye fall to pieces when they recall being the victims of racism. They can barely get though a sentence about these experiences without falling apart. So much for sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.
What I fear though is another round of Muslim-phobia. The kids and I had a long discussion in the car today (yes, I know I am raising three militants. I keep having visions of my kids as Michael Evans in Good Times raising the black power fist ) about why criminals who are of color are always identified as such (Muslim-American, African-American, Latino) but this never seems to happen when the criminal is Caucasian. You know every little bit about the history of the Fort Hood Murderer, even what type of Islamic dogma he adhered to, but what do you know about the cultural or racial backgrounds of America's most notorious white criminals? What is Charlie Manson's ethnicity? Where did Jeffrey Dahmer's ancestors come from? If you are killing for Jesus, that seems plausible but if you have even a hint of non-Christianity in your background or an elevated melanin level in your genes, it's over.
When 9-11 occurred, I thought that living in Hawaii, anti-Muslim sentiment would not rise but I was wrong. We had a friend who fainted as she was exiting from an airplane. Rather than take her immediately for medical assistance, they kept her on board for a prolonged period of time, fearful that she was acting or was somehow plotting an act of terrorism under the guise of unconciousness. I don't think I even have to tell you that she is not white nor Asian nor Hispanic. She "looked Muslim" to the flight crew so she was automatically suspect.
We have to remember to blame the person, not his culture. He is evil, pure evil and that is that.
But more importantly, never forget the brave men and women of Fort Hood. Those who passed away, those who are injured, those who continue to serve our country in the face of such horror in their own home, those who support and love them.
Please thank any man or woman in uniform not just tomorrow but every chance that you get. Whether you support or oppose our current state of the military, we need to let them know that we support the people. I like to say that I am anti-War but pro-soldier.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
My Las Vegas List
Yes, I did come home from my Mommy Mental Break trip to Las Vegas. Yes, no kids, no husband, no dogs. I was surrounded by the "boys" from work though so it was still kind of like being around the kids, except I didn't have to buy anything from Nintendo and nobody monku-ed about how ghetto it was to stay at the California Hotel instead of on the Strip like normal people.
It was a great trip even with the LOOOOOOONG treks to my hotel room at the Cal and the Rio. Maybe it's just chubby paranoia but I had the room at the end of the hall at both places. Now, aside from the fat rash I got from my chunky daikon thighs rubbing together as I stuggled down the hall lugging my three suitcases (one full of persimmons, one full of Zoo York t-shirts, and one full of stuff for the dogs) and the lack of hot water at the Rio, I loved every minute of it. Well, I guess I should be accurate, I DID have hot water once I ran the two sinks and the shower full blast for 20 minutes. Not very green but at 5:30 am, who gives a poop about killing the earth.
The No More Homeless Pets Conference was life-changing. I was totally burned out on anything having to do with rescuing dogs before I left. Stepped down from writing articles, fostering or anything. I really felt like I could not spend one more minute helping anyone with four paws who was not already part of my family. The whole "one person cannot make a difference" cliche. However, after attending the Conference, I realize that even the smallest effort can result in a major change and even saving the life of one animal is worth the sacrifice. Maybe I was hormonal but all I did was cry at every workshop. The good thing was that everyone else in the sea of womenhood (my guess is that it was about 90% female, mostly middle aged white ladies) was also bawling whenever the power point featured a dog, cat or something furry.
Even the vegan food was good or maybe the 5 mile trek to the Conference Rooms made me so hungry, I would eat something healthy.
I am going to focus on working on the new Best Friends Campaign called "Pit Bulls, Saving America's Dogs". There was a fantastic presentation by Safe Humane Chicago on their youth ambassador, pit bull training and DAWG project (an advocacy group that monitors cases involving animal abuse). I am hoping to start something up like the DAWG project here so all of my fellow "retired" attorneys and judges, watch out. I'll draft you yet.
So, here's a short list of my Vegas Trip:
Best Breakfast - the Omelet House at the Plaza Hotel, Downtown. I got major tummy rumblings on Day 1 from pigging out on eggs benedict at the Main Street Station and vowed to stay away from Hollandaise Sauce for the next week. However, the Omelet House had a veggie benedict with fresh spinach and mushrooms and H-bomb sauce. It was delicious and the tummy kept it down all day long. Had to give in to the dark side and have a pancake too. Yes, I know you cannot use your Aloha Coupon but it really delicious. Super clean and very attentive and friendly staff.
