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Eat to starve cancer and obesity

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foodlistWhen Aunty was young, which seems eons ago, hardly anyone had cancer.  Now, it seems commonplace, heart breakingly commonplace, and too often – harsh and fatal.  We live in a different time, with different environmental factors as well as different lifestyles, and we need to take charge of our choices before it is too late.

This TED Ed talk by Dr. William Li of the Angiogenesis Foundation explains why and how we can eat common foods to beat cancer and obesity before it becomes symptomatic or a problem.  Please take 20 minutes to view and absorb this valuable lesson.  Meanwhile, please drink green tea, eat broccoli sprouts, tomatoes, garlic, red grapes, strawberries, and other yummy great foods.

 

Kahai Street Kitchen = Yum!!!

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Kahai StRemember the old Guri Guri place on the corner of King and Coolidge, then it was HK Drive Inn, then a couple of other places that didn’t make it?  It is located just past First Hawaiian Bank and across the Moiliili softball park.

Well, it is now the Kahai Street Kitchen, and the food is DA BOMB!  Prices are a little higher than regular plate lunches but it is like eating the top chef local food on styrofoam plates.

food

A late picture, after eating about half of the plate

Aunty asked a customer about the menu, and what was good.  She didn’t know but she got to sample the Braised Boneless Shortribs and said it was ono, so Aunty ordered that ($12.95) and the Grilled Marinated Chicken Provencal ($9.25), both with tossed greens rather than the traditional mac or potato salad.

O.M.G. both plates were superb!  Cooked to perfection, the shortribs couldn’t fall off the bone because it was boneless, but it was soft and the gravy was French-like, rich and flavorful.  The chicken was strange looking at first with stuff on top.  It looked like it wasn’t going to taste good, but BAM! da buggah was SO good, the white sauce was not too heavy, not too light, but just wonderful.

Aunty took pictures of the menu board and saw even more entrees that tempted – which means, gotta go back!  Maui Potato Chip Crusted Mahimahi, several ono sounding salads, hamburgers, 3 different kind loco moco, sandwiches, local mixed plate combos, something for every taste, from simple to fancy!  They are open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:30 – 7:30, with menu specials that change and tantalize.  Aunty, the takeout queen is SO happy to find this kitchen!

Update:  Aunty went AGAIN to try something else.  Boneless Kalbi Shortribs with Kim Chee ($11.95) – rather sweet, very soft, good quality beef, and Crab Crusted Mahimahi ($13.95) in a delicious white wine cream sauce, topped with plenty real crab mix!  It was really great food, though Aunty has rediscovered that she doesn’t really like crab – or maybe is used to the fake kind.  If you like crab, go for it because you will love it!

The folks there are also SO nice.  Aunty ordered 2 Korean Cobb Salads to go so she can act like she can cook to a gathering tonight, and they packed the hot stuff separate from the green stuff which Aunty will put together on a nice big platter and impress her friends.  All credit goes to Kahai Kitchen, but for just a little while, it will look like Aunty’s creation.

 

 

Take you back

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See you this Sunday?

See you this Sunday?

There is a song called the Molokai Slide with the lyrics, “Take me back, (take me back), back to da kine…..” that the following film reminded me of.  Nostalgia for those days gone by when Hawaii was more for real than now.

This was put together by a talented George Mihal (dunno who that is) and is actually color footage from 1959-1960, which is unusual for that time era since we didn’t even have color tv yet!

I kept imagining what I was doing or if I saw that parade or knew of anyone in the crowd.  I must have been 7 or 8 years old, growing up in Palolo and about 8 minutes in, a fantastic little local parade of monks and dressed up little kids and lots of Japanese people congregated for what looks like the grand opening of the new Palolo Hongwanji Temple – was I even there?  Maybe!  Maybe not. But that was kinda neat!

We lived in simpler times.  We did not have the opportunities then that we have now, but still, it was such a wonderful place to grow up with “the tropical moon and the lazy palm trees” and the smiles, the luaus by the sea, mo’ bettah da kine.

When you have about 20 minutes, try watch the video.  Let me know if you spock yourself in it or somebody you know. Some of those Palolo priests were super young looking back then, and now they must be kinda really old.

Please visit Honolulu Aunty at the Collectible Show!

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dressIt’s that time of year, and Aunty will have a booth again at the 26th annual Hawaii All-Collectors Show this coming Sunday, July 17, from 10:30 – 5:30.

Last year, KITV interviewed Aunty in her booth.  It was probably because of the hat and outfit – very vintage, very old school, very fun.

