Pounding Mochi for the New Year

Art's old Air Force buddy, Ed asked if we would like to go to an early morning Mochitsuki Festival with him yesterday.  He said that it was free though a donation would be appreciated from the first 100 families who arrived to pound New Years mochi.  We decided to ask my brother, Dennis to come also because he's one of the few people we know who would be willing to wake up early to pick up some cultural heritage on Saturday.

On the way to Wahiawa,  we were passed on the road by a whole bunch of VERY old looking cars in mint condition.  We wondered where they were going.

It was surprising to find the International Hobushin Center grounds up a high hill.

This isn't an important photo, but I got such a chuckle over it that I had to post it.  Although it says walkway, it leads you through a bit of a muddy grassy path.

We got to the mochi pounding area about 30 minutes before the 9:00 opening time.

We were family #7 in the waiting line.

Here they are steaming 2.5 pounds of sweet rice on each of the trays.

A priest then gave a blessing to everybody who gathered to make mochi.

I got this information about the Honbushin religion.

"The Honbushin faith is an offshoot of Shinto and is only about 50 years old, Yuhi says. The Hawaii congregation is small, just 20 or so members, although the faith has grown quickly in Japan."

The helpers first demonstrated how rice is mashed together first into a ball.

You then take turns pounding rhythmically as someone calls out the cadence.

The first ten families were then gathered for a blessing by the priest.  He wished all of us a safe and happy new year.

There are no photos of me because I was too busy taking photos. Besides I saw a sign explaining that:

"The entire family works together to give thanks.  The grandfather and father pound the mochi with the kine (wooden mallet).  The grandmother and mother turn and mix the mochi in the usu (stone mortar).  Then the whole family cut and shape the mochi.  This symbolizes the family bond."

Helpers then came and collected the freshly pounded mochi.

The mochi was then brought to a tented area where Art, Ed and Dennis shaped the mochi into little paddies.  You all remember how mom said each little paddy is the equivalent of a bowl of rice?

 

We saw mallets of different sizes so that mallets were chosen to fit the size and strength of the person who would be wielding it.  Even little children were able to get a few poundings in.

There was a little farmer's market like stand there.

There were really nice daikon (Japanese radish) there.  Mom loves the leaves so we bought one that still had the leave on it.  It cost a dollar.  No, Art didn't eat that, we bought a broken one.

It was fun to watch a taiko drumming exhibition...

and a hula halau (school) presentation.

As we were driving home out of the parking lot, we noticed all these antique cars we'd seen earlier.

We may live on a small island, but there seems to always be something going on somewhere.  You just need friends like Ed to point us in that happy direction.

Now all we have to do is to find another time before 2014 to eat the mochi with some kinako (soy bean powder) and sugar!

Anniversary at Christies

Our 40th wedding anniversary was on the 6th so I'm a little late in having these photos posted.

 My brother, Dennis and sister-in-law, Nancy gave us an extremely generous gift certificate to Christie's Restaurant at the Waimalu shopping center.  The shopping center is a rather awkward place to have a fancy, upper priced restaurant serving Eurasian Fusion cuisine.  With Dennis' and Nancy's gift certificate we decided to spend it all.  It was easy to do with the three of us.

It was a more pleasantly decorated restaurant compared to the other restaurants in the shopping center.  The very friendly owner was there and made mom feel like a queen telling her how pretty she was.  All the servers were extremely kind and attentive. 

We checked out Yelp beforehand to hear what others had to say.  Art decided to have the $25.95 mixed plate Lilikoi (passion fruit) BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Caribbean Spiced "Blackened" Spiced Ahi.  We were surprised to see what generous servings they gave because photos on their website made the portion sizes look quite small.

I had the $25.95 mixed plate of Lilikoi BBQ Baby Back Ribs with fire roasted salmon.  We both agreed that the Lilikoi BBQ ribs were the best entrees.  They were the best ribs we've had in Hawaii.  The fish were settled onto Okinawan mashed sweet potatoes.  The potatoes were good.  We felt both of the fish were under flavored. We wished that we had just ordered the ribs instead.   The presentation was as flawlessly beautiful as anything you would see in Waikiki or Chicago.

