World Wide Ed

Poke Paradise – Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii – Part III

Following Part I of this Poke Paradise series, I received an invitation from a Mr. Jed Inouye to come and spend the day with him. In my article, I had mentioned that I was planning on covering the poke from Sam’s Club in a future article and Jed wanted to make sure that I got the inside scoops. You see, Jed is the president of Seafood Hawaii, Inc., a 100% local company who, for all intents and purposes, supplies and runs the seafood departments at both Sam’s Club locations in Hawaii.

The problem with Jed is that he is painfully humble. Shy even. He refused to be filmed at all during the day and wanted the focus to instead be on the process and educating me on the ins and outs of it. He constantly wanted to divert the attention away from himself and towards his partner and employees, repeating his mantra for the day, “It’s not a me thing, but a we thing.”

This is normally where I’d embed my Youtube interview, but this was an unconventional interview with an unconventional guy. So instead, here’s a pictorial glimpse of our “day in the life” activities, starting from the shores of the United Fishing Agency fish auction at Pier 38, to the display case at Sam’s Club.

As described by Jed, the action all starts at the boat.

Boat unloading their catch [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“This fish hole [image above] is well insulated yeah, so it’s all packed in ice. Time and temperature is really important. The fishermen come in and unload their catch into carts.”

Loading their fish into the cart [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“Nobody’s throwing anything around. Everything is handled with care. Taking care of the fish is real important. Not to bounce it around… It all starts from the fishing. If it starts right on boat, it ends right on plate.”

Every day is different. You have your slow days and you have days like this day when the bounty was quite plentiful. 85,000 pounds from 6 boats to be exact.

Ahi loaded up in cart [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

Once the cart is loaded up, the fish is taken to the receiving area where they are scaled, weighed and tagged, before hitting the auction floor.

Auction floor at the United Fishing Agency fish auction [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“The facility is HACCP managed by the federal government,” says Inouye. “Food safety is of the upmost importance. Core temperature must be below 40 degrees. The longer the fish is out of ice, you get temperature fluctuations, especially when it’s over 40 degrees, it’s no good. You don’t want that to happen. You want to be below 40 degrees all the time. If you noticed, it’s all ice. Ice is 32 degrees.”

Fish is kept under ice to ensure that its core temperature is always below 40 degrees

“That’s what’s good about buying the fish here in Hawaii vs. other places. You know, you don’t know where the fish has been, if it’s been out of temp. We try to simulate the bin of the boat because that’s how the fish is best kept: in the hole of the boat. In here, we put it in bins and we ice it again.”

We were then allowed to go into a room at the far end of the auction where boatloads (literally) of swordfish were being stored until they were ready to be shipped away.

Lineup of swordfish, ready to be shipped away [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“I used to send a lot of fish away, but I decided I just wanna take care of the local people. The difference is that there’s no middle man for us. We go right from boat to the troat (throat). Taking care of the customer is essential. By doing this, there’s a lot of value, so we can offer it at a cheaper price so everyone can afford it.”

After the fish is auctioned off…

In the middle of an auction

… it heads straight outside to be loaded into the various refrigerated delivery trucks.

Refrigerated delivery trucks receive the fish that was just purchased [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“This is a really good way of taking care of the fish,” says Inouye. “Again, they go ahead and, after they buy it, they put it in bins, and re-ice it. Because it simulates the hole again, because you have ice right around the fish. The temperatures don’t change. You’re keeping the temperature constant.”

Fish kept under ice in delivery bins [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

Like a scene out of “A Night at the Roxbury”, Jed then said it was time to head to “the club.” So we loaded up Jed’s truck with the fish he just purchased from the auction and headed to the Honolulu Sam’s Club location. On the ride down, he opened up.

“You gotta be real passionate about this job or you’re not gonna be able to last. Over the years, 7 days a week. So every day I pretty much do the same thing. My routine yeah. Nothing fancy. I like driving the truck [even though he's the president of the company] because I’ve always been with the fish so I know it’s fresh. I enjoy this. I really enjoy this. The fish part, the work part, I really enjoy this.”

Then I asked him about his thoughts on poke.

“Poke is something for the imagination. People in Hawaii, they do a good job with poke. It’s just your preference. For us, we have to make sure that the product you start off with is a good product. Once you start off with that… and if you buy the fish in Hawaii, ahhh, can’t get bettah than that. Look, we going to the market now already. I mean fish came off the boat, 5:30 they selling um, it’s 8:30… three hours! How you goin’ beat that?”

“From here, we go to the club. When you hit the club, I mean there’s not much time change. So quality wise, you know. You saw the fish from the boat, it was purchased, went into the bin, all ice, BANG, right to the club. From there, we cut it.”

Preparing the fish for display

“When you take a look at the way we do things, you’re gonna understand where the ‘we’ comes from. Our people do a lot of work. They do a good job. They spend a lot of time, they wake up early in the morning. It’s a whole team. A lot of our workers make it what it is. I got my brother (Gerald aka ‘Lucky’), my partner (Arick Yanagihara), my employees. That’s why, keep the video off of me because we get plenny good, really good people. It’s a ‘we’ thing, not a ‘me’ thing. Everybody works hard, so they’re the stars, not me.”

Mike is a professional sashimi cutter with 20+ years of experience [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

Theresa, an employee of 14 years [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

Julie, an employee of 20 combined years [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“The product that you put out should represent the people behind it. If you put out a good product the sales should be reflective. But again, food safety and value. Those two things are KEY.”

Imitation Crab Meat Masago ($4.37/lb), White Crab previously frozen ($6.87/lb), and 50/60 shrimp [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“The main message is the fish. If the fish is of good quality, that’s what makes everything. It’s the fish.”

Fresh ahi poke – all under $9/lb [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

“The customer is your boss. No matter what, the customer is your boss. What they say goes. That’s the one that you have to take care of all the time. You have to please your customer, no matter what. As long as they keep coming back, you know you’re doing something right.”

I asked him how he keeps his prices so low.

“For the average person, when the price of the fish gets too high, they cannot afford it. There are times when we do lose money. The main thing is that we want to make sure that the consumer knows that we’re consistent and that we’ll take care of them. I guess that’s the message that really we try to push: We wanna take care of the local people. For our company anyway, we wanna take care of the local people.”

Jed Inouye, employees Julie and Theresa, and general partner Arick Yanagihara [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

Wow. If that didn’t make you shed a tear, I don’t know what will. At the very least, it should make you want to join Sam’s Club and visit/support them. Jed Inouye and his Seafood Hawaii, Inc. family exemplifies the true meaning of what a giving, local company should be. And although he will humbly deny it to no end, this truck driving President truly is the star.

Sam’s Club – Honolulu
750 Keeaumoku St,
Honolulu, HI 96814 (map)
(808) 945-9841
Mon-Fri: 10am-8:30pm, Sat: 9am-8:30pm, Sun: 10am-6pm

Sam’s Club – Pearl Highlands
1000 Kamehameha Hwy 100,
Pearl City, HI 96782 (map)
(808) 456-7788
Mon-Fri: 10am-8:30pm, Sat: 9am-8:30pm, Sun: 10am-6pm

—

During my tour of the fish auction with Jed, I was introduced to Brooks Takenaka, the manager of the United Fishing Agency, the company behind the auction. I sat down with Brooks to get more info on his company and the history behind the fish auction.

Brooks Takenaka – United Fishing Agency

[Edward Sugimoto] Describe a little bit about your history with fish in the islands. You know, hana battah kid time?

[Brooks Takenaka] Well basically I was born and raised in a fisherman’s family. So my grandfather was a longline fisherman. My father and my uncles were fishermen as well. And until we were born, my father basically stayed on the boat, they stayed fishing. So I come from a fishing family, commercial longline fishing family, and, as a kid, I was always interested in fish, and I could tell you the scientific names of fish, the common names and all that. I used to raise some fish. They didn’t want me to go into fishing. So I had done all the trolling and diving, all kinds of different forms of fishing and all of that, and they didn’t want me to go into fishing, so I pursued a career in Marine Biology. I studied Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii. Then I did some research with the Oceanic Institute. Well, Coconut Island, worked out of Coconut Island, in the university system. And then I worked out at Oceanic Institute, and then I worked for the Sea Grant Program for a bout 3 and a half years and that’s when I came to appreciate education and outreach. So I was working for those guys and then the industry was going through some changes and they made me an offer and so I came back into the industry and have been here ever since. I’ve been here for about 30 years now with the United Fishing Agency.

[Edward Sugimoto] To those who don’t know, explain who exactly the United Fishing Agency is and its role is in the fish auction?

United Fishing Agency sign

[Brooks Takenaka] Well, the United Fishing Agency is the fish auction, and basically, it’s a company that was put together many many many years ago, decades ago actually [incorporated in 1952]. And the whole idea, which is really a beautiful one, was put together by the senior Otani [Matsujiro Otani], and then basically it was a matter of bringing together wholesalers and fishermen to form an organization that basically put together a program that brought together the daily fish demand with the fish supply. And so back then, it was a far more expansive reality in terms of the type of species because you had reef fish, deep sea bottom fish, as well as open ocean pelagic fish. Maybe not in these kinds of numbers that you have today, but back then, when I was a kid, I remember going to the auction and there was a lot of reef fish. Trapping, netting, diving… all kinds of reef fish, and then there was a few bottom fish, and longline. Certainly the situation now is different in that the reef fish is pretty much sold as a different entity. They have their own market, and we don’t get involved with the reef fish anymore. But we do sell the deep sea bottom fish and the longline stuff, the um, pelagic stuff. So how the auction works basically is that when these fishermen provision up to go out fishing, the purveyors they buy their products from – the food, the fuel, the water… those purveyors would send their billing here to United Fishing Agency. These fishermen go out fishing, they come back, first up on the dock, first up on the floor. And every day, six days a week, the list of boats is listed on the board there. There is a phone service that people can call in to find out you know what we’ve got, how much they’ve got. So then we basically put up their fish, we unload their fish and put up their fish. All of every boat’s fish is color coded, and we sell one boat’s fish at a time. So we start off with the bigeye tuna, which is the target species of this fleet, and then with the yellowfin, and then the different tuna species, like your albacore or tombo, and then your skipjack or aku, and sometimes some kawa kawa. But longline not so much kawa kawa. Then um, your marlins, then your mahimahi, ono, other species like that: monchong, walu, opah. One of the good things about the Hawaii fleet is that historically, they’ve always brought back all the species they catch, with the exception of the blue fish, the blue shark, they bring back everything. And the nice thing about the Hawaii situation is that there’s a fond appreciation for all the species, so we don’t waste any of these species at all. And with the cultural diversity that we have, there’s so many different ways of preparing these fish, that you know people have a good appreciation for all these species. So that’s basically how it works. In terms of how we get paid, we take 10% off the gross sales for our payment. Basically that’s how it works.

[Edward Sugimoto] I read somewhere that this market is based off of the Tsukiji market (in Japan) in a little sense. Is that the true?

[Brooks Takenaka] Not in a little sense. Very very much so. We’re actually a very junior version of Tsukiji. It’s based after the traditional Japanese method of auction selling fish.

[Edward Sugimoto] You were kinda briefly walking us through the process. Can you in a little more detail (explain the process), how it comes off the boat, you do the scaling, you do the weighing and all of that?

[Brooks Takenaka] Yeah. How it all works is basically, when they come home, we unload the boats. If you go outside and take a look at some of the carts, the carts were built… Actually, prior to coming, moving to this facility, we were over in Kewalo, and what we used to do is we used to send trucks out to go pick up the fish at the various piers. Since moving here, the accommodations are great because we unload the boats right here. So it’s much more timely and the freshness and quality are significantly better. So it’s a far better facility. And basically how it works is these boats come home and we have an answering service, so first in, first up, and the answering service lets us know who’s first, second, third and all this. So, in order for us to start the auction at 5:30 (AM), my guys come in at 1 o’clock. They call the answering service, they figure out who’s first, then they just start unloading the boats. Those carts that we have now to unload the boats basically represent the same size of the truck bed that we used to go pick up fish with. And one of the reasons why we did that was because we have a good idea of about how many pounds are in each truckload. So that way, it’s another form of checks and balance(s). So that, we built the carts to be the same size, and about the same amount of fish, so we know there’s about 3,000 pounds of fish in that cart. Around there, yeah, depending on the species and sizes. So then, the boat unloads the fish into the carts. Those carts then are moved over to the facility, and then you see the weighing area where we stage it all out, and then the fish gets weighed and then tagged. And then you have a weight tag as well as a bar code and on the bar code, you have the information of the boat, the date, all this kind, what kind of species, how many pieces, that sort of thing. Then those fish are lined up, like I said, bigeye, big to small, yellowfins big to small, and then the others by catch species. And, that’s basically how we started. At 5:30, the bell rings, and off they go. What we do with the tunas however, is that you’ll notice that we do a tail cut, wedge cut, and then we’ll do an anterior coring. So basically, that’s all on each fish, each tuna in particular. And so the buyer has a good profile of what that fish is in terms of quality. And that facilitates and expedites their bidding on the fish. So that’s how it works.

The tail cut, wedge cut, and anterior coring shows buyer the quality of the fish [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

[Edward Sugimoto] What do they kind of look for: bloodline?

[Brooks Takenaka] Well, what they’re looking for is freshness and quality, also relative to their client base. OK, so in other words, they have a good feel for their client base and then they’re bidding on fish that basically services their clientele. And so you have companies in there that play the whole gamut in terms of quality and range and prices, and you have those that are more of a niche market type of situation. And so, what’s interesting is that you have a whole different approach by different people in terms of how they’re buying, what they’re buying, how much they’re willing to spend, depending on what kind of client base they have. So some of these companies do send fish to the mainland. They work with people on the mainland, they’ll send fish to the mainland. Others will send… they’re even marketing in Vancouver. On occasion, you’ll hear comments about some of these fish maybe going to Japan. Not as much as before because what’s happened is that the world has come to appreciate sashimi and sushi and raw fish a bit more than it has in the past, and so what’s happening is there… and people are beginning to appreciate the value, and so, there are more people that are buying tuna today as compared to before. So not as much ends up in the Japanese market. A lot of it does go to the mainland United States. Canada. Vancouver’s a very strong market. So the rest of the world has figured out what’s happening with fish and that’s part of the reason why we’re talking this sustainability today. So that’s why we talk about those kind of issues today.

[Edward Sugimoto] What kind of famous chefs/people come through here that you rub elbows with?

[Brooks Takenaka] Oh jeez. You name um, we’ve had um. Aw cheez, we’ve had Nobu (Matsuhisa), we’ve had Iron Chef (Masaharu Morimoto), we’ve had Paul Prudhomme, Ming Tsai, Chan Can (Martin Yan?). We’ve had a number. Of course and then there’s people like Chef Mavro (George Mavrothalassitis) and Alan Wong and Roy (Yamaguchi) and D.K.’s (David “D.K.” Kodama), you know, those people. And we also have a fair amount of visiting chefs from around the world and the country. So, far more than I can name. In fact we’ve also done tours for a lot of associations like nutritionists and people like that. I teach the coast guard… actually I also teach culinary classes, marine biology, oceanography classes, and I teach the coast guard.

[Edward Sugimoto] So your (Marine Biology) education comes in handy then?

[Brooks Takenaka] Yes, very much so. That was the purpose of it all. We have an incredible industry, but I think the industry was remiss for a long time because they pretty much did their own thing and kept to themselves. And then, in the meantime, what’s happened is that of course there’s interest that has just generated with respect to issues like sustainability and all this. And so we felt that it was important for us as an industry to get this message out, get some information out. And that’s the reason why we started the program that we have. So the program that we have now is called the Hawaii Seafood Council. It’s a non-profit organization, and we’ve set that up to develop the educational programs and materials to assist the industry.

[Edward Sugimoto] In terms of poke, what’s your favorite type?

[Brooks Takenaka] It all depends on what kind of fish there is and what kind of ingredients there are and what I’m jonesin’ for. I love aku poke and I happen to also love a lot of limus like waiwaihole and limu kohu, and lipoa, as well as the ogo. Actually the ogo to me doesn’t have that much taste. Lipoa, which is a really stinky one, is to me a real good limu to use for poke, but most people cannot eat that because of the strength. It’s kinda strong. So in terms of poke again, there’s so many different ways of preparing it, and in reality you can use all kinds of fish to do this. So it really becomes a matter of how you want to prepare it, what you want to prepare. But for me, I like aku poke. I like ahi poke, marlin poke (either nairagi, kajiki), and then, there’s also, you know again, like I said, poke is really a matter of imagination. You can do all kinds of things with that. Lobster poke is ono, you know, opihi poke is ono, so it depends. Crab, you can make crab poke, you know raw crab, stuff like that.

[Edward Sugimoto] It must be pretty hard to please you though since you’re so used to the freshness here?

[Brooks Takenaka] Well yeah, I’m a stickler for quality. And so, if you know of like say Take’s Fish Market in Moiliili, that’s the kind of place my wife will buy sashimi. I mean you know it could cost us $60-$80 for a pound and a half or two pounds you know, but it’s worth it. So here, again, it depends on what you’re used to. And since I was born and raised with fish, I’ve eaten parts of fish that most people don’t even consider. So again, my appreciation with fish is far greater or different than most. Like I said today, when I was a kid, I remember eating parts of fish that nobody else would eat. That was poor man’s food. Today, because of health, people are looking into other parts of the fish too, so we’re finally getting to… it’s gone 180. I mean now people are beginning to appreciate some of the other parts of the fish too. So I would venture to guess that anybody learning how to eat fish from people in Hawaii, they really learn how to eat fish. Hawaii people know how to eat fish.