Aunty has to figure out how to fix this old cut silk velvet cheongsam (holes and tears) and glue some orange chicken feathers back onto this old hat (from Bailey’s Antiques in Kapahulu), because Aunty will be wearing this for the Show.

The fine folks at the show have a preview page at ukulele.com as well as a downloadable coupon for $1 off the $5 admission pm their show page.  It’s a great place to browse and shop, learn some history, and talk story.

Please visit Aunty in booth 219/142 and say “Aloha, howzit, whatevah!”

Why the Hydro Flask

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hydroflaskEVERYbody seems to have a Hydro Flask bottle.  Big ones, little ones, fat ones, skinny ones.  Aunty couldn’t understand what the hype was about and figured that it was just a fad.  Plus, they were rather pricey – $23 for the small ones and $30+ for the bigger ones!

Instead of a Hydro Flask, Aunty had a cute slim aluminum thermos looking bottle with a screw on lid and screw on cup.  This was taken to seminars and outings if water was needed and it served its purpose, though it would leak if it wasn’t upright (gross when it was in Aunty’s handbags) and ice water would cause it to sweat.

Truth to tell, Aunty thought the Hydro Flasks were not very stylish, and the colors were kinda ugly, BUT Aunty’s cool looking thermos was not doing its job and Aunty was getting tired of wet bag interiors.

So, like footwear, function and durability won out over looks, and Aunty bought a slim Hydro Flask that had a screw on cap with a hole for her finger to carry it around, in a zen green color.  It kept cold water cold, without leaking, at all!  Hmmm.  Aunty joined the Hydro Flask movement and the kids thought mom was cool.

After a few months, though, it seemed like the ice cold water would become warm before the day was up.  The youngest kid said to return it and get a new one.  Whaaatttt?  You sure?  Yep, for sure, and it was easy to do by registering and then letting them know wassup with the flask on their website.

Soon after, Aunty received an email from info@hydroflask.com.  This had instructions and a case number for the return.  Aunty carefully packed the zen green Hydro Flask in a box with paper padding after writing the case number on the bottle (with a Sharpie pen) and also requested any color if possible (zen green was not such a great color, in Aunty’s opinion).

Taking it to the post office for mailing, Dwayne (super nice counter clerk at the Kahala post office) weighed the box (over 13 ozs.) and suggested that I ship it without a box, making it much lighter and cheaper to mail.  Good idea, and rather surprising that this could be done!

A few days later, a box arrived for Aunty, with a spanking brand new Hydro Flask bottle, a new screw on cap, and in a nice bright kiwi green color!

Pretty neat, huh!  They have shown excellent customer service backing up an excellent product (kind of like the Apple Store).  Recently Aunty bought a short little silver looking Hydro Flask for cold water sips during the day.  It may not be stylish, but it IS cute!  Why Hydro Flask?  They made a believer and a loyal follower out of Aunty.

Aunty’s computer posture – fix!

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Aunty’s posture has been deteriorating – maybe because of entering the older lady phase of life, but maybe not.

TaiChi is helping with balance.  Still, poor posture from sitting hours at the computer watching Korean dramas, blogging, inputting into Quickbooks, google searching, checking emails, etc. etc. etc. was taking its toll.  Playing Kuku-Kube (thanks or No thanks to Jalna, lol) has really made Aunty sit transfixed for hours staring at computer screens.

Along comes a good AND EASY way to reverse and overcome poor posture with 3 simple to do exercises.

1.  Maintain a tight core while walking or standing.  Suck in that gut and keep your ears above your shoulders.  (This makes clothing look great on us – especially that lumpy looking part under the boobs and above the waist.)

2.  Backwards arm rolls with palms facing up.  This one will really feel foreign – we don’t ever use this motion or direction, but it works!

3.  Elbow pushing on a wall.  Something like isometrics (remember those?) but easier.  It is hard for Aunty to relax her neck, but Aunty will learn.

Thanks to the folks at Easy Health Options for this link to Dr. Brett Cardonick’s video demonstrating the exercises:

Look good, feel good!  Or is it the other way around?

Make you KuKu

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One of Aunty’s favorite daily escapes is going over to Jalna’s blog and seeing wassup.  (see? Aunty can do hip talk too!)

Jalna’s latest is about her score on a game that Aunty got hooked on for the last hour or so, as evidenced by an overworked right hand and mouse and for some odd reason, a very exhausted and sore left arm.

It is called kuku kube – a game of color – lasting exactly 1 minute long, though it seems much faster.  You get a point for each correct choice, and wrong choices do not count against you.  Jalna’s score was 38, which Aunty considers super duper especially since Aunty’s initial scores were 24, 26, 27, 24.