We ordered the $19.95 Furikake Crusted Seared Ahi (tuna) for mom.  She said it was good.  Not awesome, but good.  Again, the flavoring was just not quite there.  However, according to the Yelp reviews, many people liked it.

People said they really liked the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.  It was fine, but for $6.95, so so.  It was very pretty though and I enjoyed it.

Art had Christie's Homemade Bread Pudding for $7.95.  It was tasty, but we were so full from the entrees that Art ended up bringing home one of the paddies.

Mom thought her lychee sorbet was the best.  It was refreshing and tasted wonderful after the rather heavy meal.

We really enjoyed our dinner.  We thought the dishes were as good as anything you'd find in a fancy restaurant in Waikiki.  It's amazing to find cuisine like this in Waiau.

It was such a lovely way to spend our 40th anniversary.  Mom laughed and told the story again about how relatives came up after the wedding and asked her, "How did Kay catch such a fabulous husband?"

And there sat Art grinning ear to ear.

Sheesh!

Cold and Flu Season

There are so many people sick in Hawaii these days.  I just talked to my brother who had a sudden bout of stomach flu.  His whole family has some kind of illness right now.

When I was teaching it was a guarantee that I'd get sick twice a year, in spring and fall.  I may have managed to escape getting the cold once, but it was an expectation that I would get very sick at least once a school year and it would always attack my respiratory system.  It would stay with me for a month or more.  I'd wear a scarf around my neck and cover my mouth with it if I had to cough.  I also washed my hands constantly.

It was hard not to get sick with children coughing and sneezing even though I did teach them to cough into their elbows instead of their hands.  Interestingly, Art almost never caught my cold.

When we were in Japan we saw lots of people wearing masks.  I thought they were sick and being polite by not spreading their germs but I was told that they were actually protecting themselves from catching a cold.

Mom and I got sick when we were in Japan last spring and we did wear the masks so we wouldn't spread our germs.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if people wore masks here in the U.S. to prevent their germs from spreading?

I just saw medical advice on TV about using your knuckle when pressing the elevator button so you wouldn't get the flu germ and transfer it to your face.  You have to avoid touching things with your hands when out in public.

Actually, since moving to Hawaii 4 years ago, Art and I haven't been as sick.  I think it's because we aren't out in the public quite as much.  However, I do see lots of people who are very ill.  It makes me want to barricade ourselves in our house.  I thought people wouldn't get sick in Hawaii as much since we don't have the change in seasons.  Wrong.

I guess we just have to make sure we drink lots of fluids, eat healthy food and get enough rest and exercise because I have a feeling wearing a mask in Hawaii will have people thinking we're really odd.  I'm really tempted though.

What Takes the Best Photo?

We have so many ways of taking photos these days from our iPhone, iPad and the other regular cameras we have.  A rainbow popped up outside my window and I suddenly thought I'd try seeing how they would compare.

Here's the iPhone.  Sorry to say I forgot to use the iPad and the rainbow is gone now.  I used the Panoramic feature to get this that my super photographer friend, Dave Au taught me how to use.

This is Art's pocket size Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3.  I didn't Photoshop any of these photos, but I did crop them.

This is the Canon PowerShot SD 890 IS (Digital Elph) that I keep in my purse. It doesn't have much of a wide angle.

My Canon PowerShot SX 30 IS is a larger point and shoot which doesn't do as well in low light interior shots.   However, this camera does have a wider angle which I always appreciate.

Both of my cameras didn't catch the double rainbow which Art pointed out.  I told him they may have disappeared.   Maybe...

Helpful Hint

A while back I mentioned a helpful hint about using a post-in note to catch the debris when drilling.  I don't think everybody quite got what I meant so when Art took out the drill to fix a drawer I took out my camera.

It really does work perfectly!

And you know that I really do have a lot of post-it notes.

See... Isn't it wonderful?

Rainy (and Really Windy) Season

After a string of mostly sunny days with very occasional light drizzle, we were inundated with almost daily rainy weather for about a week.  I know the tourists are quite unhappy and they had some delays with the Maui PGA golf tournament.  The winds were pretty powerful.

Those of us who live on the mountains get more rain than the people on the lower elevations.  It's weird to come from a downpour and 3 minutes down have the sun come out.

We have what is known as micro-climates here in Hawaii.  If you don't like the weather in one area, just drive a couple of blocks to get something you might prefer.