Best Lunch - Vegetarian plate at Gaylord's at the Rio Hotel. This is a well-known Indian restaurant from San Francisco. I was trying to line up an appointment to get a tattoo at the Vince Neil Ink (yes, the Motley Crew blonde guy) by Sado, a tattoo artist from Hawaii, was with a client. Rather than run the marathon down to the Conference for a vegan lunch, I went to Gaylord's for lunch. Wow - three different vegetarian main dishes, basmati rice with saffron and four huge pieces of naan! Their sweet lassi was perfect - not too overwhelming and very refreshing. I was so tempted to box up the leftovers and carry it with me but I had another 5 hours or so of Conference to go. I wish I had gone to the Sunday brunch instead of the Rio Buffet. Maybe next time.
Best Dinner - BBQ Nachos from the Rub at the Rio. I know I will go to hell for eating swine after attending a No-Kill conference but I just couldn't resist. I keep seeing BBQ Nachos on Food Network so here it was in front of me. It must have weight about 5 pounds. You know you are in for a great meal when you have a 10 minute conversation with the hostess about funky reading glasses and where you should NOT get a tattoo. The Nachos had BBQ beans instead of refried, BBQ pulled pork instead of ground beef and BBQ sauce instead of salsa. It was even good totally ice cold when I was eating it at midnight while watching Anderson Cooper 360 reruns
Celebrity Sightings - Christopher Kale Jones from Hawaii after Jersey Boys (LN and I made major "big body" and got his autograph and took photos with him), the actor who played Vince in Jersey Boys who everyone IGNORED when we were swarming Chris Jones, Dr. Dan from Dogtown (very cute even when talking about the unique scent of a parvo infested BM),most of the trainers from Dogtown, Penn (very, very, very tall but very, very, very nice), Teller (who spoke and warned me not to let the Professor to go into magic but suggested a "normal" path). and the few dogs that were in the Popovich Pet Circus.
Big Bummer - I have been waiting for over a year to go to the Pet Circus and was bummed that the show featured a whole lot of humans and cats but was very light on dogs. Well, at least they were rescued dogs and not puppy mill dogs.
Big Bummer #2 - not being old enough to receive the Senior Discount at the Premium Outlet Mall.
My Dream Come True - Mahalo to AK and CS who took me to the mecca for all crafters, Michaels. Imagine going to crafter heaven and located right next to that is Pet Smart. You had to pinch me since I was up in the clouds. Bought lots of doggy t-shirts (for humans), snacks for Rayray and Tata and Hanukah stuff for the Jewpanese folks.
Most Embarassing Moment - Screwing up the steps to Pokemon Ondo big time and having it caught on tape. It didn't help that I had a Tourette's Moment whenever I mde a mistake or that I was in the front and everyone was copying me. Good thing most of the audience was already drunk.
Already looking forward to next year, even though it is supposedly the last Mini Reunion.
It was a great trip even with the LOOOOOOONG treks to my hotel room at the Cal and the Rio. Maybe it's just chubby paranoia but I had the room at the end of the hall at both places. Now, aside from the fat rash I got from my chunky daikon thighs rubbing together as I stuggled down the hall lugging my three suitcases (one full of persimmons, one full of Zoo York t-shirts, and one full of stuff for the dogs) and the lack of hot water at the Rio, I loved every minute of it. Well, I guess I should be accurate, I DID have hot water once I ran the two sinks and the shower full blast for 20 minutes. Not very green but at 5:30 am, who gives a poop about killing the earth.
The No More Homeless Pets Conference was life-changing. I was totally burned out on anything having to do with rescuing dogs before I left. Stepped down from writing articles, fostering or anything. I really felt like I could not spend one more minute helping anyone with four paws who was not already part of my family. The whole "one person cannot make a difference" cliche. However, after attending the Conference, I realize that even the smallest effort can result in a major change and even saving the life of one animal is worth the sacrifice. Maybe I was hormonal but all I did was cry at every workshop. The good thing was that everyone else in the sea of womenhood (my guess is that it was about 90% female, mostly middle aged white ladies) was also bawling whenever the power point featured a dog, cat or something furry.