[Edward Sugimoto] Speaking of kinda “stranger” pieces of the fish, the abura mi, the fatty parts, that’s of more value as opposed to the (aka mi)…

[Brooks Takenaka] Yeah well, you know, as the chefs say, the fat is where the flavor is. And so, in this case, one of the things that we teach the culinary kids of course is that the difference between the aka mi, or red meat, and the abura, or fatty fish vs. non-fatty fish, that doesn’t mean that the non-fatty fish is no good. In fact, some of these non-fatty fish can be nice enough that it can go 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 dollars a pound. But, if that same fish had some fat in it, it can probably go dollar, two dollars more a pound. And there is a significant difference even from species to species, there’s difference in terms of. So recently, I shared some fatty yellowfin and some fatty bigeye with Chef Mavro and Alan Wong, and they noticed the difference, the significant difference between the two species. Different kind of flavor, different kind of intensity in terms of the fat. So there’s a lot of things we can do, to share with the public in terms of understanding about quality and appreciation for quality.

Ahi, freshly cut on the auction floor [Photo Credit: Arthur Betts]

[Edward Sugimoto] What’s in store for the United Fishing Agency?

[Brooks Takenaka] Well, I hope that we can work our way through some of the issues that we have to deal with in terms of the sustainability issues, and protecting species like turtles and birds and things like that. We certainly, you know the United Fishing Agency has been around since 1952, and I certainly hope that in history, we continue to succeed and can move forward you know, for the next generation. And I hope that we can continue to be innovative and stay ahead of the curve in terms of doing things the right way for the right reasons, and being able to continue to supply fish for our people because I think it’s a very significant part of our culture as well as lifestyle. And seafood of course, fresh seafood is, I think very very healthful. And so from that perspective alone, I certainly would like to continue to be able to provide good, healthy fish for the public. And, if you think about it, like I ask people think about this: what is the only form of food today that has no chemical additives in it? Wild fish, right? And you have concerns like bird flu, swine flu, all this other kind of stuff, but, you ever heard of fish flu? No. So the demand for fish, the concern for protecting the resource is important and we need to continue to do things to protect that resource. But, the thing is, I think people can also realize… learn and realize that some efforts are in fact being done the right way for the right reasons and I think the Hawaii effort is indeed one of those exemplary efforts. So I think if the rest of the world were to in fact conduct their fishing like we do here, then we may not have the kind of concerns that we have for the resources and stuff, so it would be better for the resources.

[Edward Sugimoto] And your auction is open to the public. Is there anything else you want to mention?

[Brooks Takenaka] Yeah, it’s open to the public, but we gotta be careful about how many people we get over here. That’s one of the things that again, we do these kinds of interviews, and I’ve got a few others to do within the next couple of weeks, but again, I do this with a grain of salt because the thing is, on one hand, we want people to know about our industry, but I also have a business to run and I gotta be careful about my time. But I mean people are welcome to come. It is open to the public.

[Edward Sugimoto] OK, thank you very much!

[Brooks Takenaka] You’re very welcome.

For more information on the Hawaii Seafood Council and what Brooks folks are doing for the seafood community, please visit: http://www.hawaii-seafood.org.

—

Since we’ve already covered Sam’s Club, let’s turn this one into a “supermarket kine poke” piece and take a virtual stroll through some of the others doing poke here in the islands shall we?

Costco Poke

One of my favorites from Costco is their Japan Clam Poke, which, according to the label, contains: Japan clam meat, alae salt, chili pepper flakes, green onions, sliced sweet onion, and sesame seed oil.

Japan Clam Poke – Japan clam meat, alae salt, chili pepper flakes, green onions, sliced sweet onion, and sesame seed oil ($11.99/lb)

I haven’t seen it in some time though, but I’m hoping and praying that it’s a “seasonal” thing as opposed to a “discontinued” thing. :\

Other good ones include their Fresh Ahi Limu Poke,

Fresh Ahi Limu Poke – ($12.99/lb)

their Fresh Ahi Shoyu Poke,

Fresh Ahi Shoyu Poke – ($11.99/lb)

and their Garlic Shrimp Poke.

Garlic Shrimp Poke – ($9.99/lb)

Costco
(Many locations)

—

Safeway Poke

I have a soft spot in my heart for Safeway ’cause they be my peeps. They were the ones to give me my first part-time gig during high school daze, where I eventually moved up to the “Fish Cutter” position in the seafood department. This is where I experienced my first taste (literally) of the art of poke making.

Back then, there was no such thing as “spicy tuna” (as it’s known today), and some of the other “fancy” kine styles like wasabi, furikake, avocado, etc. My bread and butter was the ahi limu poke. A batch I recently picked up, though previously frozen, tasted eerily similar to the one I used to make.

(Previously Frozen) Ahi Limu Poke ($7.99/lb)

If it’s available, and you can at all help it (and can afford it), my recommendation is to always go for the “fresh” version. There’s a HUGE difference in taste, texture and quality. Not to mention that a lot of times, places will treat/preserve their fish with carbon monoxide in order to “promote color retention” (keeps their fish looking red or from turning brown). Any time you can eat poke naturally (or any food for that matter) and avoid the chemicals, I advise it. Unfortunately, on this occasion, Safeway (and some of those below) didn’t have many fresh options.

Next to the Ahi Limu Poke, wifey particularly enjoyed the Ahi Poke Furikake from Safeway.

(Previously Frozen) Ahi Poke Furikake ($7.99/lb)

The current Fish Cutter told us that these next two batches were new, so we gave them a whirl. The Hot Ahi Poke (made with Sriracha sauce)…

(Previously Frozen) Hot Ahi Poke ($7.99/lb)

… and the Ahi Wasabi Poke.

(Previously Frozen) Ahi Wasabi Poke ($7.99/lb)

In the mood for some octopus, we rounded out our visit to Safeway with their popular Kim Chee Tako Poke.

Kim Chee Tako Poke

Safeway
(Many locations)

—

Foodland Poke

I have to be perfectly honest. I’ve never been a fan of Foodland’s poke, though I do strangely enjoy some of Sack N Save’s versions on the neighbor islands. It could’ve been the taste/flavoring, the fish itself, the fact that I worked at Safeway (Ha!), or perhaps that I’ve just been unlucky whenever I ordered from there. To be fair, I picked up 4 types of their previously frozen styles: their Spicy Ahi…

(Previously Frozen) Spicy Ahi Poke ($7.99/lb)

… their Ahi Limu…

(Previously Frozen) Ahi Limu Poke ($7.99/lb)

… their Ahi Shoyu…

(Previously Frozen) Ahi Shoyu Poke ($7.99/lb)

… and their new Ahi & Avocado Poke.

(Previously Frozen) Ahi & Avocado Poke ($7.99/lb)

They also had signage speaking of the carbon monoxide preservation methods, but interestingly enough, they also mentioned this: “From Philippines.” Not quite sure why, but perhaps because it is not local to Hawaii?

If anyone from Foodland wants to fill us in, complete the feedback form on the right and I’ll put your statement in here for ya.

Foodland
(Many locations)

—

Poke from TKS in Honokaa, Hawaii

To make sure I cover those doing poke well on the neighbor islands, I flew over to Hilo to visit my friend Dave. We found time to hit up KTA and Sack N Save, as well as the T Kaneshiro Store or TKS in “nearby” Honokaa.

T Kaneshiro Store (TKS) in Honokaa, Hawaii

As with many mom and pop type groceries like this, they didn’t have a dedicated seafood department, but they did provide a handful of poke options in their refrigerated section, including Ahi Poke – Korean Style, Ahi Poke with Sesame Oil, and Ahi Shoyu Poke.

Ahi Shoyu Poke

T Kaneshiro Store
45-5002 Lehua Street
Honokaa, HI 96727
(808) 775-0631

—

Poke from KTA Super Stores – Hilo

There are two KTA locations in Hilo: on Keawe street and Puainako Stree, but we made sure to hit up the significantly larger Puainako locale.

KTA Punainako

Woah. In order to match the sheer size of their store (I’m guessing), the size of their seafood department is equally enormous!

Bruddah Dave checking out the wide range of goodies

Their selection included such items as Tako Miso, Tako Hawaiian, Tako Kim Chee with Cucumber, Tako Shoyu, Tako Sesame, Spicy Tako, Marlin (Au) Korean, Marlin Nori, Marlin Low Salt Shoyu, Marlin Shoyu, Ahi Korean, Ahi Nori, Spicy Ahi, Ahi Hawaiian, Ahi Shoyu, Kim Chee Soybeans, Crab Poke, Shoyu Clams, Nori Tofu, Mussel Poke, Shoyu Hokkigai (Surf Clam), Pipi Kaula, Kim Chee Shrimp, etc.

Numerous poke choices at KTA

I know it’s hard to tell (based on the amateur panoramic photo attempt above), but take my word for it, they had CHOKE options.

We sampled the Ahi Shoyu and Ahi Korean options (BTW, they weren’t labeled, but they tasted of the pre-frozen variety).

Ahi Korean Poke (left/top) and Ahi Shoyu Poke (right/bottom) and from KTA ($7.99/lb each)

KTA Super Stores
(Many locations)

—

Sack N Save Poke

And finally, we hit up the Kinoole Street Sack N Save location in Hilo.

Kinoole Street Sack N Save in Hilo

They had a pretty reasonably sized selection that included Ahi Hawaiian Style, Ahi Shoyu, Ahi Sesame, Ahi Furikake, Spicy Ahi, Ahi Oyster Sauce, Ahi Limu, Ahi Garlic, Avocado Ahi, Korean Ahi, Ahi Wasabi and Fresh Ahi Poke, as well as Soybeans, Tako Kim Chee Poke, Tako Furikake Poke, Cooked Madako Tako Poke, and Smoked Tako Poke.

Sack N Save’s Poke Selection

The Avocado Ahi was a big seller, so we picked up the rest of that tray along with some Spicy Ahi.

(Previously Frozen) Spicy Ahi Poke ($7.99/lb)

(Previously Frozen) Avocado Ahi Poke ($8.99/lb)

As with their sister/mothership Foodland, they had their previously frozen trays clearly marked with the “carbon monoxide” and “from Philippines” warning labels.

Comparing the poke from Hilo’s Sack N Save to the Oahu equivalents from Foodland, I really enjoyed the Hilo versions more, especially the Avocado Ahi one FBI (From Big Island)! Good job B.I.!

Sack N Save
(Many locations)

—

Home Made Poke

And finally, as if I didn’t bombard you enough with photos already , here’s a step-by-step look at a home made batch I recently put together for a family gathering. Enjoy!

Cubed up Aku

I started by cubing up some aku that my mom had purchased from downtown. Aku has a stronger/fishier taste than Ahi, but to me, is a LOT better for making poke.

Below are some of the “ingrediments” I used including shoyu, chili pepper flakes, chili pepper watah (water), green onions, tobiko, and a generous serving of sesame seed oil (I have a preference for Kadoya brand sesame seed oil).

Ingredients for my poke – Shoyu, chili pepper flakes, chili pepper water, green onions, tobiko, and Kadoya sesame seed oil

Don’t forget the limu/ogo!

Mixing the ingredients together as the limu/ogo awaits

We add all the ingredients to the bowl (I like to save the sesame seed oil for last) and it looks a little sumthin’ like this…

Poke mixture before mixing

Here it is up close.

Poke mixture up close

I then added some furikake and the sesame seed oil and we got something that looked like this.

Ed’s Aku Poke

Yeah, the color turned a little dark because of the shoyu, but it was yummy nonetheless… If I do say so myself.

Ed’s Fish Hut
1 Ono Way
Honolulu, HI.
(808) 999-NEVAH-MINE!

—

A-ight, that’s it for Part III of this Poke Paradise series. Stay tuned for next month, when I interview Rachel Haili of Haili’s Hawaiian Foods, Guy Tamashiro of Tamashiro’s Fish Market, and visit a few other island favorite poke spots.

A big mahalo to Jed Inouye, Arick Yanagihara, Steve Rudolph, and the entire Seafood Hawaii, Inc. team, Brooks Takenaka and everyone at the United Fishing Agency fish auction at Pier 38, Dave Oi for the FBI Hilo hospitality and Grant Lau for assistance with the air accommodations. See y’all next month!

Tags: abura mi, ahi, Ahi & Avocado Poke, Ahi Garlic, Ahi Hawaiian, Ahi Hawaiian Style, Ahi Korean, ahi limu poke, Ahi Nori, Ahi Oyster Sauce, ahi poke, Ahi Poke - Korean Style, Ahi Poke Furikake, Ahi Poke with Sesame Oil, Ahi Shoyu, Ahi Shoyu Poke, Ahi Wasabi Poke, aka mi, Aku, aku poke, alae salt, Alan Wong, albacore tuna, anterior coring, Arick Yanagihara, Au, Avocado Ahi, bigeye tuna, bloodline, blue fish, blue shark, Brooks Takenaka, Carbon Monoxide, Chef Mavro, chili pepper flakes, chili pepper watah, chili pepper water, Coconut Island, Cooked Madako Tako Poke, Costco, crab poke, Dave Oi, David "D.K." Kodama, Ed's Aku Poke, fatty bigeye, fatty fish, fatty yellowfin, fish auction, Foodland, furikake, Garlic Shrimp Poke, George Mavrothalassitis, Gerald "Lucky" Inouye, Grant Lau, green onions, Guy Tamashiro, HACCP, Haili's Hawaiian Foods, Hawaii fish auction, Hawaii Seafood Council, hawaii-seafood.org, home made poke, Hot Ahi Poke, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Japan Clam Poke, Jed Inouye, Kadoya sesame seed oil, kajiki, kawa kawa, Kim Chee Shrimp, Kim Chee Soybeans, Kim Chee Tako Poke, Kinoole Street Sack N Save in Hilo, Korean Ahi, KTA Punainako, KTA Super Stores, limu, Limu Kohu, lipoa, Lobster poke, mahimahi, Marlin Korean, Marlin Low Salt Shoyu, Marlin Nori, marlin poke, Marlin Shoyu, marlins, Martin Yan, Ming Tsai, monchong, Mussel Poke, nairagi, Nobu Matsuhisa, non-fatty fish, Nori Tofu, Oceanic Institute, ogo, ono, opah, opihi poke, Paul Prudhomme, Philippines, Pier 38, Pipi Kaula, Poke Paradise - Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii - Part III, Previously Frozen, Rachel Haili, raw fish, red meat, Roy Yamaguchi, Sack N Save, Safeway, Sam's Club, sashimi, Sea Grant Program, Seafood Hawaii Inc, sesame seed oil, shoyu, Shoyu Clams, Shoyu Hokkigai, skipjack tuna, sliced sweet onion, Smoked Tako Poke, soybeans, Spicy Ahi, Spicy Ahi Poke, Spicy Tako, Sriracha sauce, surf clam, sushi, T Kaneshiro Store, tail cut, Take's Fish Market, Tako Furikake Poke, Tako Hawaiian, Tako Kim Chee Poke, Tako Kim Chee with Cucumber, Tako Miso, Tako Sesame, Tako Shoyu, Tamashiro's Fish Market, TKS in Honokaa, Tobiko, tombo, Tsukiji market Japan, United Fishing Agency, waiwaihole, walu, wedge cut, yellowfin tuna

Karate Kid

Given the latest events happening around us as of late (e.g. purchase of the Advertiser, tsunami worries, etc.), heaven knows we’re in need of a “Fun Day Monday” up in hurr. But instead of my usual silly nonsense, let’s do a little sumthin’ sumthin’ that most of us can agree is actually entertaining: movies.

In June, Sony pictures is releasing a remade version of the cult classic Karate Kid. Check it:

Karate Kid (2010)

Whatchu t’ink? Personally, it looks pretty ridiculous. Though the music and editing and epic scenery makes it look somewhat watchable, it’s not even close to being interesting to me. Not only is Jaden Smith (Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s son) and Jackie Chan totally unbelievable (in a bad way) in their respective roles, I’m still not even sure why they used the name “Karate” Kid because they are using Kung Fu as the martial art. Am I alone on this? Do you guys actually wanna see this?

Now, here’s a looksee at the O.G. Karate Kid trailer:

Karate Kid (1984)

Still a bit dramatized and Hollywood-ish, but at least it’s a little more believable. Definitely a must watch and makes me wish it was never redone.

Talk to me!
* Do you think the original Karate Kid is a must-see cult classic?
* Favorite line from Karate Kid? (here’s some help)
* Are you interested in watching the new Karate Kid movie?
* What are some old movies you’d love to see redone?
* Which actors would you hire to play what roles?

Please help me say a prayer for all Advertiser and Star Bulletin employees in this unsure time of theirs. In the meantime, have a great week all, and check out my latest AroundHawaii article (which included a visit to the United Fishing Agency Honolulu Fish Auction):

Poke Paradise – Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii – Part III

Tags: cult classic, Fun Day Monday, honolulu fish auction, Jackie Chan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jaden Smith, karate kid, karate kid remade, Kung Fu, new Karate Kid, ralph macchio, Sony pictures, United Fishing Agency, Will Smith

Poke Paradise – Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii – Part II

Wow! What an unbelievable month! I guess y’all really love your poke eh?

Last month, we struck gold when I introduced a topic that was near and dear to my heart. She went by the name of Poke. Your feedback and comments were amazing and, as a result, I was able to make contact with some of the “giants” of the industry.

This month, we’ve got a very special treat for you with a star-studded lineup of exclusive interviews from the likes of Sam Choy (Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch, Crab & Big Island Brewery), Mel and Justin Tanioka (Tanioka’s Seafoods & Catering), Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi (Tokkuri-Tei) and Alan Wong (Alan Wong’s Restaurants)! Normally, an interview with these living legends, would each merit its own column, but this is Poke Paradise and this is how we roll, so strap on your seatbelts and get ready to go go go!

—

Sam Choy

What’s a special on poke without some words of wisdom from Hawaii’s poke authority Sam Choy? Yep, my thoughts exactly. That’s why it was imperative that I get a few soundbites from bruddah Sam.