Twice, Aunty reached an almost zen-like state of seeing what is different, and then scored much higher.

OMMMMMM to you!

Ahlin’s Thai Spicy Sauce

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Aunty’s friend Ahlin is a terrific cook.  Sometimes she makes Thai green curry, Pad Thai, green papaya salad, unreal pork chops, etc.  All unreal delicious.  What makes it all even better is that she shows Aunty how to cook, several times.

Since Aunty is a slow learner in the kitchen (actually, Aunty is a take out queen of the highest degree), a video was made, and Joe Young at the Apple Store taught Aunty how to edit it with iMovie on her iPhone.  Mahalo to Ahlin and Joe – after you make this sauce for yourself, you will be SO happy, especially your happy mouth and taste buds!

Ahlin’s Thai Spicy Sauce

About 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 or 2 fresh Hawaiian chilis, minced
3 TBS rice vinegar
5 TBS fish sauce
1 TBS brown sugar
fresh lemon, to taste

Mince garlic and chilis, add to a dish or bowl.
Combine rice vinegar, fish sauce, and brown sugar in a small sauce pot.
Heat up the mixture (do not boil) until the sugar is dissolved.  Taste and adjust.
Add the hot liquid mixture into the bowl with the garlic/chili.  Stir.
Add lemon juice to taste.

This sauce is amazing over noodles, fried rice, meats, fish, etc.

Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Sharing

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kokeshiAunty is the type of person that holds everything in.  It was how I was raised, and it has served me well thus far.  Maintaining pride, avoiding shame, putting on a smiling face that says that everything is alright.  Very Japanese.  My ancestors would be proud of me.

This tradition and upbringing has been Aunty’s cloak of invisibility and comfort.  This has been possible because of the undeniable Universal Truth:  All things shall pass.  This is true for the best things in our lives as well as the worst things in our lives.

Crap, the worst of them, comes and goes in our lives.  It surely does come, and then it passes.  Sometimes, though, it stays for a long long time.  Sometimes it stays because we hold on to it (see post on what are you holding on to?)  Sometimes it is almost too heavy to bear and it consumes us.

A post by one of Aunty’s favorite bloggers, James Altchuler, talked about letting it go, letting it out, and not caring about what others think or say about who he is or what he did or didn’t do.  It gives him release, and a sense of peace.

Right now, there is a huge pile of crap on Aunty’s shoulders.  In fact, it is crap on top of crap.

Will my traditional upbringing silence the turmoil inside, or will Aunty share by spilling the beans to relieve the burden?

Time will tell.  Time will tell.

Update:  This post was written 2 years ago during a time when there was so much drama, trauma, and turmoil in Aunty’s life from many different directions and sources.  It was like standing on a spot with a storm raging all around.  Pal Margaret also felt that analogy – when a huge mountain of debt/secrets/commitments almost consumed her and then she received advice that settled her down.  Margaret shared her dilemma which led to a very happy solution. 

Aunty did spill some beans to some people, though not all the beans and not to everyone. It was good to share and have friends and family to talk to.  She slipped from her Japanese pedestal, but it was an ancestral tradition that was too lofty and cumbersome.

One important point that Aunty would like to stress is to realize that you are standing on a grounded spot at all times.  The storm that may be swirling all about is not you.  It is a storm, and storms pass.  The spot that you are standing on is who you are.  It is a good place to be.

What are you holding on to?

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frazzledThis was originally written 2 years ago and not posted until today, in concurrence with Aunty’s “Sharing” post.

During the 8th session with Dr. Hana Yin at Brain Fitness Hawaii (no longer in business), something popped into Aunty’s consciousness.

It started with a question:  What are you holding on to?

For Aunty, it was anger and resentment, holding on to bad memories, recalling of upsetting words spoken, and ill feelings.  This led to continuous anger and resentment, without end.

We have been told to count our blessings.  To tell you the truth, that doesn’t work for Aunty, not when she is pissed off.  Recalling good stuff was overcome with the recollection of the bad incidences – along with its bitter bile.  Unwanted, but THERE.  Like having your worst acquaintance strapped onto your back all day long.  Yuck.

Aunty was holding on to some pretty junk stuff, and it was time to just let it go.

How do you do that?  Aunty posted one on “Sharing” (but being Japanese makes that kinda hard to do).  Another post was “No get huhu”, and another on “Make like a tree and…”

Some people take drugs, go to therapy, meditate, find a life coach.  Doesn’t matter what you do, but the first step is to realize what you are holding on to.  If it is crap, get rid of it.

Aunty is working on it.  It is good to let it go.