Even the vegan food was good or maybe the 5 mile trek to the Conference Rooms made me so hungry, I would eat something healthy.
I am going to focus on working on the new Best Friends Campaign called "Pit Bulls, Saving America's Dogs". There was a fantastic presentation by Safe Humane Chicago on their youth ambassador, pit bull training and DAWG project (an advocacy group that monitors cases involving animal abuse). I am hoping to start something up like the DAWG project here so all of my fellow "retired" attorneys and judges, watch out. I'll draft you yet.
So, here's a short list of my Vegas Trip:
Best Breakfast - the Omelet House at the Plaza Hotel, Downtown. I got major tummy rumblings on Day 1 from pigging out on eggs benedict at the Main Street Station and vowed to stay away from Hollandaise Sauce for the next week. However, the Omelet House had a veggie benedict with fresh spinach and mushrooms and H-bomb sauce. It was delicious and the tummy kept it down all day long. Had to give in to the dark side and have a pancake too. Yes, I know you cannot use your Aloha Coupon but it really delicious. Super clean and very attentive and friendly staff.
Best Lunch - Vegetarian plate at Gaylord's at the Rio Hotel. This is a well-known Indian restaurant from San Francisco. I was trying to line up an appointment to get a tattoo at the Vince Neil Ink (yes, the Motley Crew blonde guy) by Sado, a tattoo artist from Hawaii, was with a client. Rather than run the marathon down to the Conference for a vegan lunch, I went to Gaylord's for lunch. Wow - three different vegetarian main dishes, basmati rice with saffron and four huge pieces of naan! Their sweet lassi was perfect - not too overwhelming and very refreshing. I was so tempted to box up the leftovers and carry it with me but I had another 5 hours or so of Conference to go. I wish I had gone to the Sunday brunch instead of the Rio Buffet. Maybe next time.
Best Dinner - BBQ Nachos from the Rub at the Rio. I know I will go to hell for eating swine after attending a No-Kill conference but I just couldn't resist. I keep seeing BBQ Nachos on Food Network so here it was in front of me. It must have weight about 5 pounds. You know you are in for a great meal when you have a 10 minute conversation with the hostess about funky reading glasses and where you should NOT get a tattoo. The Nachos had BBQ beans instead of refried, BBQ pulled pork instead of ground beef and BBQ sauce instead of salsa. It was even good totally ice cold when I was eating it at midnight while watching Anderson Cooper 360 reruns
Celebrity Sightings - Christopher Kale Jones from Hawaii after Jersey Boys (LN and I made major "big body" and got his autograph and took photos with him), the actor who played Vince in Jersey Boys who everyone IGNORED when we were swarming Chris Jones, Dr. Dan from Dogtown (very cute even when talking about the unique scent of a parvo infested BM),most of the trainers from Dogtown, Penn (very, very, very tall but very, very, very nice), Teller (who spoke and warned me not to let the Professor to go into magic but suggested a "normal" path). and the few dogs that were in the Popovich Pet Circus.
Big Bummer - I have been waiting for over a year to go to the Pet Circus and was bummed that the show featured a whole lot of humans and cats but was very light on dogs. Well, at least they were rescued dogs and not puppy mill dogs.
Big Bummer #2 - not being old enough to receive the Senior Discount at the Premium Outlet Mall.
My Dream Come True - Mahalo to AK and CS who took me to the mecca for all crafters, Michaels. Imagine going to crafter heaven and located right next to that is Pet Smart. You had to pinch me since I was up in the clouds. Bought lots of doggy t-shirts (for humans), snacks for Rayray and Tata and Hanukah stuff for the Jewpanese folks.
Most Embarassing Moment - Screwing up the steps to Pokemon Ondo big time and having it caught on tape. It didn't help that I had a Tourette's Moment whenever I mde a mistake or that I was in the front and everyone was copying me. Good thing most of the audience was already drunk.
Already looking forward to next year, even though it is supposedly the last Mini Reunion.
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