Hawaii’s Poke Authority: Sam Choy

[Edward Sugimoto] You are often looked to as THE preeminent expert/authority in poke. It’s even been said that the popularity of poke in Hawaii can be traced back to you. How does that make you feel?

[Sam Choy] It is an honor for people to trace the popularity back to me. My love for poke has made me want to make poke recognized as much as sashimi and sushi.

Buy This Book from Amazon.com

[Edward Sugimoto] Your poke contests/festivals are legend. Are you still doing them and if/so, when can we expect the next one?

[Sam Choy] We are working with Turtle Bay to have our Poke Contest there again later this year.

[Edward Sugimoto] What are your top 3 favorite pokes and where are they from?

[Sam Choy] My top three pokes are traditional ahi poke with Hawaiian salt, limu kohu and inamona, kole or opelu poke and oio poke which I make at home.

[Edward Sugimoto] Where is your “go to” poke place (besides your own kitchen)?

[Sam Choy] Besides my own kitchen, Tanioka’s is my “go to” poke place. How can you go wrong with poke and one of Mel’s famous cone sushis? Try the alae poke! Have you ever tried the mochiko chicken? I was there doing a book signing with Mel in December and got to have it right out of the fryer… broke da mouth!!

[Edward Sugimoto] I’ve read somewhere that you even have a recipe that includes peanut butter? Is that true and how/why did you come up with that?

[Sam Choy] I actually got the peanut butter poke recipe from my dad who got it from his dad.

[Edward Sugimoto] What is one unique ingredient that surprised you (in a good way)?

[Sam Choy] The texture and the flavor of uni has surprised me. It is truly like taking a bite of the ocean!

[Edward Sugimoto] What’s in store for Mr. Sam Choy?

[Sam Choy] I am in the process of opening a new restaurant in Kona and looking forward to possibly expanding to the mainland (once) we’re up and running. The sky’s the limit!

Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch, Crab & Big Aloha Brewery
580 N. Nimitz Highway
Honolulu, HI 96817 (map)
Tel: (808) 545-7979
Breakfast Hours: Mon-Fri: 7am-10:30am, Sat & Sun: 7am-11:30am, Breakfast Buffet: Sat & Sun: 9am-12noon.
Lunch Hours: Mon-Thurs: 10:30am-3pm, Fri: 10:30am-4pm, Sat & Sun: 11:30am-4pm
Dinner Hours: Sun-Thurs: 5pm-9:30pm, Fri & Sat: 5pm-10pm

—

Tanioka’s

Sam Choy’s self proclaimed “go to” place for poke is Tanioka’s. What say we head over to Waipahu and have a chat with father-son super combo Mel and Justin Tanioka to talk poke?

Tanioka’s Seafoods and Catering Sign

[Edward Sugimoto] You first opened your doors in 1978 in a thousand square foot space with just four employees. What were those first years like?

[Justin Tanioka] I don’t know. *laughs* I was one years old.

[Edward Sugimoto] Yeah I heard you were like a kid sleeping on the cooler or something like that right?

[Justin Tanioka] Yeah, I was actually born one month before we opened.

[Edward Sugimoto] Oh wow, OK. So no memories of that huh?

[Justin Tanioka] Yeah. The first four years, I don’t know… *looks to dad*

[Mel Tanioka] It was simple. We had less items. So basically we were more like a fish market, selling just fish. No sushi, no chicken, you know, anything like that. It was just you know, mostly filets, poke. The trend of poke was just starting then.

[Edward Sugimoto] Oh so you didn’t have poke from the very beginning?

[Mel Tanioka] Oh we did.

[Edward Sugimoto] You now have a very successful catering business (like you said) to add to your seafood side. How or why did that come about?

[Mel Tanioka] Well, in the 1990s, we looked at the fish availability, and I felt that… If it started to get depleted, which we look at in the 90s and we thought if it starts to get depleted, what else, what kind of income is going to subsidize our market. So we decided to start our catering business, which has grown to equalize our fish. Before it was just a small percentage, but now it’s becoming a larger percentage of our business. So in the future, we’re going to hopefully gear towards more catering as the fish start depleting, unless you go into frozen fish. But for 30 years we’ve been dealing with fresh fish, so we’re trying to avoid that, but eventually it’s gonna come yeah.

[Edward Sugimoto] What are your top sellers in terms of poke?

[Justin Tanioka] Probably our Limu Poke. That’s our top seller.

Limu Poke ($12.95/pound)

[Justin Tanioka] Onion with Limu Poke is right there with it.

Onion Limu Poke ($12.95/pound)

[Edward Sugimoto] It’s just onions on top of that (the limu poke)?

[Justin Tanioka] Yeah kind of. A little different mix. A little bit stronger flavor on the onion poke side (with limu yeah). But the limu poke has been our item.

[Mel Tanioka] For parties, Spicy Ahi has been one of the best sellers because it stretches. You know the rice and spicy. For parties of two to three hundred, if you put like 20 pounds of poke, they’re gonna eat it up in a few minutes. So we thought that at least Spicy Ahi would stretch it out so everyone would have a share.

[Edward Sugimoto] What about not in terms of customers, but your guys’ personal favorite? Do you guys have any from here?

[Justin Tanioka] Mine would probably be the Onion with Limu. His is probably the Alae.

[Mel Tanioka] (*in unison*) Alae. *laughs* He knows yeah?

Alae Poke ($12.95/pound)

[Mel Tanioka] I love the Alae Poke. Chili pepper water oooh, that’s my favorite. With some poi and dry aku.

[Edward Sugimoto] Yeah, you guys have dry aku poke too right?

[Mel Tanioka] Yeah yeah yeah.

[Justin Tanioka] Yeah, we have dried poke. That one, it’s like a salty candy. When you eat it, it’s good, you know, just to pick on.

[Mel Tanioka] I always brag that we were one of the first guys to do that. Eventually, I don’t know who else does it yeah? *looks to Justin*

[Justin Tanioka] I’m not too sure. The only hard part about that is the price yeah? It’s priced kind of high, but, you know, after you dry it, you lose over 50% of your product just off the bat, and that’s not including the time and all of that.

[Mel Tanioka] So if you can picture a $10 pound of poke, when you dry it, it becomes $20 yeah? But the drying process is again, the labor process, the equipment used to dry, and all of that. For me it’s worth the price, but when you look at it at $19.95 (per pound) you’re like “woah”, but when you eat it, it’s worth it. *laughs*

[Edward Sugimoto] You guys have, like, I heard over 40 different types of poke, or almost there?

[Mel Tanioka] Yeah, probably.

[Justin Tanioka] Close to that. Yeah, maybe 30 something. We never really took a count.

The Different Types of Poke from Tanioka’s

[Edward Sugimoto] Are you guys continuing to think of new ones here and there?

[Mel Tanioka] We try to.

[Justin Tanioka] We try to. It’s hard to step away from the… Even when we make a new one, people kind of like it, but, like if they had to choose between a pound of the old Limu Poke or the new Garlic Poke, the Limu Poke is going to always come first.

[Edward Sugimoto] When making poke for yourself maybe like at home, what’s your one, go-to ingredient?

[Justin Tanioka] Aloha Shoyu. *laughs*

[Mel Tanioka] Our famous friends is Aloha Shoyu. We’ve been with them for 31 years.

[Justin Tanioka] Tell Sam (Choy) I said that.

[Mel Tanioka] Yeah, we’ve been using Aloha Shoyu for 31 years.

[Edward Sugimoto] You were mentioning earlier that Justin and your daughter Jasmine’s gonna be taking over. What else is in the future of Tanioka’s?

[Justin Tanioka] So far, everything’s up in the air yeah?

[Mel Tanioka] Yeah.

[Justin Tanioka] It depends on the economy. You know how everybody bounces back. I think some of it is fate you know? You gotta look, if you see something, maybe something might pop up (like) “Eh, you wanna be a part of this” or whatever, that’s how we would…

[Mel Tanioka] We did create a franchise. We went through the manual. But we’re not sure right now yeah ’cause it’s hard to… I tried, we had three stores at once, but it’s hard to keep the quality. You can expand a lot, but sometimes you lose the quality. So it’s trying to keep that quality vs. trying to expand… I guess people expand because they want to make more money right? But the end result is… You gotta expand with the intentions of keeping the quality.

A look inside Tanioka’s during a rare down time

[Justin Tanioka] And with it being harder and harder to get fresh ahi.

[Mel Tanioka] Yeah. That’s the part.

[Justin Tanioka] You know, each store is going to have to get their own fish and if we’re having trouble getting fish sometimes, like I don’t know what’s going to happen to them.

[Mel Tanioka] There’s a lot of factors. The Fresh Limu Factory is another one to consider. On a daily basis, it’s easy to get, but when it gets to the holiday time, I mean everybody is scrambling to get it, because you know, the volume goes higher. So that’s another thing that we’re looking at. But I think the franchise stores will probably go into like a different type of program. Not maybe 40 different types of poke, maybe they’ll have like 5 of just the basic sellers. Spicy Ahi, Shoyu Poke, Limu Poke.

[Justin Tanioka] And then of course the cooked food side. You know like the okazu-ya, just grab and go. Fried Chicken, Fish Patties, Shrimp Tempura, you know, stuff that’s consistent every day, tastes good. You know, it’s basic things that you would eat every day too yeah?

Family Bento with Fried Noodles ($5.50)

[Justin Tanioka] But as for me, I think my future is here at the market. Just keep it going. Keep this place going.

[Edward Sugimoto] Carry on the name ah?

[Justin Tanioka] Yup. Make my father proud. Make my parents proud.

The Tanioka `Ohana: Mel, Lynn and Justin (not pictured: daughter Jasmine Tanioka Lum)

[Edward Sugimoto] You guys have anything to add to your loyal customers or future customers?

[Justin Tanioka] Well, I would like to thank our customers. Thank you for standing in line. Some days are so busy. We try to get them (in and) out of here as fast as we can. I think we have a pretty good system right now.

[Mel Tanioka] And they’re so pleasant. Our customers are like, “Oh sorry, sorry you gotta wait in line,” (and they’re like) “No, no, no, it’s worth the wait.” They’re so positive and we’re just, we appreciate that yeah.

[Justin Tanioka] A lot. We appreciate it a lot.

[Mel Tanioka] And first of all we always trust in the Lord to guide us.

[Justin Tanioka] And our employees too. Our employees are what makes us. You know, without our employees, we wouldn’t be Tanioka’s you know. But our employees work hard, they work, you know they work fast… *looks at dad* Anything else?

[Mel Tanioka] *smiles*

It was great to see a truly genuine family doing good here in Hawaii. Justin was super cool and mellow, like he could’ve been your high school buddy growing up, while Mel Tanioka was very generous in packing, and I mean PACKING 3 shopping bags full of okazu items – like maki sushi, cone sushi, and even a bento to go along with their popular Limu Poke – for us to take back to the office. And though I didn’t get to meet daughter Jasmine, mom Lynn was just as warm and bubbly and always smiling.

Not only is their poke winnahz, they, as a family, are as well. Go and support the Taniokas k?

Tanioka’s Seafood and Catering
94-903 Farrington Highway
Waipahu, HI 96797 (map)
Tel: (808) 671-3779
Email: Onopoke@taniokas.com
Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm
Sat: 9am-5pm
Sun: 9am-3pm

—

Tokkuri-Tei

No stranger to the world of poke, Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi of the Izakaya style Japanese restaurant Tokkuri-Tei, is the winner of many cooking competitions, including Sam Choy’s Poke Contest, and has been delighting clientele to his unique poke stylings since the ’90s. Celebrating his 21st anniversary this year (the restaurant’s, not his ), Santa continues to push the culinary envelope for creative eats in Hawaii.

Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi inside his restaurant Tokkuri-Tei

Here’s a quick interview with the man simply known as “Santa”:

[Edward Sugimoto] Hi Santa, did you have poke on your menu from the beginning and if not, when did you start carrying it (and why)?

[Santa Miyoshi] Why? We didn’t have before, but after the poke contest (1997), we start carrying some poke.

[Edward Sugimoto] Was it a good seller in the beginning?

[Santa Miyoshi] Uh yeah, kind of.

[Edward Sugimoto] You won numerous awards at, like you said, the poke contests. What made you first want to enter the contests?

[Santa Miyoshi] Ah, well, it was Aloha Shoyu Cooking Contest I entered (in 1996), and I won a prize so I tried looking into other cooking contests, and there was one poke contest come up so I just entered. *laughs* There was no particular reason.

[Edward Sugimoto] And you had a story about wearing sweat pants and the security guard stopped you or something like that?

[Santa Miyoshi] Oh yeah yeah, because I just wear like T-shirt and start running around the display area and they told me not to, you know, stick around there because only for the chefs. Um, I have a badge saying I can enter. *laughs*

[Edward Sugimoto] On your menu, you have quite a few poke dishes (Ahi Poke, Spicy Ahi Poke, Ahi Tempura Poke, There’s a Spider in Da Poke, and Ahi Tar-tare Poke). Which is the most popular and which is your personal favorite?

[Santa Miyoshi] I think the Ahi Tar-tare Poke is the most popular one. And then Spider Poke is very popular too.

Ahi Tar-Tare Poke – 1997 Sam Choy’s Poke Contest Winner ($15)

There’s a Spider in Da Poke – 2000 Sam Choy’s Poke Contest Winner ($16)

Also on the menu: Ahi Tempura Poke – Tempura Fresh Ahi with Shrimp Tempura ($16)

[Edward Sugimoto] How about your personal favorite?

[Santa Miyoshi] My favorite is maybe Amaebi poke which we don’t serve here.

[Edward Sugimoto] You also have some that are not on the menu (Ericka’s Poke, New Age Amaebi Nigiri Poke, Lilipuna Poke, Redefined Lomi Salmon Poke, Poke-ing Emi, and Poke Pasta Italian). Which is your favorite from these and why don’t you include them in your menu? Can customers order (them)?

[Santa Miyoshi] Some of the stuff is very hard to prep and we don’t have it (the ingredients) all the time so it’s really hard to make all the time.

(Off the menu) Lilipuna Poke – named after the street that some of Santa’s regulars live on.

(Off the menu) Seafood Risotto – not necessarily listed as a “poke” dish, but I just had to mention it ’cause it’s literally to die for!

[Edward Sugimoto] Are you working on any new poke dishes?

[Santa Miyoshi] Not necessarily but any kind of new item I’m always thinking (of).

Santa served this (hamachi, truffle, & shiso roll) to us recently, jokingly referring to it as the Sugimoto Roll! Could it be??? Santa san, douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu! If not, maybe you can rename the Seafood Risotto to Sugimoto Risotto (or Risotto Sugimoto?)?

[Edward Sugimoto] And how about some of your favorite poke not from here?

[Santa Miyoshi] I like the one (jalapeño ahi) from Tamura’s. They make pretty good poke.

[Edward Sugimoto] Your new book Izakaya Hawai (Tokkuri-Tei Cooking), tell me a little bit about that.

[Santa Miyoshi] It’s just a history of this restaurant plus whatever I’ve been working on to make new dishes. It just consolidates all of the stuff we did (for) over 20 years.

Buy “Izakaya Hawaii – Tokkuri-Tei Cooking” from Amazon.com

[Edward Sugimoto] Do you have anything else to add to your loyal customers or future customers?

[Santa Miyoshi] Thank you for coming. *waves at camera and laughs*

Tokkuri Tei
611 Kapahulu Ave, Suite 102
Honolulu, HI 96815 (map)
(808) 739-2800
Mon-Fri 10:30am-2pm
Mon-Fri 5:30pm-12am

—

Alan Wong

Last but definitely not least, we feature the god of Hawaii chefs: Alan Wong. Alan graciously took some time out of his insanely busy schedule to sit down with me to talk about poke, his use of it in his restaurants, and the importance of buying local.

[Edward Sugimoto] As a local boy, what are your fondest memories of poke?

[Alan Wong] You know when you’re raised in Hawaii, you grow up with that. It’s at every potluck, it’s at every gathering. I mean, you know, when you think of the holidays, New Year’s, Christmas, Thanksgiving, you’re always going to have red sashimi. Think of all the tailgating and all the hibachis. When you go tailgating at the football games, what does everybody have in their cooler? Poke, great pupus. You just grow up with it.

[Edward Sugimoto] Why was it important for you “the Master of Hawaii Regional Cuisine” to add poke dishes to both of your Hawaii locations?

[Alan Wong] I think what’s important is for people to taste Hawaii when they come to the restaurant. We want people to taste Hawaii so how do you taste Hawaii? We feature things grown/raised here in Hawaii, we also feature dishes that local people like to eat, whether it’s an ingredient, or whether it’s a concept like Loco Moco. So how do you take the Loco Moco and put it into this kind of a setting? Poke is a natural because it’s a big part of our culture. And so, every household eats that, so how do you take the poke, just like the Loco Moco, and put it in the setting?

[Edward Sugimoto] What’s the story behind Poki-Pines and how did you come up with it?

[Alan Wong] You know, Poki-Pines is, first of all a play on words. You know the animal the porcupine. *smiles* And so, cooking ahi or frying the ahi is one way to eat poke. You know, especially after it’s marinated. You marinate the poke and sometimes when you add shoyu to the poke it gets kind of dark, it doesn’t look very attractive, but you know, you can still eat it. Then you fry it and it tastes good. So we just wanted to encase that in the won ton strips, and it came all like you know, all this, like a porcupine. So it’s a play on words, and when you think about the crispy texture that you have on the outside, with the cooked poke, and then you marry that with wasabi sauce but with avocados, you know, that makes a good marriage.