However, we are known to get these stretches where the whole island can be covered in rain.  Our daughter and family came one year and decided to spend a few days in Waikiki at a fancy hotel to enjoy the beaches more easily.  On the second day, they called us to pick them up because they were tired of the rain. 

This is the rainy season, but we have to remember that it's what keeps the flowers growing.  My advice to the tourists would be to check the weather map on the computer and find those pockets of sunshine.  There's bound to be a patch of blue somewhere.  And if not, we do have some nice movie theaters and museums.

There is a silver lining to all this.  You get to see a lot more rainbows everywhere.

Personalities in Song Choices

As we were walking out of the theater after seeing Les Miserables in Chicago about 15 years ago, I remember asking both our kids and Art what their favorite song was.

Art knew right away.  He really loved Bring Him Home.  Jean Valjean sings this imploring God to protect the young man, Marius who loves Valjean's adopted daughter, Cosette.  I can see Art wanting to give his own life for his children and doing everything he could to ensure they would always be able to come home.

Tiffany said her favorite song was I Dreamed a Dream. Tif is every empathetic and a song of such heartbreak would appeal to her sensitive heart. 

We were stunned to hear Jon's choice.  He said he liked the song Inspector Javert sings before his suicide.  Javert is a man driven to bring Jean Valjean back to prison even though his crime had only been to steal a loaf of bread.

"Why?" we asked incredulously.  "Why would you choose a man who was so evil?"

"He wasn't  necessarily evil", disagreed Jon.  "He was just determined and he strongly believed in what he thought was right and what was wrong.  He believed in it so much that it drove his entire life and he died for it."

My favorite was the rousing finale song, Do You Hear the People Sing?

Why do I like it so much?  I guess it's because it represented the passion of people trying to right a wrong and who were willing to give their lives to that effort.  I really respect and admire that despite the tragedy that they failed.  Still, it made me leave the theater wanting to do something to make the world a better place.

Isn't it wonderful when a song can do that?  Not necessarily from this play, but is there a song that moves you?

40th Wedding Anniversary

It's been 40 years since this photo was taken.  Where have the years gone?

The throwing of the garter belt

Good gracious!  Four decades!

I remember being amazed then when people told me they'd stayed together for 20 years.

I was worried because I thought that we were of different temperaments.

"What if we find we can't make it work?" I asked Art a few days before the wedding.

"We'll find a way to make it work," he assured me.

"But what if it still doesn't work?" I persisted.

"Then we'd have to part." he answered.

It was a logical answer.  I don't know what I expected him to say.  Maybe... "I'll always love you and we'll always be together.  Don't worry about it."

But that's not Art.  He is an engineer.  He's always felt that if there's a problem, you have to define your needs and then find the solution.

So I suppose that's what has made the marriage work for these past four decades.  We were able to define our needs together and solve the problems as they came up.

Oh... and there was also love... and a lot of fun.

A Grateful Granddaughter

We were talking to our daughter on Skype a day or two ago and saw our granddaughter, KC hard at work.  She proudly showed us the thank you note she was writing to our son, Jon and Sarah.

"Dear Uncle Jonny and Auntie Sarah,

Thank you for my Ninja and Pinkalicious book and sno shs. (snow shoes)

Love,

KC"

The handwriting was well formed and I couldn't have been prouder.

Poor KC had about 25 thank you cards to write for the presents she received at her birthday party in December and at Christmas.  She'd also signed her name on over 100 Christmas cards they'd sent out.  I was very impressed.  We've gotten a few cards with names already embossed on the card and my kindergartener granddaughter was writing her name over 100 times.  Tiffany says she was thinking of just letting KC do a few, but our granddaughter was up for the challenge.

From the time KC could barely hold a pencil, Tiffany had her doing a scribble, then drawing a little picture and later just writing her name to thank you notes.  Now that she is six years old, KC knows it's something expected of her to show her appreciation.  Tiffany tells her that people have gone out of their way to shop for a present and generously buy it for  her.  She needs to show her gratitude and love.

I'm really proud of them both.

POSTSCRIPT:

And look what just came in the mail!

Impulse Buying at Office Max

When I was teaching 1st grade in Illinois, I was always looking for bargains at Office Depot or Office Max.  There were always things I needed for the classroom.  I'm retired now.  I don't need too many office supplies.  And yet I'm drawn to them.  Why?

