Week 7: Coco/Macnut Pie

Okay, let me start by saying that I love just about all things coconut:  coconut juice, coconut pudding, coconut curry, coconut ice cream, coconut shave ice, coconut cream pie--man, I LOVE it all!!!  Hence the name, Coconut Dave.  Also, Coconut is one of those flavors associated with the islands. So one day, long ago, I got the idea to make a coconut and macadamia nut pie.  One of my favorite pies is pecan, so I thought macnuts would make a perfect alternative. 

Turns out, lot's of people thought of this idea way before I did.  But no one ever seem to think of adding coconut to the mix.  That's where my recipe is different. 

A typical macnut pie recipe might read something like this:

1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped macnuts
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
A pie shell

Easy peasy, simple as pie.  My idea was to substitute and add a few things to change the flavor slightly, and let me tell you, it absolutely positively worked.  This is a great pie.  I won't tell you the exact measurements I use, but I will tell you to get rid of the butter and use coconut milk (perferably a thick one).  Sub half the sugar or more with shredded coconut.  And man, you got one DEE-LICIOUS pie!  I have added a few other slight variations to my own recipe, but those are secrets--so I won't tell!

Anyway, give it a try some time!  Experiment with your own flavors and let me know how it comes out!  Trust me, you will not be disappointed.  As my brother would say:  "you can't go wrong with pie".  ESPECIALLY if it has coconut in it.

Goooood eats!!!

Week 6: Ala Moana Park

This past weekend we got the rare chance to hang with the fam at Ala Moana Park.  Let me just say, I have been meaning to spend the day at AM park for like--forever!  But somehow we always end up on the east west, or north side of the island.  I have to say, part of me was a bit leery.  It's a huge park, at least by my substandard California-ish standards (in California, a city park is often an acre or two with, if you are lucky, a slide and drinking fountain).  But it's also very close to one of the largest concentration of tourists on the island.  Turns out, at least on this weekend, Ala Moana Park was primarily inhabited by locals.  I guess most tourists were either shopping the mall or sitting in Waikiki. 

Seems like most people make their Ala Moana (which means "path to the sea" in Hawaiian) outing an all-day affair.  They stack out claims underneath the wide shade trees, set up BBQs, tables, chairs and bouncy houses for the kids.  Play lots of music music music!



One of the umpteen bouncy houses.

 The water is awesome at Ala Moana, especially if you have a five year old who is ocean-shy (like LK).  It's shallow and the waves are non-existent do to a tremendously long berm that scales the beach at about 500 feet or so from shore.  Do not quote me on this, it's a total shot-in-the-dark guess.  Anyway, it makes for basically a gigantic, lukewarm, completely luxurious swimming pool.  Of course, it was quite crowded.  People everywhere.  But that kind of thing can be ignored when you are in paradise.   I'd really like to return during the week when there are presumably a lot less people. 

We all had a great day, cooking up some steak and fish on the grill and laying around to read in the shade.  LK fed popcorn to the fish in the canal and watched a group of guys playing with their remote control boats.  LK even found a group of kids to play soccer with, and threw a ball around with his Grandpa, the Big Kahuna.  The day ended with a refreshing shower followed by a rainbow above nearby Waikiki.

All in all, another great day in Oahu!

LK's Artwork: Pacific Golden Plover and Volcano (and the story of The Plover and the Whale)

LK's teacher gave him a picture to color today.  I thought I would share it in the blog.  In my opinion, the best part is the volcano that he added in all by himself on the right side.

The Pacific Golden Plover, called Kolea in Hawaiian, is a visitor to the island.  What makes this visitor most distinct is that he is associated with the end of Summer.  When school children see him running in the fields near their schools, they know that it's back to school time.

A male Kolea (Pacific Golden Plover)

Kolea were a seasonal food source for native Hawaiians, long before the arrival of Europeans.  Hawaiians tied grubs to stones, and when the bird swallowed the stone it choked to death.  Some of these "Plover stones" as they are called can be seen in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. 

Kolea are also an integral part of Hawaiian lore, subject of stories and song.  One story I read was entitled "The Plover and the Whale".  Both are migrants to the island, and in the story they argue about whether there are more plovers or whales in the world.  They begin by calling all whales and plovers to prove their respective points.  Then they go overboard, calling every sea animal and every bird.  Things get out of hand with the fish trying to kill off the birds by eating the land and the birds trying to kill off the fish by drinking the water.  Turns out the birds are more successful, but when they see the fish wriggling and writhing they get worried.  If all the fish die, what will they have to eat.  So they spit out the water, and as the story says "things returned to the way the were".  Life has gone full circle, but not without a lesson learned.  The animals now live together with respect and understand.  It ends by stating, "and they still did not know what there were more of, plovers or whales".

Artwork: Common Myna

Here he is, Hawaii's little clown (as drawn by me):

common myna

Sadly, but with very good reason, these little guys are considered extreme pests.  They compete with native birds for food and nesting space, and they (being much heartier and tougher as birds go) usually win out.  In rural areas, they utterly destroy crops.  They are one of three invasive species on a special list.  In other words, they are considered a VERY serious problem.  Not just in Hawaii, but in Australia, South Africa and parts of Asia.  Too bad...  They really are extremely charismatic and very enjoyable to watch.

Artwork: Nene

Thought I would share a drawing I did the other day:

Nene, Hawaiian Goose

The most distinctive thing about the Hawaiian goose, and it's a pretty amazing thing indeed, is that it is the only goose adapted to live in the harsh environment of lava rock formations.  Their feet are less webbed than other goose species thus allowing them to claw their way over rocky terrain.  Sadly, they are one of the many endangered native species in Hawaii.  Thankfully conservation efforts are actively in place.  As a matter of fact, a small population of nene live about a half a mile away from me at the Honolulu Zoo.