Ahi Poki-Pines – Crispy Won Ton Ahi Poke Balls On Avocado with Wasabi Sauce ($15)

[Edward Sugimoto] In your book New Wave Luau, you mention several different types of poke (Ahi Poke, Ahi Poke Gyozas with Soy-Vinegar Chile Dipping Sauce, Ahi Poke Nigiri, Nairagi and Kajiki Carpaccio with Swordfish Poke, Nori-wrapped Akule Stuffed with Poke, Seared Ahi Poke Cakes on Crostini, as well as the Poki-Pines). Are there any plans of making any of these available on your menu in the future?

Buy “Alan Wong’s New Wave Luau: Recipes from Honolulu’s Award-Winning Chef” from Amazon.com

[Alan Wong] They come in and out. We’ve served things in the book, in the various restaurants, but, you know, it’s like you gotta keep moving forward and try new things and different things and as you learn more, as you travel more as you taste more things, see more things, you’re cooking style evolves. So I think we will have more. Let’s say instead of poke dishes, more raw preparations yeah? It’s something that we love to do so we’ll always see those evolutions happening in our restaurants.

Chopped Ahi Sashimi and Avocado Salsa Stack – Stacked Crispy Won Ton, Spicy Aioli and Wasabi Soy ($19.50)

[Edward Sugimoto] So even you’re still evolving as a chef?

[Alan Wong] Oh, you know, the local people love to eat raw fish. We are an island state, we’re surrounded by the ocean so, we like to serve the fishes from our waters, we are a culture that eats a lot of raw fish, and so it’s only natural that if you want people to taste Hawaii, and taste the culture, that you serve a lot of these preparations, whether they’re in poke form, or tartare form, a carpaccio form, or a kind of seviche or sashimi form, it’s all kind of one big category.

Alan Wong (Photo Credit: Arthur Betts)

[Edward Sugimoto] Do you eat poke outside of the restaurant…

[Alan Wong] Of course. *smiles*

[Edward Sugimoto] … and if so, where do you like to go?

[Alan Wong] Well, you know, I don’t go out too often, but every once in a while, the poke at side street, my buddy Colin (Nishida), you know. I don’t go out too often.

[Edward Sugimoto] What’s in store for you personally, and what’s also in store for your restaurants?

[Alan Wong] Well, I think, you know, you put the economy aside, you still have to do your thing. I think I’m ready to cook up another concept or two, and I hope that we can grow as a company, I think we can grow as individuals within our company, so that I think, you know, we want to move forward, but sensibly in this time.

Alan Wong’s Restaurant Sign

[Edward Sugimoto] Do you have any words for your customers out there or future customers?

[Alan Wong] *laughs* Well, besides come taste Hawaii, um, this past Christmas I said, imagine if every dollar you spend buying Christmas presents for your friends and family, you bought everything that was made or raised in Hawaii, or produced in Hawaii. With the economy the way it is, what better way to fuel our own economy. So I think I speak on behalf of all the restaurants, all the mom and pop stores and restaurants that dot the community and become the community, we need to support our local restaurants. That’s what it is. It’s like the farmers. If we don’t buy local, we don’t support the local farmers, well, we’re not going to have farmers. Well you know, it’s the same with the restaurant industry. It’s time to come out and support your local restaurants, and *looks at camera* I hope to see you.

Alan Wong’s Honolulu
1857 S. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96826 (map)
Tel: (808) 949-1939
Reservations: (808) 949-2526
Hours: 5-10pm daily

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814 (map)
Tel: (808) 945-5529
Reservations: (808) 945-6573
Breakfast Hours: Sat: 8-11am, Sun: 9-11am
Lunch Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-4pm, Sun: 11am-3pm
Dinner Hours: Mon-Sat: 4-8:30pm

—

I’d like to send a big Mahalo to all of the folks who made this possible: Sam Choy and his Executive Assistant Sally Watanabe; Mel Tanioka, Justin Tanioka, Lynn Tanioka; Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi; and Alan Wong, his Project Coordinator Nicole Ng, his Restaurant Manager Kerry Ichimasa, and his entire kitchen staff!

Stay tuned for Part III, when we spend a day in the life of Seafood Hawaii, Inc.’s President Jed Inouye. From the fish market on the pier, to the kitchen, to the market at Sam’s Club, we get a history lesson from one of Hawaii’s experts. We’ll also pay a visit to some of the other supermarkets’ poke offerings from the likes of Safeway, Costco, Foodland, and more.

As always, if you know of anyone in the industry, send them my way and I’ll include them in this series. Shoots!

Tags: 21 Mart, ahi poke, Ahi Poke Gyozas with Soy-Vinegar Chile Dipping Sauce, Ahi Poke Nigiri, Ahi Tar-Tare Poke, Ahi Tempura Poke, alae poke, Alan Wong, Alan Wong's Restaurants, Aloha Shoyu, Big Island Brewery, Chopped Ahi Sashimi and Avocado Salsa Stack, Colin Nishida, dry aku, dry aku poke, Ericka's Poke, Family Bento with Fried Noodles, Fish Patties, Fresh Limu Factory, Fried Chicken, hawaii poke, Hawaiian Salt, Hideaki "Santa" Miyoshi, hideaki miyoshi, home made poke, inamona, Izakaya Hawaii - Tokkuri-Tei Cooking, jalapeño ahi poke, Jasmine Tanioka Lum, Jed Inouye, Justin Tanioka, Kerry Ichimasa, kole, Lilipuna Poke, Limu Kohu, limu poke, loco moco, Lynn Tanioka, Mel Tanioka, mochiko chicken, Nairagi and Kajiki Carpaccio with Swordfish Poke, New Age Amaebi Nigiri Poke, New Wave Luau, Nicole Ng, Nori-wrapped Akule Stuffed with Poke, oio, Onion with Limu Poke, opelu, poi, poke, poke in hawaii, Poke Paradise - Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii - Part II, Poke Pasta, Poke Pasta Italian, poke recipe, poke recipes, poke restaurants, Poke-ing Emi, Poki-Pines, raw fish, Redefined Lomi Salmon Poke, Sally Watanabe, Sam Choy, Sam Choy's Breakfast Lunch Crab, Sam Choy's Poke Contest, santa miyoshi, sashimi, Seafood Hawaii Inc, Seared Ahi Poke Cakes on Crostini, Shoyu Poke, Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Ahi Poke, Tamura's, Tanioka's, Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering, There's a Spider in Da Poke, tokkuri tei

Poke Paradise – Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii – Part I

I gotta admit… One of the perks of working on these “best of” pieces is the eating. I’m lucky enough to grind some of the most onolicious foods Hawaii’s got to offer and live to write about it. This month, I’m covering one of my all-time favorite snack/food/pupu/whatever-you-wanna-call-it: Poke! Aurite!

According to Wikipedia, poke (pronounced poh-kay) is “a raw fish salad served as an appetizer or main course in Hawaiian cuisine. Poke is Hawaiian for ’section’ or ‘to slice or cut’.”

The expert in local kine poke is local kine chef Sam Choy. In his new book, simply named “Poke” he shares some history: “In the old days, the whole slice would be eaten, skin, bones, and all. Inedible portions were picked or spat out. When the raw fish was ‘prepared,’ it meant the fish was mashed (lomi), or other ingredients were added to it, mostly salt and savories like ‘opihi, lobster, sea urchin roe, kukui nut relish, and different kinds of limu (seaweed) – manauea, lipe`epe`e, kohu, lipoa, etc.”

Buy This Book from Amazon.com

Growing up as a second generation Japanese-American, raw fish and seafood has always been a part of my life, so poke was a natural and, frankly, easy transition for my taste buds. In high school, I worked in the seafood department at my neighborhood market and became somewhat known for my poke concoctions. I remember customers asking if I made the poke that day, and, if I said, “No, I just came in,” they would frown and walk away. I took that as a great compliment.

My goal with this article is simple: Give props to the local establishments, big and small, who are doing poke right, right here in Hawaii. I’m proud to be from Hawaii, and feel that it’s almost my duty as a local boy to spread the word about those who are doing their part to perpetuate the rich culture that is poke.

Yama’s Fish Market
Yama’s is a small fish market I used to frequent during my old school UH days, back when they were near Poha Lane. Now, they’re right down the road on Young Street and is almost always a pumpin’!

Yama’s Fish Market Sign

Though their Hawaiian plate lunches are pretty mean, my main focus whenever I go to Yama’s is their Ahi Masago Poke. It’s to die for! Trust.

Ahi Masago Poke – just made for me! – $11.95/pound

Masago is already an escape from the norm of “standard” poke ingredients, but furikake on top of that? Combine that with green onions, sesame seeds (which may be part of the furikake), shoyu maybe?, and choke sesame seed oil, and you getcho self one winnah!

Yama’s Ahi Masago Poke up close

I’ve been trying to reach Yama’s Fish Market’s President Brian Yamamoto for a soundbite, but da buggah is hard to reach. If you’re out there Brian, holla, and I’ll add your quote here.

(UPDATE! Mr. Yamamoto emailed me, thanking me for the plug. Mahaloz!)

Until then, go give the Ahi Masago Poke from Yama’s a try, but be sure to save some for me kay?

Yama’s Fish Market
2332 Young Street
Honolulu, HI 96826 (map)
(808) 941-9994
Mon-Sat: 9am-7pm
Sun: 9am-5pm
(Holiday Hours)

Golden Mart
Not too many people know about this hidden gem in Mililani, but it’s quickly become one of my all-time favorite places to get my poke fix on (like Donkey Kong).

Outside Golden Mart in Mililani

Located in a small strip mall on the Mililani Golf Course side of Kamehameha Highway (across Mililani Shopping Center), Golden Mart sells what you’d traditionally find at a local mini mart like snacks, beer and cigarettes. How they separate themselves from the pack however, is their mouth-watering selection of hot foods, boiled peanuts, and poke.

Three popular pokes from Golden Mart: Creamy Wasabi Ahi, Spicy Tuna and the Golden Mart Special

Employee Cori, and owner Julie Miyatake, who doubles as a USPS employee, both agree that Fridays are the best days to come if you’re looking for poke as the entire display case is filled with the different varieties they carry. My personal favorites are the Creamy Wasabi Ahi Poke…

Creamy Wasabi Ahi Poke in the display case

Creamy Wasabi Ahi Poke up close – $10.99/pound

… and the Golden Mart Special.

Golden Mart Special with the special sauce on the side -$9.99/pound

Golden Mart Special with the special sauce inside

Although, I’m not a fan of wasabi (I don’t even use it on my sashimi/sushi), the Creamy Wasabi Ahi Poke brok’ da mout’! How they make it is still a mystery, but if I had to guess, I’d say the tobiko-like topping (they’re green!) is filled with (or marinated in?) wasabi flavoring, while the rest of the poke is mixed with mayo (and wasabi?) in a creamy ahi sorta way.

The Golden Mart Special’s lure is the Golden Mart special sauce, hands down. Filled with a concoction of liquids including shoyu, sesame seed oil and other mysterious ingredients that I’d pay to know , this sauce is what keeps ‘em comin’ back. You can’t even get the special sauce (other than paying for it separately) if you don’t order the Golden Mart Special!

For good measure (and since I’ve got the photo ), here’s also a shot of Golden Mart’s Spicy Tuna poke for kicks… another winnah!

Spicy Tuna Poke

Golden Mart
95-119 Kamehameha Highway
Mililani, HI, 96789 (map)
(808) 625-2442‎

While, we’re in the Mililani area, let’s visit the place that Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ Guy Fieri recently visited: Poke Stop.

Poke Stop
Chef Elmer Guzman, a graduate of the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts program, has trained under Alan Wong, worked as a sous chef under Emeril Lagasse, and was the Executive Chef at Sam Choy’s Diamond Head Restaurant before opening his two Poke Stop locations (one in Waipahu and one in Mililani Mauka).

In addition to serving up “gourmet food at plate lunch prices” (their catch phrase), Guzman and company offer a bevy of poke to live up to their namesake. Some of their “must tries” are the Sweet Onion Ahi poke, the Blackened Ahi poke, the Furikake Salmon poke, the Ginger Scallion Shrimp poke, “Da Works” Oio poke, and my personal favorite, the Spicy Creamy Ahi poke.

Spicy Creamy Ahi Poke – $10.95/pound

Poke Stop – Waipahu
94-050 Farrington Highway, E-4
Waipahu, HI, 96797 (map)
(808) 676-8100

Poke Stop – Mililani Mauka
95-1840 Meheula Parkway
Mililani, HI, 96789 (link on Google maps is inaccurate. Should be here.)
(808) 626-3400

And, to my neighbor island bruthas and sistahs, no worries. I gotcho back! Here’s a little Honolulu love to The Fish Express in Lihue, Kauai.

The Fish Express
Very conveniently located on Kuhio Highway in Lihue, Kauai…

Outside The Fish Express in Lihue, Kauai

… I like to pick up a quarter pound or so on my way to Hamura’s Saimin. The cold saltiness of the fish matches perfectly with the hot saltiness of the saimin.

(Previously Frozen) Ahi Limu Poke from The Fish Express – $6.99/pound

The Fish Express (Kauai)
3343 Kuhio Hwy. # 10
Lihue, HI 96766 (map)
(808) 245-9918
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm
Sun: 10am-4pm

Alas, I’ve been tasked to make my poke for a New Year’s family gathering, so here’s a lil’ step by step action that will 1) help you if/when you make your own batch and 2) help to refresh my memory! LOL! Enjoy!

Diced/Cubed Ahi blocks with Hawaiian salt and green onions added (props to Ryan Moriguchi for reeling in the fish!)

Inamona (kukui nut) added

Limu Kohu/Ogo (seaweed) added

Close up of each portion greeting each other

Everything mixed together with sesame seed oil and shoyu

Though, I’d love to continue, I don’t think my stomach can take any more of this torture (it’s lunch time as I write this )! Besides, I need to save some poke shots for parts 2 and 3 (and 4?)!

Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ve got in store: Tokkuri-tei, Tamashiro Market Inc., JJ’s Seafood, Pa`ina Café, Off the Wall, Safeway, Costco, and Sam’s Club. My “To Do” list includes: Ruger Market, Ono’s (Kapahulu), Fresh Catch, Masa & Joyce, Alicia’s Market, Tamura’s, and Tanioka’s.

If you have any hook-ups/connections to any of the places above, holla! I’d love to interview them! If you have any poke (dish) suggestions for the above as well, or new locations altogether, feel free to let me know in the comment area below!

Happy New Year y’all! Shoots!

Tags: "Da Works" Oio poke, ahi limu poke, Ahi Masago Poke, Alan Wong, Blackened Ahi poke, boiled peanuts, Brian Yamamoto, Creamy Wasabi Ahi poke, Diners Drive-ins and Dives, Elmer Guzman, Emeril Lagasse, Farrington Highway, furikake, Furikake Salmon poke, Ginger Scallion Shrimp poke, Golden Mart, Golden Mart Special poke, Golden Mart Special sauce, green onions, Guy Fieri, Hamura Saimin, hawaii poke, Hawaiian plate lunches, Hawaiian Salt, home made poke, inamona, Julie Miyatake, Kamehameha Highway, Kauai, kohu, Kuhio Highway, kukui nut, kukui nut relish, Lihue, limu, Limu Kohu, lipe`epe`e, lipoa, lobster, lomi, manauea, masago, Meheula Parkway, Mililani, Mililani Mauka, ogo, opihi, Poha Lane, poke, poke in hawaii, Poke Paradise - Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii - Part I, poke recipe, poke recipes, poke restaurants, Poke Stop, raw fish, Ryan Moriguchi, Sam Choy, Sam Choy's Diamond Head Restaurant, sashimi, sea urchin roe, seaweed, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds, shoyu, soy sauce, Spicy Creamy Ahi poke, Spicy Tuna poke, Sweet Onion Ahi poke, The Fish Express, Tobiko, Yama's Fish Market, Young Street

Ship’s Ahoy! – Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time – Part IV

We’re down to our final three days on this whirlwind vacay. One in Ketchikan, one in Victoria, and the final in downtown Seattle after de-boarding. Three left of our seven days on sea. Guess we should hurr’up and make the most of what’s left to see!

According to our daily program, “the city of Ketchikan stretches along the southwestern shore of Revillagigedo Island for several miles, facing Tongass Narrows. With 14,000 inhabitants, this fourth largest community in the 49th state is known as ‘Alaska’s First City,’ because it is the first town that travelers reach when ferrying north.”

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to experience anything other than the welcome sign…

Ketchikan Welcome Sign

’cause at 9AM sharp, we had to go a ziplinin’!

The land tour is via Bear Creek Zipline Adventures, lasts approximately 3 and a half hours, and was $176 per person ($125 for children).

Rather than listening to me babble on, let’s let my photos and the description in the Shore Excursions pamphlet narrate thangs for us:

Enter the fly zone! An eco-rainforest adventure for those seeking excitement and exhilaration! Featuring 7 zip lines, 10 lofty tree platforms, Alaska’s longest skybridge, 250 foot long mountain slide, and rappelling. The ultimate Alaska action experience.

Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary

Your adventure begins with a ride up the steep hillside in a custom all-terrain 4×4 Mercedes Unimog, to the outfitting chalet.

Custom all-terrain 4×4 Mercedes Unimog [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

After outfitting and orientation…

Chris, Kerri-Ann, Aunty Amy and Uncle Mike strappin’ up!

Ed’s Tip: If you’re a germaphobe like us, I would recommend bringing along a bandana so you have something you can put between your head and that sweaty, stinky helmet.

Leanne saying her prayers before flying through the air. [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

… it’s an uphill hike via an improved rainforest trail to a ground-based practice zip line, where your guides introduce you to zipping.