Office Max was having one of their 20% off everything you could fit in their grocery bag.  There was nothing I needed.  

However, I did want to get that certain Paper Mate Flexigrip pen I love and keep losing.

Unfortunately they didn't have it.

However, once we started wandering around the store, I found a bunch of things I just couldn't resist.  I didn't need them.  I really didn't.  It was New Year's Eve and nobody was in the store so all the sales associates were very friendly.  They kept reminding me that there were a lot of fun Clearance items on sale that I could buy and then add another 20% off.  (I just love the word CLEARANCE.)

See that cute little notebook in the shape of a dress.  I just knew my 6 year old granddaughter would love that.  And what about these teeny little, colorful plastic Really Useful Boxes?  I'm sure I could find something to put in them.  And then there were these magnetic note pads for the refrigerator.  I really needed them.

And then there were these Post-It notes.  They're 2 inch squares, regular $3.49 down to $1.00!  20% off and it's 80 cents!  Did I need four of them?  Seriously?  I justified my purchase saying they were for Jon who is in grad school and my granddaughter who is in kindergarten.  I'm sure they could use them at school.

Art thought I'd lost my mind, but for less than $10 he felt I could end the year with some nonsensical, impulsive, fun presents for myself.

I'll bet Office Depot has those Flexigrip pens, but Art will probably keep me away from office supply stores for awhile.

POSTSCRIPT:  My very wonderful daughter just found those Flexigrip pens and is already having them sent to me.  2013 is sure starting off wonderfully!

Les Miserables Movie Review

Several years ago, Art and I took the kids to see the musical, Les Miserables in Chicago.  I came out wanting to wave a flag and sing while marching around town.  I was so captured by the mood that the kids were probably worried that I would do something that might embarrass them.

Mom had always told us that she'd read Victor Hugo's book when she was in 4th grade and was astounded at what incredible writers there were around the world.  After seeing that fabulous Chicago stage production, I wanted mom to enjoy it too.

Our friend, Sam kindly found a CD of the Japanese version of the musical so mom could understand the lyrics.

Mom listened to it, but I don't think it was the same as actually seeing it performed on stage.

Now they've finally made a movie out of the musical starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe with Anne Hathaway.

We warned mom that the movie had gotten very mixed reviews.  Many critics praised Anne Hathaway and liked Hugh Jackman, but  Russell Crowe hadn't fared as well from what I've read.

But what a surprise!  We were totally blown away.  Les Miserables was absolutely fabulous.  I can't get over what strong and spectacular performances they all accomplished.  It was amazing to hear these actors sing so brilliantly under rather difficult, emotional conditions.

Even though I've heard the songs countless times and seen the stage version as well as other movie adaptions, I was deeply moved.  I cried.

As we were leaving the theater, mom said her chest hurt.  That took me aback.  Then she explained that she was so full of emotion she'd tried to control that it made her chest hurt.  She loved all the performances, was blown away by Hugh Jackman and said she liked Russell Crowe too.  We were all euphoric after seeing the movie and even though he was sure Daniel Day-Lewis should get the Oscar for Best Actor after seeing Lincoln, Art now thinks that Hugh Jackman deserves the award.

We're not movie critics.  We just know what we like.  This was a movie we all loved.  And it's a good thing there wasn't a flag within reach because I would probably have waved it while marching out singing.

It's a good thing my kids aren't around for me to embarrass.

Starting the Year Off With a Bang!

2013 started off with a huge bang.  Some idiot (sorry for my language) was setting off what I call concussion bombs.  They are so loud, powerful and illegal that they set off car alarms and make the entire house rattle.

We have very loud new years fireworks because of the Chinese tradition of scaring away evil spirits and bringing in good luck for the new year.  Everybody becomes Chinese on New Year's Eve in Hawaii.

Frankly I would prefer the quieter Japanese Buddhist tradition of ringing the temple bells only 108 times on New Years Eve, but that's just me, I guess.  Apparently there are 108 earthly sins and ringing the bells is supposed to free us from them so we can reach nirvana.

Art got up before the sun was up and went for an early morning run. He likes to jog on New Years morning because he figures everybody is sleeping off the night's revelries.  I got up late and had three mochi paddies with Art in some kinako (soy powder). 