Shout Out!

When I first started this blog, I came upon another blog started by someone who moved to Oahu shortly before me and my family did.  Much as I hope mine is, her blog is not only fun to read but somewhat informative on life in Hawaii.  She talks primarily about her personal experiences, which are always interesting.  It's very much worth checking out!  So here's a shout out to Wahine Malihini's blog!

http://wahinemalihini.wordpress.com/about/

week 5: a bit of flora and fauna part 1

I'm not sure what this means, but it turns out many of my favorite species of birds and flowers here on the island are considered invaders--or more commonly referred to as "introduced" species.  This is probably a much better term, because it is impossible to image any bird or flower actively and consciously conducting an invasion.  Basically, these are animals and plants that were brought her by man, as opposed to the now quite rare native plants and animals.

For today's lesson, here's a brief not so technical primer on some of my favorite introduced species:

They are the common myna, or Indian myna, which are "common" throughout parts of Asia.  In my reading, I found it has also been introduced in Australia and South Africa where it is considered a serious threat to the ecosystems.  They was brought to Honolulu from India in 1865 by a Dr. William Hildebrand to combat plagues of Army worms.  Hard to say what kind of threat they present to Hawaii today as much of Hawaii is filled with invasive species anyway...  They are a fixture in the city of Honolulu, and I have seen them in Kauai as well.  They are comic to watch, extremely expressive vocally.  They have a lot of personality, bouncing around under the trees in parks pecking at whatever they find.  Most often they travel in pairs and sometimes in small packs.  In fact, I have very rarely, if ever, seen one alone.  They are pretty shy as well.  I've never been able to get closer than twenty feet or so.  In our minds, they have replaced the crows we miss so much on the mainland. 

And last, the beautiful and enchanting plumeria:

Nothing says Hawaii like the site and scent of the plumeria flower, and with good reason!  Their intoxicating smell absolutely pervades the island.  It's the first thing you notice when you walk off the plane.  And they are EVERYWHERE!  From small shrubs, to gigantic towering jungle trees, plumeria is a Hawaiian tradition.  Would you believe me if I told you, they were brought here about 150 years ago?  Native to Mexico and Panama, the first plumeria was introduced into Hawaii in 1860 by non-other then good ol' Mr. Wilhelm Hillebrand.  Mr. Hillebrand definitely had his ideas about what he wanted Hawaii to look like, didn't he?  Clearly a blog entry about this mysterious person is overdue.  Well, anyway, it's easy to see why they held up in Hawaii.  They are a tropic plant that thrive in Hawaii's humid temperate climate.  And more importantly, they make the perfect decorative flower for leis.  They are hearty, and once you pick them they happen to have a hole through the center which makes them very easy to string on a lei.  Plus, yes, they are simply gorgeous to behold.

I just might write some more in the future about other introduced plants and animals, but I am most curious about the ones that you don't find in every day Hawaii--the native plants and animals.  Most of these are found far away from the city, even as far away as other islands.  But  I can be an adventurous guy when I want to, and these are things worth seeing!

Week 4: the things we left behind

Before anyone starts to believe that a move like this is easy and painless, let me make it clear that the move to Hawaii (or anywhere else for that matter) is never to be taken lightly.  My family and I had several uncommon advantages.  1) We have family in Hawaii that helped us make the move.  2) We have a familiarity with the islands, having visited very often over the past 12 years.  3) We did not have much to leave behind. 

Of course we left behind other family and friends, which was very difficult.  We also left behind most of the stuff we had accumulated over the years--furniture, cars, tools, etc. etc.  Because we were moving into the home of family members, we took primarily basic necessity like clothes, toys for LK, photographs, some books, and well, that's about it.  We found that it costs a lot more to ship items than they are actually worth.  For example, to ship a large container of furniture and belongings costs in excess of 8000 dollars.  To take a car, you are looking at a minimum of a thousand dollars.  So in our case, we felt many of these things could be sold or given away on the mainland and reacquired once we were well established in Oahu. 

For us, all of us, the most difficult thing we left behind weren't really things at all.  They were our animals, our cats.  Let it be known that Hawaii has strict rules about bringing pets to the island.  They must have up-to-date paperwork that shows they have been tested free of rabies, that they have their vaccinations in order, and that they have acquired a microchip.  And even if you have your ducks in a row as far as these requirements are concerned, there is still a chance that your animal(s) might be held anywhere from 5 days to 3 months.  I have heard stories of people happily walking out of the airport pets in tow, and I have heard stories of people being told to their utter shock and surprise that they would have to place their pets in quarantine.  One person in particular, despite having done the necessary work to gain clearance for his cat, still had to place it in a quarantine which last sixty long days.  I knew I could never put my cats through anything like that.  Two of them were extremely fragile anyway, and probably would not survive the plane ride much less an excessive quarantine.  And the third, well what can I say about Paco...  He was and will always be my very special boy.  He use to wrap himself around my neck to accompany me in whatever I was doing, and he loved to ride in the car--especially for trips to McDonalds for an Egg McMuffin.  He use to follow me around and meow loudly when he needed a pet or a cuddle.  In your arms, he became like a ragdoll--always purring loudly and snuggly up closely.  He was the kind of cat who loved people in general unconditional.  A very rare kind of cat.  And I still miss him very much. 

So be aware of the things you leave behind.  They may be more difficult then you can possibly imagine.

Dear sweet Paco, a one-in-a-million cat... We miss you every day.