Aunty Amy, Kerri-Ann, Lee, Leanne and wifey waiting their turn for the practice zip line

Our guide briefing us

The group listens intently

Chris getting ready for his practice run, while Uncle Mike looks on

This is your introduction to 5,200 feet of dual cable ziplines…

Uncle Mike going through his first zip

Leanne, who is deathly afraid of heights, holds back the tears after her first zip, while Chris smiles on

… intersected with a 250 foot long suspension bridge…

The suspension bridge ahead

Aunty Amy and Uncle Mike take on the suspension bridge [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

Kerri-Ann looks over the edge [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

… providing an aerial view of Bear Creek and a forest waterfall.

Looking down into the river from the suspension bridge above

Wifey makes it across as Uncle Mike and Aunty Amy look on

Experience panoramic ocean, forest and mountain views from the tree platforms on this exciting and safe adventure at the lush Herring Cove rainforest reserve, an 8 mile coastal drive from Ketchikan.

Aunty Amy gets a zippin’

Kerri-Ann gives it a go

Ed’s Tip: By now, it becomes pretty obvious that getting that perfect shot is a challenging task. You are latched in at all times and must go in sequential order so capturing a certain angle or person will really depend on where you are in line and how much slack your line has (usually not much). You might want to ask your guides to take photos and videos of you (if they are willing) as they will have the better angles and expertise.

In addition to tall stands of spruce, hemlock and cedar, the ecosystem here supports an extensive wildlife population. Although sightings cannot be guaranteed, guests often see eagles and bears. You will then rappel to the ground from the last tree platform.

The view below

Leanne’s rappelling gear. Notice her vise grip?

Ain’t no thang.

Animation of the Brother In Law rappelling down

And then you get to the grand finale: The mountain slide!

Speeding down the mountain slide will be one of the highlights of your zipline adventure.

(While we’re animating the BIL, let’s keep it going with one of him going down the mountain slide!)

Wheeeeeeeeee!

Ed’s Tip: At the bottom, in order to slow you down, there is a carpet-like material on the ground. Don’t try to stop yourself with your feet, or let them get caught under you as you may do a forward flip. I won’t mention any names, but this may’ve happened to somebody in our group.

Just let the ground stop you gradually

And then, you reach the end. Time to celebrate!

Lee and I are stoked!

What tears? I don’t see any tears… [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

Board the Unimog for a forest hillside descent and transportation to the base camp…

The Unimog awaits us

… where you will be presented with a special award in recognition of your achievement. View your action photograph and shop in the General Store before departure for the dock.

Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary General Store

Ed’s Tip: If you can help it, try not to go too fast on the zips that have the cameras set up for them. The action photographs for some of us caught nothing but the air behind us. LOL! Perhaps they fined tuned their camera’s timing since then?

Before long, it was time to board our shuttle and head back to the boat where the mad rush and long lines awaited us.

Waiting in line to board our ship

Not too long after that, the gangway was raised and we were off to Victoria, British Columbia. Before we got there however, we had time to sit down at the 5:15pm early seating of what was called the Master Chef’s Dinner. Here’s a description:

Tonight, “dinner theater” takes on a while new meaning. Your dining room stewards sing, dance, and juggle tableside as they serve a very special meal created by Holland America Line’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin. For this one night only, there are only two dinner sittings. The fun begins at 5:15pm for early seating and at 7:45pm for main seating. Bring your cameras. It’s all capped off by a big finish and a dessert you won’t want to miss!

Dinner Theater was right. Here’s a clip of the entertaining intro:

Even grandma got into the act!

Grandma having fun at the Master Chef’s Dinner [Photo credit: Norman Kubota]

As usual, the eats was supah onoz!

Act 1 started with “The Ballet Service”, a mushroom mousse.

Chef’s Amuse Surprise – Mushroom mousse with asparagus in bouche

“The Swing Service” in Act 2 was referred to as the Show Salad Spectacular.

Show Salad Spectacular – Assorted baby greens, pepper rings, mushroom, scallions, and cherry tomatoes with a honey mustard dressing

We then we moved on to the starters…

Dialogue of Alaskan Salmon Tartare with Avocado – Cold-smoked, pickled and chipotle-hot-smoked salmon with lime-avocado-tomato salsa

Golden Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough – Served with a cinnamon-spiced apple cranberry compote [Photo credit: Andi Kubota]

Lobster Bisque – Sensuously smooth classical shellfish soup enhanced with aged French cognac and whipped cream [Photo credit: Andi Kubota]

Oxtail En Croute – Flavorful classical soup slow-simmered and served in a crisp pastry crust

And then it was off to the entrees…

Sauteed Shrimps “Provencales” – Scented with Mediterranean herbs, tomato concassee, florets of crisp, tender broccoli and sticky rice [Photo credit: Andi Kubota]

Duck Breast a l’Orange – The old-time favorite, oven roasted until crisp and served with a Grand Marriner sauce, braised red cabbage, pea pods, carrots julienne and William potato [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

They closed the show for us with a Baked Alaska in Act 3, “The Final Service”

Baked Alaska – A not-so-traditional Baked Alaska with a warm brandy bing cherry sauce

In my feeble attempt to train for the Tinman, I took a leisure jog around the ship’s Promenade following dinner. As the sun set, I felt like I had to run back up to the room to grab my camera to snap the beauty before me. Good thing I did!

Sunset views aboard the ms Westerdam

What an awesome way to close out the night leading into the final full day aboard the ship.

The next morning, we celebrated the 4th of July with the “Happy Birthday America” BBQ. Before that though, we participated in the Basketball Free Throw contest on the 11th floor Sports Deck, hosted by DJ Jazzy.

DJ Jazzy briefing the contestants

Lee taking his shot [Photo credit: Leanne Nakamura]

Leanne getting pointers from DJ Jazzy

Wifey smiling at her shot

Dad shoots [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

Yours truly

Then it was off to the “Happy Birthday America” BBQ at midship on Lido Deck 9.

4th of July desserts and decorations [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

The chefs manning the BBQ

Games for the keiki

Celebrate America’s birthday with live music, pool games, kid’s carnival and a traditional American BBQ. The Beverage Staff has prepared unlimited Stars & Stripes Drink Specials for $14.95 and unlimited tap beer for only $20 – both served in a souvenir glass.

D’oh! Had I known about the unlimited tap beer, we would’ve stayed. Instead, we headed to the Vista Dining Room for a light lunch. Sorry, I didn’t take a picture of the menu this time so I don’t quite know/remember what these dishes were called. )

Eggroll appetizer

Fruit medley appetizer

Chicken pasta dish

Fish and shrimp dish

After lunch, we took a break and just relaxed, until it was time to eat again for dinner. Where did we head? You got it: the Vista Dining Room. And look who we were randomly placed next to!

Dad and Mom

Here are more blah captioned food shots for your viewing pleasure. Sorry!

Chicken Satay

French Onion Soup “Les Halles” – A Parisian classic of golden simmered onions topped with melted Gruyere cheese

Scallops and Rice

Chocolate dessert

As scheduled, we docked in Victoria, Canada shortly after at 6pm. Our scheduled land tour was “Enchanted Butchart Gardens (Evening Calls)” which was $69 for adults and $39 for children. Here’s a description:

As darkness falls, an extraordinary world comes to light at the Butchart Gardens near Victoria. Colored lights provide an interplay of light and shadow, transforming the famous Gardens into a fairyland scented with summer blooms. One of the largest underground wiring installations in North America helps this vibrant wonderland of flowers, rare trees and winding paths to take on an enchanted aspect. The magnificent Ross Fountain, the centerpiece of these lush gardens, dances with creative lighting effects. Enjoy the cascading fountains, footbridges, music and outdoor entertainment while you learn how a barren rock quarry metamorphosed into a world renowned horticulture attraction. On select dates in July and August on Saturday evenings you may be treated to the Butchart Gardens fireworks display, choreographed to music. During early May and September, daylight is limited and this tour is operated predominately in low light with subtlety illuminated gardens. Please note: This tour operates during evening calls in Victoria.

The Butchart Gardens sign

For those like me, with a short attention span when it comes to flowers, here are the highlights.

The Sunken Gardens
The Limestone deposit was exhausted in 1908 and the quarry abandoned. Mrs. Butchart conceived the idea of transforming the barren pit into a garden and thus the Sunken Garden came into being. In 1910 she planted Lombardy poplar trees in an attempt to block the view of the cement factory. By 1912 the development of the garden was underway and it was completed in 1921.

Overlooking the Sunken Garden at Butchart Gardens [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

Ross Fountain Lookout
This smaller quarry was a source of limestone in the 1860s. It was here that Ian Ross, grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Butchart, devised his spectacular fountain with the assistance of his plumber, Adrian Butler and his electrician, Vic Dawson. The Ross Fountain commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the Butchart Gardens when it was installed in 1964.

Ross Fountain Lookout at Butchart Gardens

The Rose Garden
The Rose Garden is home to 2500 roses in 250 varieties and is the only part of the garden in which the plants are labeled.

The Rose Garden at Butchart Gardens

Wifey having fun at the Rose Garden

The Japanese Garden
Reflecting their world travels, the Butcharts created this Japanese Garden in 1908.

Japanese style arch/gate at the entrance of the Japanese Gardens

They also had a Japanese style bridge, rock steps, and much more!

And then it was off to the northwest portion of the gardens where the fireworks were ready to go off.

Fireworks at Butchart Gardens

Fireworks at Butchart Gardens [Photo credit: Lee Kojima]

Fireworks at Butchart Gardens [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

Immediately following the end of the fireworks show, we had to rush back to our bus to get back to our boat. There was major traffic pulling out of there, but we weren’t too concerned as we booked this tour through our ship (see below).

Ed’s Tips: If you are on the same schedule as us, there will be no time to stop anywhere else. Have your camera ready to capture the Victorian sights along the way from aboard your shuttle. Also, when you get to Butchart Gardens, sunlight will be minimal as daylight falls, so be prepared to set your camera settings to long exposures for the best shots. If you can help it, try to aim for one of the dates in July or August, as mentioned above, to catch the fireworks display. Let’s face it. As a guy, I’m not a huge fan of flowers and shrubbery, so the fireworks really made it worth my while. Also, book this, and probably all of your land tours through your cruise as opposed to direct. Reason being, sometimes, they will run the duration of your entire stay in that particular city. If it was booked through the cruise, then they are aware of your whereabouts and will not set sail without you. In the case that the ship must leave, they will arrange alternate transportation to the next stop for you on their dime, not yours.

At about midnight, we finally set sail for our final destination. One final night on the boat and we were to hit land – in the form of Seattle Washington.

At 7am, we arrived in Seattle and caught a shuttle to our hotel, the SpringHill Suites in Downtown Seattle. Unlike our stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites SeaTac on our first night, this hotel was a little more convenient as it was a brisk walk away from Pacific Place (aout 7 blocks), Westlake Center (about 8-9 blocks), and Pike Place Market (about 12 blocks).

Naturally, our first stop was the touristy Pike’s.

Famous Pike Place Market sign

I won’t get into too many scenic shots here as my photo count for this article is already at a whoppin’ 68 (good lord!), but here are some nice family shots from mama’s camera.

Dad and Grandma at Pike’s [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

Uncle Norman and Aunty Andi at Pike’s [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

Kerri-Ann, Uncle Mike, Aunty Amy and Chris at Pike’s [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

Paparazzi shot of Uncle Norman, Evan, Aunty Andi and Travis [Photo credit: Mom Kojima]

We mostly went for our Pike’s favorites/usuals like Piroshky, Piroshky, Starbuck’s (the first location), Beecher’s, etc. For more Seattle info and photos, check out Part I and Part II of my “See and Eat Seattle” series from a couple years ago.

After playing tourist, we headed back to our hotel to rest and freshen up before dinner. I suggested one of my favorites in downtown Seattle: Umi Sake House. We went to town there, grinding such items as the Dynamite Bake, Mochi Sato Age, Seafood Gyoza, Yakisoba Seafood, First Ave Roll and Hottie Roll.

Dynamite Bake – assorted clams & shrimp baked in spicy crab mix – $10

Mochi Sato Age – fried taro potato & mochi in tempura sauce – $7

Seafood Gyoza – homemade shrimp & scallop dumplings served with chili soy – $9

Seafood Yakisoba – seafood stir friend with egg noodles & vegetables – $15

First Ave Roll – shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, tobiko topped with spicy tuna & spicy mayonnaise – $12

Hottie Roll – spicy scallops, tobiko, cucumber, weapped with salmon – $12

And let’s not forget to wash it all down with one of the best beers on earth.

Umai!

After posing for a photo opp outside of Umi’s…

Us outside of Umi’s

… it was off to Ohana’s across the street. That’s a given.

Inside Ohana’s

One too many

After filling up with liquid courage, the BIL and I dragged the lady friends through a “scary” alley – just because – to see if anyone wanted to mess. Nobody did.

BIL’s ready to throw down

Then it was off to meet some of Leanne’s friends at Belltown Billiards.

Shooting pool at Belltown Billiards

As we were walking out of Belltown Billiards, the doorman hooked us up with Voss bottled water. Either he liked us or knew that we needed it. Whatever the case, much love BB door man guy! It hit the spot.

Voss Water

A wonderful close to our wonderful Alaskan vacay.

Mahaloz for sticking through it and reading all 4 parts. If you have any questions or comments about any part of the entire cruise experience, feel free to post them below. Shoots!

Tags: Adrian Butler, Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary, Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary General Store, Asahi beer, Baked Alaska, Basketball Free Throw contest, Bear Creek, Bear Creek Zipline Adventures, Beecher's, Belltown Billiards, british columbia, Butchard Gardens, canada, Chef Rudi Sodamin, Chef's Amuse Surprise, Chicken pasta dish, Chicken Satay, Chocolate dessert, Dialogue of Alaskan Salmon Tartare with Avocado, DJ Jazzy, Duck Breast a l'Orange, Dynamite Bake, Eggroll appetizer, Enchanted Butchart Gardens (Evening Calls), Fireworks at Butchart Gardens, First Ave Roll, Fish and shrimp dish, French Onion Soup "Les Halles", Fruit medley appetizer, Golden Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough, Happy Birthday America BBQ, Herring Cove, Holland America, Hottie Roll, Ian Ross, japanese garden, Ketchikan, Ketchikan Sign, Lobster Bisque, Master Chef's Dinner, Mercedes Unimog, Mochi Sato Age, mountain slide, ms westerdam, Mushroom mousse, Ohana's, Oxtail En Croute, Pacific Place, Pike Place Market, piroshky piroshky, Promenade, rappelling, Revillagigedo Island, Rose Garden, Ross Fountain Lookout, Sauteed Shrimps "Provencales", Scallops and Rice, Seafood Gyoza, Seafood Yakisoba, Seattle, Seattle Washington, Ship's Ahoy! - Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time - Part IV, Show Salad Spectacular, SpringHill Suites Downtown Seattle, Starbuck's, Sunken Gardens, Tongass Narrows, Umi Sake House, Vic Dawson, Victoria, Vista Dining Room, Voss bottled water, Westlake Center, zip-lining

A Weekend In Lana`i

Close your eyes with me for a second.

Now imagine a stunning paradise, filled with breathtaking magnificence and splendor. Can you see it? Can you feel it? It’s right there isn’t it?

Now open your eyes.

Chances are, the place you just dreamt about looked strikingly similar to the picturesque island we’re about to visit…

As the 1 year wedding anniversary for wifey and I approached, I thought it’d be a fun little surprise to whisk her away to somewhere unique and different for the weekend. A place that neither her or I have ever been before. After putting up with me for 365 days after all, she pretty much earned it right?

So for a short weekend, we decided to close our eyes and get swept away to the island now known as the “Private Isle”, formerly the “Pineapple Isle” (“Pineapple Isle” because it used to be a place where a quarter of the world’s pineapples were produced and “Private Isle” because 98% of it is privately owned by David Murdock via Castle & Cooke). Here are some tips on how to best enjoy your “Lanaian” adventure. Hope it helps!

You’ve pretty much got two choices in terms of booking a flight to Lana`i: Island Air (who also provides flights to Hawaiian Air) and go! Airlines. Mokulele Airlines (who has recently partnered with go!) also has flights via their charter service, but booking a flight directly via their web site, at the time of this writing, was not working.

According to their route map, for flights to Lana`i, go! flies out of both Honolulu and Kahului via their go! Express service, while Island Air (and Hawaiian Air) only has flights out of Honolulu. On this occasion, booking through Island Air directly gave me the cheapest fares.

Boarding our Lana`i bound plane at sunset via Island Air

Ed’s Tip: If you’re weary of planes, it may be a rough take-off for you. Since it is a smaller, propeller powered flight, you will hear and feel everything during lift off. Once airborne though, everything is smoove.

Upon landing in Lana`i City, you will deplane, walk into the terminal and turn right towards the shuttle service check-in counter.

Shuttle service check-in counter

As long as you’ve made your reservation through one of the resorts (or Hotel Lana`i), the shuttles will be ready for your arrival. At about $20 per person for unlimited rides, it is totally worth the investment. Trust!

Ed’s Tip: Unless you are planning on going gallivanting around the entire island (which is mostly via off-road jeeping), there really is no need to rent a car. The shuttle stops at the three major destinations of the island: the Lodge at Koele at the top of every hour, in Lana`i City (Hotel Lana`i) at the :15 minute mark (Manele bound) and :45 minute mark (Koele bound) of every hour, and at Manele Bay at the :30 minute mark of every hour.

Lana`i shuttle arriving at the Lodge at Koele

Arriving at the hotel, you are immediately pampered and made to feel like royalty. You are greeted with a kukui nut lei, and, instead of standing and waiting in a long line to check in, you are asked to take a seat, while offered a hot towel to freshen up. Did I mention that they bring you a sweet pineapple beverage to quench your thirst too? Geez, a fella can get used to this!

We chose to stay at the Four Seasons Resort, Lana`i, The Lodge at Koele, a great alternative to the other two Lana`i options: Four Seasons Resort Lana`i at Manele Bay, and Hotel Lana`i.