Mom laughed and reminded us that we just ate the equivalent of three bowls of rice.

I know, I know.

I was stuffed.


Then the phone rang.  It was my childhood friend, Diane.  She said her family was having a little luncheon party to celebrate the New Year and wanted us to come.

"You don't have to bring anything," she said.  "This is just a last minute thing."

There's no way I was going to come empty handed.  I offered to bake a bundt cake but Diane said she already had too many desserts.

With only three hours to think of something to bring, mom suggested I bring some renkon (lotus root) which I'd just bought the day before.

I told her I would cut and slice the renkon for her to cook.

Art laughed as she hovered over me.  This is one of her signature dishes and I finally asked, "Did you want to do this yourself, mom?"

"Yes," she said right away as she nudged me out of the way and took out her own knife.

Once she cleaned all the roots, I told her I would slice them with my food processor.

Although dubious that it could do as good a job as her own hands, she let me use the new fangled modern kitchen gadget.

The speed at which it got the job done stunned her.

Art and I were amazed at all the food that Diane and her brother's family had prepared.  It was a huge feast!

We also brought some boiled peanuts I'd made the day before.  Diane always invites mom to come to the parties, but Mom is too shy since she doesn't really know everybody in Diane and Dave's family.

For dessert, Diane had made her special tapioca and fruit dessert, jello with strawberries, a cream and fruit parfait type treat along with Big Island cookies that are specially made for the Aulani Disney resort.  The cookies are in the shape of Mickey Mouse.

I didn't think I could fit dessert into my already straining waistline, but I managed.

Diane and her husband, Dave then sent us home with a huge package of left-overs to share with mom!  Mom was surprised and delighted!

Auntie Grace called then and said she had a platter of sushi that she'd made for us so we had to make a trip into Honolulu to pick it up.  On the way, we stopped at my brother's place to drop off some renkon, boiled peanuts and special kazunoko (fish eggs) that mom knew he loves.

We saw rainbows all the way into the city as a light drizzle veiled the island.

The rainbow followed us home with our treasure of Auntie's very special sushi. She makes the BEST sushi on the island.

It's been an excellent start to 2013!  I hope your first day was perfect as well.

2013!

Our holidays were a little delayed in some ways and stretched for more enjoyment.  My brother and sister-in-law came over a couple of days ago with our Christmas presents and New Years gift. They gave us a generous gift certificate to a fancy restaurant called Christies so we'll take mom there to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in a week or so. 

The gorgeous Corningware which we love will be put to immediate use and mom is thrilled with the plum wine. 

You'll notice they also presented us with a New Years kadomatsu.

I got the following information from Wikipedia:

A kadomatsu (門松, literally "gate pine") is a traditional Japanese decoration of the New Year placed in pairs in front of homes to welcome ancestral spirits or kami of the harvest. They are placed after Christmas until January 7 (or January 15 during the Edo period) and are considered temporary housing (shintai) for kami. Designs for kadomatsu vary depending on region but are typically made of pine, bamboo, and sometimes ume tree sprigs which represent longevity, prosperity and steadfastness, respectively. "The fundamental function of the New Year ceremonies is to honor and receive the toshigami (deity), who will then bring a bountiful harvest for farmers and bestow the ancestors' blessing on everyone." After January 15 (or in many instances the 19th) the kadomatsu is burned to appease the kami or toshigami and release them.

Art and I considered getting another one like we did last year, but mom kept telling us we didn't need one since they're so expensive.  An arrangement like this is about $17.  Feels pricey when you figure you have to burn it in a few days.  I wanted to paint it gold and keep it for the following year, but mom says absolutely NOT!

(By the way, these two photos were taken with my iPad.  It really isn't as good as my regular camera and does not do well in low light.  The iPad doesn't appear to have a flash feature.  Another problem with the iPad is that it's not easy to transfer files from my P.C.  Other than that, I really love it.)

Then Art's Honokaa friend, Morris stopped by with some mochi for us to eat for New Years that he pounded himself.  We were very impressed.  Mom warned us that each little mochi paddy is the equivalent of one bowl of rice.  Ah well...

#1 on my 2013 Resolution is:

Walk off the carbs.  Let's all get out there and exercise!

Happy New Year, one and all!