I can’t really speak on Hotel Lana`i because I’ve never stayed there, but I would highly recommend staying at the Lodge at Koele. And though absolutely beautiful, the Manele Bay resort is the most expensive of the three and is almost like any other beach resort you’ve been to, especially if you’re from Hawaii. Hotel Lana`i is the cheapest and most central (right in the heart of Lana`i City), but you will not get the luxury of the Four Seasons.

The Lodge at Koele was a dream. You are in Hawaii, but it is almost like you are not in Hawaii. Like you’ve been swept away to a high-class countryside villa in the middle of the forest, complete with tall pines, its own pond, and elegant art strewn all about. And because of all of the greenery (and because of the higher elevation), it is much cooler – cold even – than its Manele counterpart (which sits right on the ocean front).

Four Seasons Resort Lana`i, The Lodge At Koele
One Keomoku Hwy
Lana`i City, HI 96763 (map)
(808) 565-4000
Twitter: @FSLanai

Ed’s Tips: As expected at such a luxurious resort, rates are not cheap. Be sure to ask for the kama`aina rate (if you’re local) and/or special golf packages (if you’re a golfer). If you’re on Twitter, be sure to drop them a line. They are very active on there and seem to appreciate anything and everything Lana`i. Tell ‘em @worldwideed sent ya and… ya never know! They’re doing Twitter right fo sho.

One of the recommendations given to us was to try the food at Lana`i City Grille at Hotel Lana`i, so shortly after checking in and freshening up, we caught the shuttle (at the top of the hour) over to Hotel Lana`i for dinner.

Lana`i City Grille sign at Hotel Lana`i

Wifey and I shared the Crab Cakes and Soup of the Day (a spicy lobster bisque) to start.

Crab Cakes – Tomato Corn Salsa and Tobiko Remoulade – $14

Soup of the Day – Spicy lobster bisque – $9

Then, she moved on to the Pecan Crusted Catch of the Day (Mahi) while I took on the Grilled Filet of Angus Beef.

Pecan Crusted Mahi – Chipotle Honey Butter, Chorizo Potato Puree and Seasonal Vegetables – $34

Grilled Filet of Angus Beef – Aged Cheddar Potato Cake, Roasted Root Vegetables and a Classic Bearnaise – $39

Ed’s Tips: Make a reservation as it fills up fast here. Especially on Friday nights when local band Alapa Drive jams for the locals and tourists alike. Also, portions are pretty big here. Bring your appetite!

Lana`i City Grille
828 Lanai Avenue
Lana`i City, Lana`i, HI 96763 (map)
(808) 565-7211
Wed-Sun: 5pm-9pm

One thing we noticed early on about Lana`i is the people. They’re extremely friendly and filled with Aloha. And I’m not talking about those in the industry, catering to us tourists. They’re almost required to be nice to us. I’m talking about the local locals. Walking around, we were regularly greeted with smiles, several “Howzits!” and an occasional “Aloha!” I was really impressed and happy to see that the Aloha Spirit is alive and well here!

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of crime here either. Enjoying our meal, we missed the shuttle headed to Koele. No problem, we’ll just walk it back. Other than a crazy cat that leaped out of the woodworks, we felt completely safe in the darkness (street lights are few and far between). Safety? The result of a laid back lifestyle I guess.

Ed’s Tip: The walk between Lana`i City and the Lodge at Koele follows a single road (Lana`i Ave) for about a mile and takes approximately 20-25 minutes. Not too bad. If you don’t want to wait for the shuttle to come back around. It’s also a good way to walk off your meal if you find yourself overeating.

The next morning, we hit up the town square that surrounds Dole Park, also referred to as “the city”. It’s a cute, quaint little town that is actually listed on the National Trust’s list of most “endangered historic places”.

One place that we were regularly told we HAD to check out was a place called Blue Ginger Cafe, right in the heart of Lana`i City.

Blue Ginger Cafe, Lana`i

Not only did they seem to have the longest hours of any merchant in the square (6AM-8PM on most days), they also had a full fledged bakery selection and a flat screen HDTV to boot. Let’s just hope that they have Oceanic Time Warner Cable service for this free plug.

Their menu ranged from breakfast items (including Omelettes, Pancakes, French Toast, etc.), plate lunch kine stuffs (Hamburger Steak, Loco Moco, Chicken Katsu, etc.), burgers, sandwiches, saimin, fried rice, “healthy choices”, their bakery options, and more!

Since it was breakfast time, I had to go with my all-time favorite breakfast meal: Corned Beef Hash and Eggs! Awwww yeaaaahhh!

Regular Breakfast – 2 Eggs, Choice of Meat (Portuguese Sausage, Patty Sausage, Corned Beef Hash, Spam, Bacon, Ham), served with Rice, Fried Rice, Hash Brown or Toast – $7.50

Wifey enjoyed their blueberry turnover with a coffee. Perhaps she enjoyed it a little too much because she ordered 2 more to go! Nah, they were actually super onos!

Blueberry Turnover – $2

Blue Ginger Cafe provided a great escape from the touristy resort life, and brought us back to grass root, mom and pop-type living/eating. Highly recommended!

Blue Ginger Cafe
409 7th Street
Lana`i City, Lana`i, HI 96763 (map)
(808) 565-6363
Mon, Thu, Fri: 6am-8pm
Tue, Wed: 6am-2pm
Sat, Sun: 6:30am-8pm

Following breakfast, we made a quick stop back at our room to freshen up before heading to Lana`i’s other Four Seasons property: Lana`i at Manele Bay.

Looking out into Hulopo`e Bay from the Manele Bay resort lobby area

Looking into the Manele Bay resort lobby area

The pool area at the Manele Bay resort

As you can see in the photos, The Lana`i at Manele Bay resort is a very ritzy, beach-type resort. The kind you see in magazines and those “Win a Trip to Hawaii” contest fliers. If this is more your style, then I would say go getum and book away!

Four Seasons Resort Lana`i at Manele Bay
One Manele Bay Road
Lana`i City, HI 96763 (map)
(808) 565-2000
Twitter: @FSLanai

As for us, we were just passing on through, on the way to the beach that sits behind the resort: Hulopo`e Bay.

Overlooking Hulopo`e Bay

At the bottom of the trail, you’ll meet up with one of the friendly employees who will hook you up with towels, an umbrella and beach chairs (and covers) to help you lounge and relax on the amazing oceanfront. And, oh yes, more refreshments!

The life

Ed’s Tip: Both resorts’ systems are connected, so I am told that as long as you are staying at one, you can charge things at the other no problem. That means that you don’t have to worry about carrying around your wallet/money. Just charge um to the room!

The beach is absolutely gahgeous. Everything you’d wish for in a dream beach: white sand, clear, blue water, and barren! Aside from the dozen or so other beach-goers at the time, we pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves.

Hulopo`e Bay, Lana`i

Ed’s Tips: Keep to the left side of the bay (if you’re facing the ocean), as there are rocks and reef on the right side. Pack your goggles. The water is so clear that you’ll be able to see all the way to the bottom of the ocean. You might even catch tiny fish swimming around your legs like us.

Once you’ve had your fill of Hulopo`e Bay Beach, head southeast along the beach (left if you’re facing the ocean) until you get to a little trail that leads to one of two of the trail’s highlights: The Hulopo`e Bay Tide Pools.

Hulopo`e Bay Tide Pools

Hulopo`e Bay Tide Pools

Hulopo`e Bay Tide Pools

While on the beach, I shoved my T-shirt in wifey’s bag in a feeble attempt to get a tan. During the hike, I decided to put my shirt back on so I reached in wifey’s bag to pull it out. To our surprise, a friendly little scorpion decided that he wanted to come along on the hike with us. Yeah a scorpion! WTH!? OK, so it probably wasn’t very friendly, but it was little. In my haste, I shook off my shirt and sent the scorpion flying into one of the tide pools. Sorry little guy!

My buddy, the little scorpion, floating around in one of the Hulopo`e Bay’s Tide Pools

Ed’s Tip: Not sure how common these are in the area, but beware of the possibility of mini scorpions. Shake off your bags and clothing just in case.

Continuing along the trail, we got to the other highlight. The crown jewel of the area. None other than Pu`u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock).

Pu`u Pehe Rock

My first thought when experiencing this remarkable work of Mother Nature was “Wow!” with the first word seeping outta my mouth being “Ho!” And it’s even more amazing as you get closer.

Pu`u Pehe from the cliff’s edge

The rock even has an amazing story to go along with it: It is believed that Pu`u Pehe was named after a beautiful young princess from Maui by the same name. She moved to Lana`i after falling in love with a young warrior from the island. Afraid to let others see her beautiful princess, the warrior hid her in a sea cave near the rock. One day, while away gathering supplies, terrible weather hit the area. Before he could return in time, the strong, storm waves had already drowned his princess in the cave. Distraught, he asked for help from the gods, who helped him climb up to the top of the steep rock where he eventually buried his beloved princess before jumping to his death.

Talk about romantic yeah?

Either way, it’s truly a majestic sight and is a definite must-see while on Lana`i.

Pu`u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock)

Pu`u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock)

Pu`u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock)

Oops, the bottom of the hour is coming up. We better hurry back to the shuttle stop before it takes off without us!

A quick shuttle ride back to our hotel and a power nap later, and *poof* it was time for din-din. We weren’t all that hungry so we opted to stay in and try the resort’s Terrace Restaurant on for size. Located right across the lobby, next to the Great Hall (that included live lounge music by a local pianist), it was a relaxing meal after a long day.

Wifey enjoyed the House Made Lobster Ravioli, while I opted for the “Design Your Entree” option with my Tiger Prawns and Hamakua Mushrooms combo.

House Made Lobster Ravioli – Cabernet Butter Sauce Over Wilted Swiss Chard – $30.

“Design Your Entrée”: Grilled Tiger Prawns with Mango Relish and Sauteed Hamakua Mushrooms (Garlic Butter) – $33

And then it was on to dessert with the waitress-recommended Baked Chocolate Tart.

Baked Chocolate Tart – Kona Coffee Ice Cream – $9

Terrace Restaurant
Four Seasons Resort, Lanai, The Lodge at Koele
One Keomoku Hwy
Lana`i City, HI 96763 (map)
(808) 565-4000

With our bellies satisfied, it was time to head back to our room to hit the hay in preparation for our last full day on this beautiful island. Aww, too soon!

Ed’s Tip: If you’re a movie buff, your room comes equipped with a DVD player. You can rent from a limited selection of DVDs from the front desk for free.

The next morning marked the actual anniversary date for wifey and I and was cause for celebration. We decided to step out onto our patio area with the blueberry turnovers from Blue Ginger Cafe, hot coffee and tea from downstairs, and a little bubbly in the form of a Piper-Hiedsieck bottle of Brut Champagne, compliments of the wonderful staff at the Four Seasons Resort’s Lodge at Koele. Much love guys!

Piper-Hiedsieck Brut Champagne, compliments of the Four Seasons Resort’s Lodge at Koele.

Ed’s Tip: Coffee and Tea are served in the lobby area from 5:30AM-8AM every morning. We were also told that pastries would be there too, but perhaps you need to go early for those?

After sharing our memories of the last year together, it was time to make the best of our last day on the island. We started by exploring the vast grounds of our own resort, the Lodge at Koele.

Sign for the Four Seasons Resort Lana`i, The Lodge at Koele

Looking out towards Keomoku Highway

Looking towards the Lodge at Koele’s main building

Enter the main building and you’ll be amazed by the Great Hall. Here’s a panoramic view.

Panoramic of the Great Hall

Exit through the back of the main building and you’ll run into a curious statue, one of the many art pieces around the property.

Statue at the Lodge at Koele

Walking forward for a bit, we hit the Pineapple Fountain, a popular spot for weddings.

Pineapple Fountain

To the left is the property’s pool and hot tub area and to the right is the Reflecting Pond. Filled with Koi, this is one of the property’s main focal points.

The Reflecting Pond

Probably a good a time as any to play tourist. We obliged.

Using the Reflecting Pond as our backdrop

Close by, there is a greenhouse called the Orchid House and Gardens. Here’s a description from the web: The greenhouse at Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, The Lodge at Koele is filled with the sweet scents and vibrant colours of orchids, hanging ferns, potted palms and tropical flowers. On the walk up to the greenhouse you will enjoy a breathtaking view of the mountains and the lake. Admission is free.

Orchid House and Gardens

To the right, is a cool, temple-like structure with an Asian influence. Check it!

Asian influenced, temple-like structure

Depending on the season (I’m guessing), you may notice turkeys scurrying around the resort grounds. They’re not very friendly, but cute nonetheless.

Turkeys on the Lodge at Koele grounds

Continuing right, you’ll find one of the coolest, golf-related things I’ve ever seen: a full, 18-hole miniature golf putting course, complete with water hazards, sand traps and all! Just ask the front desk to rent a putter and ball. It’s free.

18 hole miniature golf putting course

Ed’s Tip: Unless you’ve got mad, Tiger Woods type skillz like me , you may want to either putt and run, or have your friend/mate/partner go up ahead and “protect” your ball. Some greens are really fast, with impossible turns, that your ball will inevitably be drawn to go for a swim in the shimmering water.

Our last day in Lanai was coming to a close, but we were starving. One last stop at Lanai City to grab lunch should do the trick. We hit up Blue Ginger Cafe’s neighbor Canoes Lana`i (formerly Tanigawa Restaurant, est. 1953).

Canoe’s Lanai Restaurant

The sign out front said, “Home of the Famous Tanigawa Burger” so you betchyo bottom that’s what I hadta have. (And yes… for you eagle eyes out there who noticed the “Closed” sign above: this photo was taken the day before. Sheez, let a brutha slide once in a while won’tcha? )

Tanigawa Burger – Mrs. Tanigawa’s original recipe. A Lana`i tradition since 1953 – $2.30 each with an order of curly fries – $2.09

Ed’s Tip: The Tanigawa Burger runs on the small side, so I would advise you to order two if you’re hungry. At least that’s what the waitress told me all the local boys do.

Wifey was craving fried rice at Blue Ginger the other morning, but they were all out. The urge must’ve still been ever-present cause she fried riced it up here for lunch.

Fried Rice and Egg – $5.69

Canoes Lana`i Restaurant
419 7th Street
Lanai City, Lanai, HI 96763 (map)
(808) 565-6537
Open daily: 6:30am-1PM

Before we knew it, it was time to wake up from this dream and head to the airport for our flight back home to reality.

View from Lana`i Airport at dusk

But then again, our eyes were open the whole time…

Tags: "Design Your Entree", 18-hole miniature golf putting course, A Weekend In Lana`i, Alapa Drive, Baked Chocolate Tart, Blue Ginger Cafe, blueberry turnover, Canoes Lanai restaurant, Castle & Cooke, Corned Beef Hash and Eggs, Crab Cakes, David Murdock, Dole Park, four seasons, Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay, Four Seasons Resort Lanai The Lodge at Koele, Fried Rice and Egg, go! Airlines, golf packages, Great Hall, Grilled Filet of Angus Beef, Hamakua Mushrooms, Hawaiian Air, honolulu, Hotel Lana`i, hotels in lanai, House Made Lobster Ravioli, Hulopoe Bay, Hulopoe Bay Tide Pools, Island Air, Kahului, kamaaina rate, Keomoku Highway, lanai, Lanai Airport, lanai city, Lanai City Grille, lanai hotels, lanai restaurants, Lodge at Koele, Manele Bay, Mokulele Airlines, Orchid House and Gardens, Pecan Crusted Mahi, Pineapple Fountain, Pineapple Isle, Piper-Hiedsieck Brut Champagne, private isle, Puu Pehe, Reflecting Pond, restaurants in lanai, scorpion, shuttle, spicy lobster bisque, Sweetheart Rock, Tanigawa Burger, Tanigawa Restaurant, Terrace Restaurant, Tiger Prawns, turkeys

Koko Head Crater Trail Hike – Nature’s Stairmaster

A sudden increase in the amount of Koko Head trail “tweets” and “status updates” lately prompted me to rearrange the sched – just a tad – and dig up some old images to pen this article. Who knows? After I’m pau, maybe I can jump on the ol’ bandwagon and send out a sweet tweet myself.

Back in April, Mark and Noele (friends of wifey and I), wanted to do something outdoorsy. An easy hike perhaps. Growing up in Hawaii Kai, I suggested the Koko Head Crater trail hike (pu’u ma’i), figuring stairs and a straight path shouldn’t be too bad for the three out-of-towners. Right?

At first glance, the beginning of the trail is a bit tricky to find. You have to make your way through a hidden, mini trail behind the left field fence of the Mustang/Pony league baseball field.

Path to the trail head starts behind the baseball fields

Walking up towards the Koko Head Crater trail head

That eventually leads to a paved road, which is the end of Koko Head Park Road, I believe.

Noele and Mark, the happy couple, on the way to the Koko Head Crater trailhead

Follow that, and you’ll get to the grassy portion that leads to the trailhead…

Still with lots of energy

… which leads to the beginning of the infamous Koko Head “steps”…

They have no idea what’s ahead of them *grin*

Posers

Do you think they got their tickets for the gun show?

Believe me, this energy will not last. There are approximately 1,100 “steps” on the trail so before long, the four of us will be sporting very different looks on our faces…

The “steps” are actually part of an abandoned railroad track that was once used by the military to transport supplies to a lookout shelter at the top.

“Steps” on Koko Head Trail hike

Continuing a bit more, the energy will drain, but you’ll start to get a good view of your surroundings…

Noele drained, Mark still ok, and wifey somewhere in between.

Looking southeast, the shooting range that caused the controversial closing of this trail comes into sight.

Koko Head Shooting Complex

To the Northwest, you’ll see the beauty that is Hawaii Kai.

View of Hawaii Kai

Continuing on, yet more energy is expended, but you’ll find solace in knowing that you’re about halfway there.

Noele resting, Mark losing it, and a peace sign from yours truly

The view looking back

How do we know we’re about halfway? The dreaded bridge. Dun-dun DUN!

Bridge-like portion of the Koko Head Trail Hike

Yup yup, that’s no illusion. The bottom drops out from under the “steps” and forms a bridge-like path in the middle of the trail.

Some sure-footed hikers choose to walk over it, while others (of the fraidy cat kind) opt to crawl.

Me making fun of wifey

Noele taking the safer route next to Mark

Ed’s Tip: For those who’d like to avoid the bridge altogether, there is actually a makeshift path that goes around the bridge to the right (left on the way down).

Once you conquer the bridge (dun-dun DUN!), it’s much of the same, but steeper.

View from about 3/4 of the way up…

When you’re up this high, your views to the left and right change quite a bit.

The Koko Head Shooting complex is now just a mere speck.

Your view of Hawaii Kai is partially obstructed by shrubbery.

One final look behind…

Looking down at about the 85% mark on Koko Head trail

… and ahead…

I see the light!

… tell us that we’re almost there!

Time to make one final push to the summit! You can dooooo eeeet!

The gang gets reenergized after catching a glimpse of the summit.

Alas, the graffiti art of Sergeant “Mok” greets us as we take our final step.

Artwork at the top of Koko Head trail – A welcome sight

With several shaded areas here, this would be a good opportunity to get out of the sun and catch your breath, drink some fluids or hurl up your breakfast. I won’t name any names. *grin*

Good place to catch your breath in the shade

Ed’s Tip: don’t be fooled into thinking that that was “it”… Once you catch your breath, follow the somewhat hidden trail that wraps around to the right to discover an immaculate view of the other side of Koko Head. What a beautiful sight from about 1208 feet above sea level!

View from the top of Koko Head

View from the top of Koko Head, overlooking part of Sandy Beach and the Hawaii Kai Golf Course.

Ed’s Tip: As the winds are very strong up here, it’s a nice place to cool off, but watch your footing and be careful at the same time.

Here, you’ll also find an abandoned military shelter, which makes for a great place to rest…

Mark, Noele and wifey taking a snack break next to the shelter

… as well as take a group photo from on top of.

Group photo from atop the shelter. Yes, it’s either REALLY bright or we all need a tan. We’ll just say it’s really bright!

Going down is a breeze. Depending on the step and the length of your leg (and your knees and your athleticism ), you could literally jog/run down the stairs.

Wifey, Noele and Mark playing it safe

Ed’s Tip: I would recommend leaning on the side of caution and taking a nice, leisure pace. Sure, you’re excited to be pau and want to get going sooner than later, but if you run down the stairs, your momentum will really take you and it becomes difficult to stop.

Before long, we’re already at the halfway point of the bridge (dun-dun-DUN!). The ladies decided to “cheat” and take the side path.

The side path around the bridge

Mark shows us how we manly men roll.

Mark coming down over the bridge on the Koko Head trail

Several hundred, quick steps later…

Almost at the bottom!

… we approach the end.

Mark celebrates with his Heisman pose

Back on solid ground, we find a shady area to catch our breath again.

Noele, myself and wifey catching our breath (and blowing our noses) at the bottom of Koko Head trail

Some deal with it better than others…

Mark and Noele wondering what the heck just happened

Once recovered, we did what any other akamai local does after a workout to refresh: Shave Ice! Good thing Kokonuts Shave Ice & Snacks (the one that Barack Obama made famous) is at nearby Koko Marina Shopping Center.

Kokonuts Shave Ice & Snacks sign

Best buds Noele and wifey are all smiles in anticipation of their shave ice.

Mark and Noele literally attacking their shave ice

My work of art before it got destroyed

“What a refreshing way to end our day of stairwell hell!”

If you didn’t notice, that right there, was a sweet tweet.

Tags: 1100 steps, 1208 feet above sea level, abandoned railroad track, Barack Obama, hawaii hiking, Hawaii hiking trails, Hawaii Kai, Hawaii Kai Golf Course, hiking in hawaii, job corp, Koko Head Crater, Koko Head Crater Trail Hike, Koko Head Crater Trail Hike - Nature's Stairmaster, Koko Head Shooting Complex, koko head shooting range, koko head stairs, koko head steps, Koko Marina Shopping Center, Kokonuts Shave Ice & Snacks, military shelter, Sandy Beach, shave ice

Ship’s Ahoy! – Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time – Part III

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Ahhh, day 5. We’re more than halfway through our Alaskan adventure, but there’s still so much more to see and do. In this Part 3, we’ll be visiting Sitka, eating dinner at Pinnacle Grill, taking in a show, and fattening up at the Dessert Extravaganza.

Our boat docked near Sitka at about 8AM. I say “near” because unlike our other stops, disembarking would not be quite as easy. A bit of planning was necessary as we had to catch what was referred to as a tender, which was basically a small boat that took us to the shores of Sitka in style.

Animation of catching the tender off of our cruise ship to Sitka

According to our newsletter, Sitka is known as “Alaska’s Little Russia,” even though at a glance, not much about the port looks Russian. Its most treasured asset, however, is its natural scenery and many people consider Sitka to be Alaska’s most beautiful seaside town.

Wifey and I slept in and got a bit of a late start so we didn’t really a lot of time in Sitka (last tender left from shore back to the ship at 4:30PM). We were able to catch some of the highlights of the town though, like…

Baranof Castle Hill…

Baranof Castle Hill sign

Steps leading up to Castle Hill (with some goon in the background)

Scene from atop Baranof Castle Hill

Sign stating Baranof Castle Hill is a Registered National Historic Landmark

Totem Square…

Totem in Totem Square

Intersection near Totem Square

The Sitka Pioneers Home…

View of the Sitka Pioneers Home from Totem Square [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

The Prospector Statue in front of the Pioneers Home [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

The Prospector Statue sign [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

The Sitka Pioneers Home [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

And various other sights around town…

View of Sitka town (and St. Michael’s Cathedral) from Lincoln Street [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Interesting Sitka wear. Insert funny comment here.

Wifey getting mauled, er petted by big bear.

Alaska’s own.

Backside of St. Michael’s Cathedral

The Hanlon-Osbakken House (with the Sitka Rose Gallery and the Winterson Soap Company) [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

Russian Bishop’s House, Sitka, Alaska

St. Gregory Catholic Church, Sitka, Alaska

Eventually, we met up with the rest of the fam, following their tour of the Alaskan Raptor Rehabilitation Center…

Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center Sign [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

Baby Raptor [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Eagle at the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Eagle at the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

… to check out the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium…

Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium sign [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

The hatchery is located inside the Sage Memorial Building on the Sheldon Jackson College campus

Inside the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium

Evan, Travis and Chris getting hands-on with the sea life [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Miscellaneous sea life at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Miscellaneous sea life at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Miscellaneous sea life at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium

Miscellaneous sea life at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium

Crab at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

Face to face with a fish at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium

Shopping Cart and Bicycle pulled in from Sitka’s Harbor

The hatchery on the backside of the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium

One of the tanks at the Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery. Notice the widdle fishies swimming around with the toy gator?

… and cruise the rest of town…

Leaving the Sheldon Jackson College campus

Wifey reliving her hanabata days

Kerri-Ann, Evan, Lee and Travis having a blast on the 4-way seesaw. Poor Kerri-Ann!

Tree planted for George Washington

Chris on the whale statue [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

Wifey next to the sea lion statue

Yours truly riding the dolphin statue. Tell me again who’s the most mature?

Dad Kojima and Grandma Kojima taking in Crescent Harbor [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

Crescent Harbor, Sitka, Alaska. [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

The crowd forming around the Reindeer Red Hot stand. Yep, Reindeer Hot Dogs!

Perusing a gift shop for possible omiyage

View of Sitka Hotel from The Sitka Pioneers Home lawn

… before heading back to the ship for din-din.

We took a break from the norm and decided to splurge on dinner that night. Skipping the “included-in-the-price” Vista Dining Room, we dressed up and hit up Pinnacle Grill for an extra $20 per person. Still not bad for a change of scenery.

Pinnacle Ocean Platter – Carpaccio of lightly smoked salmon, accompanied with hot smoked salmon, sea scallops and wasabi cream. I think they replaced some items on this one.

Lobster Bisque – Crème fraiche and aged sherry.

Dungeness Crab Cakes – Spiral shaved cucumber and sweet chili-mustard sauce

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail – Brandy horseradish cocktail sauce

(Broiled or) Poached Lobster Tail – On a bed of wilted spinach and argula, with mustard seed and “mangochurri” pesto sauce or melted butter

Warm Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake – The ultimate chocolate experience

Pinnacle Crème Brulee – Flavors of chocolate, coffee and vanilla bean

The fam during din-din [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

Ed’s Tip: Eating at the Vista Dining Room requires seating at specific times and is often crowded. If you’d like to avoid the crowds and try some of the ship’s varying dining choices, opt to pay the extra money and treat yourself to some yummy kine grindz once in a while. Sure beats the repetition.

Following dinner, we caught a show. Yeah, they actually have mini-Broadway type shows. I was surprised too! On this night, we watched what was called “Showtime: Stage & Screen” and it starred some of the ship’s talented singers and dancers.

The brother-in-law’s sole photo below is the only evidence we have. LOL!

Showtime: Stage & Screen – starring the Westerdam Singers and Dancers [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

With a well-rested tummy, we headed straight to the Lido Deck for an event they were billing as a “Dessert Extravaganza.” Talk about setting a precedent for themselves. But, even for a non-sweet-toothed person like myself, they definitely lived up to the hype.

Dessert Extravaganza on the Lido Deck

Various Cakes and pies at the Dessert Extravaganza

Fruit carvings at the Dessert Extravaganza

Display at Dessert Extravaganza

White chocolate fountain with a dragon ice sculpture in the background at the Dessert Extravaganza

Ed’s Tip: Bring your camera. Scheduled for a 10:30PM release, they actually opened it up for photo opportunities at 10PM. Those dessert chefs did amazing work.

Aww, is that really the end of day 5? Just a few more short nights on the boat and we’ll be heading home. How sad.

Dat’s a-ight. Tomorrow, we’ve got an exciting Ziplining adventure in Ketchikan lined up to start off our day. Should be fun! See you in the next (and final?) part in the Alaska series. Shoots!

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Tags: Alaska's Little Russia, Alaskan Beer, alaskan cruise, Alaskan Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Baranof Castle Hill, Broiled or Poached Lobster Tail, Crescent Harbor, Dessert Extravaganza, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Hanlon-Osbakken House, Holland America, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Lido Deck, Lincoln Street, Lobster Bisque, Pinnacle Crème Brulee, Pinnacle Grill, Pinnacle Ocean Platter, Prospector Statue, Registered National Historic Landmark, Reindeer Red Hot, Russian Bishop's House, Sage Memorial Building, Sheldon Jackson College, Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery and Aquarium, Ship's Ahoy! - Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time, Showtime: Stage & Screen, Sitka, Sitka Harbor, Sitka Hotel, Sitka Rose Gallery, St. Gregory Catholic Church, St. Michael's Cathedral, tender, The Sitka Pioneers Home, Totem Square, Vista Dining Room, Warm Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake, Winterson Soap Company

Colbie Caillat – A Star Is Born

In every lifetime, there comes one special star destined for greatness. A glowing beauty, full of energy and warmth, that shines big and bright for the world to admire.

In this lifetime, that star is Colbie Caillat.

Born Colbie Marie Caillat on May 28th, 1985 to a music producer dad and model mom, Colbie inherited greatness from both sides: the looks of a Hollywood actress with the voice of an angel.

Colbie could always sing and was a part of musical theater casts from 8 years old. At 11, she heard the Fugees’ Lauryn Hill sing “Killing Me Softly” for the first time and was blown away. She started taking things more seriously, writing, recording, and picking up instruments along the way.

In 2006, her producer friend convinced her to record several songs to put up on Myspace “just for fun.” Before long, her songs went viral. Members added her songs to their pages after seeing it on their friends’ pages. It multiplied and multiplied until she became the #1 unsigned artist in her genre for four consecutive months. That’s when the record companies came calling and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here’s her story…

Colbie Caillat – Personal Life

Personal Life:

Edward Sugimoto) Not too many people know that you have roots to Hawaii. Can you kind of explain your history with Hawaii?

Colbie Caillat) I grew up going to Kauai when I was 11 years old with my parents. And my aunt and uncle live there and they own Bubba Burgers in Hanalei. And ever since, I’ve been going once or twice a year with my family and bringing my friends and my cousins. And then I worked there for a summer, I worked there for a couple months at Bubba Burgers in Kauai. As so Hawaii is just… everyone, the people, the food, the weather… it’s just like my second home. It’s the one place that I would always want to be.

Bubba Burgers

Edward Sugimoto) What was it like when you first heard Bubbly on the radio?

Colbie Caillat) When I first heard Bubbly on the radio, I was in Southern California at this restaurant that my family and I always go to, and we heard it playing in the background, and all of the sudden my mom like gets up and starts dancing, and then everyone starts singing at the table. That was the first time I realized that it was actually really being played cause people tell you it’s played but that was my first time knowing that it was real.

Edward Sugimoto) I hear you are a true arteest. You like to take photographs and you like painting a lot. Are photobooks or art in your future?

Colbie Caillat) I’m really into photography and painting. I like watercolors. So my dream job is to move back to Hawaii and be a photographer and paint and live that lifestyle. That’s what I want to do eventually. And yeah, I paint all the time on my tour bus when I’m traveling. And I save all the paintings. We’ll see what I’ll do with them. *modest laugh*

Edward Sugimoto) A little art gallery maybe?

Colbie Caillat) I don’t know. Maybe. For my mom. *laughs*

Colbie Caillat

Edward Sugimoto) When you’re not out being “world famous” Colbie Caillat, what do you like to do in your downtime?

Colbie Caillat) Whenever I have downtime, if I’m on tour, I hang out with my band and crew and we barbeque outside of the bus, we go sightseeing, we take pictures, just super mellow since the schedule’s really crazy. When I’m home, I like to be with my family and my close friends and my dogs. Stay at home, listen to music, barbeque, go swimming. I’m super mellow.

Edward Sugimoto) I noticed you got some new ink on your arm.

Colbie Caillat) *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) Any significance with that? Is there a story behind it?

Colbie Caillat) My flower tattoo, well this smaller flower I’ve always had for a couple years and that’s the logo for my first album CoCo. And then this new flower I got in Paris a couple months ago. And that is the Breakthrough flower for my new record. So this is the new logo for like all my merch, my T-shirts, on my CD. I had wanted it for a couple years and I new it was a big commitment getting a big tattoo on my arm so I made sure I still wanted it and I got it.

Edward Sugimoto) So after a few albums, your whole arm is gonna be covered?

Colbie Caillat) *laughs* My dad was actually like, “Honey, that flower better not keep growing!” I don’t want a sleeve, but I could see how tattoos are addicting.

Colbie Caillat

Edward Sugimoto) Let’s play Faves. First thing that pops into your mind when I say this/when I ask this question: Favorite all time song?

Colbie Caillat) Bob Marley “Waiting in Vain.”

Edward Sugimoto) Favorite musical artist?

Colbie Caillat) Bob Marley or Lauryn Hill.

Edward Sugimoto) Favorite TV show?

Colbie Caillat) The Office.

Edward Sugimoto) Favorite movie I heard is “Dumb and Dumber”. Is that still the case?

Colbie Caillat) Favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber. I quote it probably every day. *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) Favorite web site (besides AroundHawaii)?

Colbie Caillat) *laughs* Besides AroundHawaii? Um, Youtube!

Edward Sugimoto) ColbieCaillat.com?

Colbie Caillat) I could promote myself, but no Youtube is way more fun! *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) Favorite food?

Colbie Caillat) Favorite food is either Mexican food or sushi. Either one.

Edward Sugimoto) How about least favorite food?

Colbie Caillat) Least favorite food? Um, I don’t like goat cheese. Is that ok, or did you want like a full on like kinda food? *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) What is the one thing you always need to have in your purse before leaving the house?

Colbie Caillat) I’m addicted to chapstick or lipgloss. My lips are, I always want to reapply every 5 seconds. My camera I always have in my purse. My cell phone, gum, water bottles.

Colbie Caillat

Edward Sugimoto) If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing career-wise?

Colbie Caillat) I would be living in Hawaii doing photography and painting.

Edward Sugimoto) These stats are a little off cause I did it about a week ago, but you had over 438,857 Myspace friends and over 40,615 Twitter followers.

Colbie Caillat) Wow!

Edward Sugimoto) How does it feel having that kind of accessibility to your fans?

Colbie Caillat) I think the Internet is so amazing. I mean that’s how I got my career started was because of Myspace a few years ago. People found my music and played it so much that I became the #1 unsigned artist and I got a record deal. And now, to be able to keep in touch with my fans by sending out a text to Twitter anytime, telling them what I’m doing, and they can reply and I can reply to each person individually. I think it’s the coolest way of being able to just stay in contact with your friends, family, fans. Internet’s great.

@ColbieCaillat’s Twitter Site

Edward Sugimoto) So that’s actually you on Twitter then?

Colbie Caillat) Yeah it’s me.

Edward Sugimoto) Your songs are pretty huge for weddings I’m guessing. We (wifey and I) actually used your “Magic” for our wedding song.

Colbie Caillat) Awww, so did my friend.

Edward Sugimoto) And a lot of people cover your songs on Youtube. Is that pretty flattering?

Colbie Caillat) It’s really flattering. This year, I’ve heard that “Lucky” was the wedding song. Last year, I heard it was “Bubbly” and “Magic”. But to know people cover my songs and try to learn them like I’ve learned other artist’s songs that I admire and adore, it’s really cool to know that I could be like that for other people. It’s a wonderful feeling.

Edward Sugimoto) You mentioned today on the stage about your constant struggle with fear/fright and stage fright and that’s why you named the album “Breakthrough”. What kind of specific things can you tell other people who have that kind of fear on how to get over it?

Colbie Caillat talking about her struggle with stage fright

Colbie Caillat) It’s just like anything. It takes practice and you have to work on it every single day. I mean I went on tour and performed every night and every day for two years straight and as hard as it was for me, as difficult and terrifying as it was I had to keep doing it. And slowly each time it got better and I got more comfortable. And just the past 6 months I really trained my brain to just remember to have fun out there. People are there to hear the music and music’s supposed to make you feel good, and have fun and smile. So when I remember to smile and look at my fans who are smiling and singing back it calms my heart down a little bit and you just have to remember that you’re up there doing something great and people admire that so you have nothing to be afraid of.

Colbie Caillat – Music Life

Music Life:

Edward Sugimoto) You started singing at 11 after hearing Lauryn Hill’s/Fugee’s “Killing Me Softly”. Did you have “it” back then or is it something you had to really work on?

Colbie Caillat) “It”? *smiles*

Edward Sugimoto) It: the voice, the singing.

Colbie Caillat) I’ve always been able to sing. I remember my parents saying I could sing when I was younger, and like when I was 8, 9, I was in musical theater. I did musicals, but I was still always afraid of being on stage and performing so I would never audition for like one of the lead parts, I’d always be in the background. And then when I got into 6th grade, I sang “Killing Me Softly” with my two best friends for our school talent show. And my other two friends, who I’m still best friends with, they can’t sing at all. *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) You carried the team!

Colbie Caillat) Yeah, I guess, I didn’t realize it at the time. But um, yeah I’ve always been able to sing but I had to also train my voice. I mean I followed Lauryn Hill and learned how she did her licks, and I took vocal lessons for years to keep… I still have to warm up every single day. You have to keep your voice. Just like working out you have to stay in shape.

Edward Sugimoto) You kinda touched upon your Myspace history. Can you kinda expand on how you got discovered after that?

Colbie Caillat’s Myspace Page

Colbie Caillat) Well, pretty much I was writing songs and I was friends with my producer, and every time I’d play him a new song in the studio, he was like, “let’s record it right now and put it up on Myspace just for fun.” And so we would put it up on Myspace and after 6 months I had grown such a large fan base. They were playing my songs everyday like 50,000 times. People would add my songs to their pages and then their friends would hear it and I kept rising on the charts and I eventually became #1 and then I got all the record label calls. I went to New York and met with the different labels. Universal (Republic) was the first one that I met with and I just knew that I belonged with them. They were just great and so personable. So that’s really how I got my career started and then went on tour with the Goo Goo Dolls and ever since then, everything keeps going.

Edward Sugimoto) Your dad is famed producer Ken Caillat who produced people like Fleetwood Mac. Why didn’t he just hook a sistah up instead of making you work hard for it?

Colbie Caillat) *laughs* Well, first of all, like I said, I was shy and had stage fright and so, I didn’t know how to play an instrument because I wasn’t writing when I was younger. I could sing, but I was shy. If you asked me to sing, I wouldn’t sing. So he couldn’t have done anything for me in this business because I wouldn’t have made it. I was too shy and if someone asked me to sing and I had to, I would mess up because I was so nervous. Plus my dad really wanted me to become a musician and become a song writer and establish my career for myself and he knew that was the best way to go about it, and at the time I didn’t realize that, until I was 19 and I learned how to play guitar and I wrote my first song and I realized that he was right.

Edward Sugimoto) I read somewhere also that he was the one that kinda made you play instruments and pick up piano and guitar and all this kind of stuff. Are you kinda glad you took that advice?

Colbie Caillat) I’m so glad I took my parents’ advice. I learned how to play guitar, a little bit of the piano, and I can play a little ukulele now, and battle Justin. It’s great because I’m able to write songs now and I’m able to accompany myself when I’m singing and doing performances. It feels good to know how to play music and to be able to express your emotions in song writing.

Colbie Caillat with her ukulele battling Justin Young on stage

Edward Sugimoto) You mentioned the ukulele. Jason Reeves played it on “Tied Down” on the last album. Do you get to play it a lot and is it going to be featured on future songs possibly?

Colbie Caillat) The ukulele, I think we might have it on “Rainbow” on my new album “Breakthrough.” But yeah, I always want to keep the Hawaii ties tied into my music, the whole reggae islandy vibe. I want to learn how to play more chords on it. I only know a few chords right now so that’s my next goal: to get better on the uke. *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) You guys shot “The Little Things” in Kauai. Was that kind of like your shout out to your hometown?

Hanalei Bridge in Kauai

Colbie Caillat) I always wanted to shoot a music video in Kauai. On the north shore, that’s just where I grew up going. The song “The Little Things” where I shot the video for, I wanted to sum up the summer that I had with my friends when I lived there. I worked at Bubba Burgers, we rented a rent-a-wreck car and had our jobs and we’d go to the Hanalei Pier and we’d jump off every day and go swimming and hang out with cute boys (*smiles*) and have bon fires. That’s what I wanted to show. What I’m like, what I like to do and what that song means.

Old Hanalei School Building

Edward Sugimoto) For the album “Breakthrough” I think you went to Kauai for a few weeks with Kara Dioguardi from American Idol? If things hadn’t worked out, is that something you might’ve considered (going on the show)?

Colbie Caillat) Oh, I would go on American Idol. Yeah, being a judge, it’s…

Edward Sugimoto) Oh actually as a performer. If you hadn’t made it until now.

Colbie Caillat) Oh. I auditioned twice actually. The second time I auditioned, I auditioned “Bubbly” right after I wrote it, but, like I said, I was shy and when I had the audition I was like, (*subdued*) “Been awake for awhile now.” Like I was quiet, I didn’t look at them and they want somebody outgoing and fun so no, I didn’t make it. *laughs*

Colbie Caillat

Edward Sugimoto) They must be regretting it pretty much.

Colbie Caillat) Well, now that I’m friends with Randy (Jackson) and Kara and all them, they laugh about it. They’re like, “I can’t believe that we passed that up.” But I understood why. I wasn’t ready for it at that point.

Edward Sugimoto) Had you made the show and Simon (Cowell) gave you like a negative comment, try and give us your best comeback to him.

Colbie Caillat) I wouldn’t have been mean to him. That’s the thing, I would be like, “OK.” I think criticism is, you need that. Someone can’t always tell you you’re good because you’re not. You need to learn and grow from it. I mean he is harsh, *laughs* but I think the combination of all the judges, giving them their compliments and then giving them their critiques is good.

Edward Sugimoto) Is it true that you and Jason Mraz traded emails to write the lyrics to “Lucky”?

Colbie Caillat) Well, yeah, Jason Mraz, he emailed me and that was the first time we ever contacted each other. He said, “Hi, it’s Jason. I like your music. I want to write a song with you.” And we exchanged numbers and we talked through email and on the phone and he sent me “Lucky.” He had it started, and so we finished writing the song together through email. We still had never met each other, and then I flew to London when he was recording his record (“We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things”) and we recorded the song.

Jason Mraz

Edward Sugimoto) Wow, that’s an amazing story.

Colbie Caillat) *laughs*

Edward Sugimoto) A lot of your songs make your listeners feel warm and fuzzy about love. Is this because your real love life is like that?

Colbie Caillat) *blushes* *laughs* Yes, my love life is very warm. I’m very happy. I’m in love with someone right now. Yeah I guess when you can express how you’re feeling and people can relate to that, it’s really good. That’s how love is supposed to be. You’re supposed to feel just giddy and butterflies with that person everyday.

Edward Sugimoto) How about another warm and fuzzy: when you’re on stage and you’re singing to your fans and they’re actually singing back. That must make you feel pretty good?

Colbie Caillat) Well, the thing with my stage fright is when I see my audience singing all the songs back to me, smiling and cheering, it makes me feel sooo warm and comfortable up there and I don’t want to get off the stage anymore, I’m having so much fun. So it’s all because of them. They keep coming to my shows and making me feel good up there that I love what I do now.

Edward Sugimoto) CoCo – peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Top 200… (by the way, this is all from Wikipedia so I hope it’s accurate). *laughs*

Colbie Caillat) Yeah, that’s right.

Edward Sugimoto) … and sold 51,000 copies in the first week, and went to Double Platinum status! Breakthrough – already hit #1 on Billboard’s Top 200, and sold 106,000 copies in the first week, and debuted at #1 on iTunes.

Colbie Caillat) Yes. *big smile*

Edward Sugimoto) You must be pretty stoked, pretty excited!?

Colbie Caillat) It’s yeah, it’s incredible. You always hope for success like that. I never expected it because I don’t like getting my hopes up, and I don’t know, I can’t really explain it. It’s such a great feeling knowing that everyone involved on both of those records, helping me get to where I’m at, and all of our hard work and the love that we put into these songs, knowing that the world notices that, and wanted to support and listen to the songs, I’m just, I’m so honored.

Colbie Caillat

Edward Sugimoto) You’ve been on tour with The Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, John Mayer, and had songs featured on movie soundtracks (“Here Comes the Sun” on “Imagine That”), TV shows (“Battle” on “The Hills”), and even for the Olympics you had a song (“Somethin’ Special”). Your music has been nominated for numerous awards (nominated for the AMA, Teen Choice, Teen Music Awards and won BMI Pop Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year). You’ve even been illustrated in a comic book (Archie). And this is pretty much just the beginning! How crazy is that!?

Colbie Caillat) It’s crazy. I mean it’s been two years and getting all of these great things that keep happening. I mean, it’s a lot of hard work. I mean every day it’s not just like “Oh, the life of a rock star.” It’s really difficult. There’s early early mornings, you go ’til late at night, people pulling you in all directions, but the people I surround myself with: my band, my crew, my management, my label… Everyone is so great so I have fun with it. We all work together. Seeing it pay off, it’s like a team effort.

Edward Sugimoto) Anything you’d like to say to your Hawaii fans out there?

Colbie Caillat) Aloha! *big smile* I can’t wait to come back to Hawaii to all the islands to play shows. I appreciate all of your support and for listening to my music and I hope to see you all soon. Aloha! *smiles*

Beyond her movie star looks and to-die-for voice, there is an inner beauty to this 24 year old songbird that is beyond compare.

Side story: You see, wifey and I had the honor of joining her and her bandmates for dinner the night before her Reno concert. She was warm and friendly and never once gave off the air that she was better than us (as other celebrities may). Mellow and laid back, she tried to blend right in with the rest of us, even though she obviously couldn’t. Due to an unfortunate case of food poisoning that night, I wasn’t able to make our scheduled interview the next night, but, instead of being upset, she was genuinely concerned.

The next day, they were going to play at “A Day In the Zone” in Sacramento’s Discovery Park, so she and Justin suggested that we meet up with them there, catch the show (with “all access”) and do the interview afterwards. They even told us not to worry about accommodations! Since we were catching our flight out of Sacramento early the next morning anyway, it was a perfect idea.

Following the show (which was amazing by the way), we headed to their bus and just hung out outside so as not to bother her post-show wind-down. I looked up to see her peeking out the window and as soon as she saw us, she practically ran out to give us a hug and see if we were feeling better. With the sun beating down, she immediately asked if we wanted something to drink and to come on board her tour bus which was cooled by A/C.

Remember, we were total strangers whom she met just two short nights ago. Granted Justin (who is in her band) is our mutual friend and yes, she knew that I was flying in special for the interview… She really didn’t have to go out of her way to be that nice to us. You could tell that it was just in her nature and that minus all the celebrity and bright lights, she was still as genuine and as sweet as they come.

It was refreshing to see such “realness” from someone who has made it so big. Much like her counterpart in the sky, this star’s warmth is breathtaking.

A star in every sense of the word. You know… The kind destined for greatness.

***

A special Mahalo to Diana Baron and Nicole Dona of D. Baron Media Relations, Inc., Diony Sepulveda, bruddah Justin Young, and especially Ms. Colbie Caillat. Thank you for being so nice and caring to us. All the best to you. You deserve everything coming to you. Enjoy the ride, and we’ll see ya back in Hawaii in the future!

***

http://www.colbiecaillat.com

Shortest to Tallest: Wifey, me, Colbie Caillat and Justin Young (I swear there was a slope! )

Tags: breakthrough, bubba burgers, bubbly, coco, colbie caillat, Colbie Caillat - A Star Is Born, Colbie Caillat interview, edward sugimoto, fallin' for you, Hanalei, Hawaii, interview with colbie caillat, Kauai, ken caillat, realize, world wide ed

V for Victorino – A Chat With Hawaii’s All Star Shane Victorino

It’s no coincidence that the word Victory is in Shane Victorino’s name. Losing is not even in his vocabulary. As a gifted athlete growing up, he’s always been on the winning end in sports. As a 28 year old young adult, it’s no different. He was an integral member of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies last season, has won the Gold Glove award, and was recently named to the Major League All Star Game, the first positional player from Hawaii to be bestowed the honor. And to think… this is just the beginning!

Victorino actually started his athletic career almost out of necessity. As an extremely active child with ADHD, his parents enrolled him in sports to feed his energy and keep him engaged. The decision proved to be a good one as Shane went on to star at Maui’s St. Anthony High in 4 sports: football, soccer, track and baseball. And, although he was offered a full ride scholarship to the University of Hawaii for football and baseball, Shane got the blessing of his family and chose to pursue a career in baseball when the Los Angeles Dodgers came a callin’ in 1999.

After years of minor league ball, the San Diego Padres claimed him from the Dodgers in 2002 via the Rule 5 draft (“Major league teams must protect players on their 40-man rosters within three or four years of their original signing. Those left unprotected are available to other teams as Rule 5 picks.” – http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/columnists/askbarule5.html), where he actually saw some time in the bigs (36 games). Eventually, he was returned to the Padres (as part of Rule 5 stipulations), before being drafted again, via Rule 5, by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004.

The losses of starters Bobby Abreu (trade) and Aaron Rowand (free agency) made room for Shane to display his skills in the outfield and ultimately earn a starting spot in 2007.

Info about Victorino from a Phillies display at Philadelphia Airport

During a recent home series against the Florida Marlins, I was able to catch up with our All Star from the islands about his personal life, his career and everything else in between. Enjoy!

Personal Life:

Edward Sugimoto) We’ll start off with an easy one: What’s a typical day in the life of Shane Victorino in Maui?

Shane Victorino) In Maui? Typical day in the life of Shane Victorino in Maui? Woo. You know what? That probably would’ve been just getting up in the morning, getting up to the beautiful weather, of course there in Hawaii, our beautiful island of Maui, and just spending time with the family. That would be now, but back when I was a kid, it was probably, get up, go to school. After school’s done, go to sports – whatever practice it may be – soccer, football, whatever was going on at the time, baseball, track, and after that’s done, go home and spend time with the family.

The author and Shane Victorino

Edward Sugimoto) A couple years ago (March 30, 2007), you became a father (daughter Kali`a Makenna Victorino). How does that feel?

Shane Victorino) Oh I love it! I love being a dad. My little girl Kalia, she’s a little rascal. My mom guys always told me, sometimes it comes full circle. My mom and dad did a wonderful job with me as a kid, and now I get to see what I was probably like, and see my genes go to work on my daughter. She’s a handful so I can only imagine what I was like for my mom and dad.

Edward Sugimoto) Speaking of your dad, he’s a Council Member back in Maui. Did he give you any kind of words of wisdom or leadership advice?

Shane Victorino) Um, you know what, dad’s one of those guys where I think, in the position that he’s in, and some of the things that he’s done in the community, you know he always told me work hard, and when you go out there, you work hard, you show people that you can be a leader, not by talking about it, but by going out there and doing things the right way. Giving back to the community and so on and so forth. So to have dad in that position I think it’s nice and you know he loves what he does, he loves always giving back and working for the community, when he got into the Councilman position he was very excited.

The author and Shane Victorino

Edward Sugimoto) You mentioned being in baseball, you were an Eagle Scout, Football (star in Soccer, Basketball and Track too). Is there anything you CAN’T do?

Shane Victorino) Anything I can’t do. (*laughs*). You know what’s funny, I never did surf. I never did surf growing up. That’s the one thing I think everybody always kinda questions like coming from Hawaii, how it is to surf and yada yada yada, but I always told myself, when my friends went to the beach, I went to the baseball park, I went to the football field, I went to the soccer field, you know I wanted to go get better playing spots, so I think that helped me differentiate myself from some of the things that, you know, if I went and spent a lot of time at the beach and surfed, it would’ve took away from me trying to be a good athlete that I am today.

Edward Sugimoto) Speaking about baseball, we (Hawaii) have Tony Rego, Sid Fernandez, and Benny Agbayani from back in the day. Today we have like the Little Leaguers from Waipio, you, Tyler Yates (Kurt Suzuki). Is this just the beginning of Hawaii talent coming into the league?

Shane Victorino) Yeah. I think Hawaii is definitely going to be a place where scouts are gonna come. Myself, Kurt Suzuki, you said Tyler Yates, Brandon League. I mean I can keep going down the list. More and more kids are in the minor leagues, so it’s definitely one of those things where Hawaii’s gonna become a state where I think a lot of people are gonna look, go there and look for talent, and look for baseball talent. The thing is Hawaii has so many talented kids, it’s just that a lot of them don’t want to go away. A lot of them miss Hawaii, and yada yada, and I always say to myself, if my family’s healthy, eveybody’s doing great, Hawaii’s Hawaii. It’s not gonna change. If you get the opportunity to go away, go to the (eastern) states and do some things, hey take the chance. You know what, your home will always be home. It ain’t gonna go nowhere.

The author and Shane Victorino

Edward Sugimoto) You’re highly involved in the community, both in Philadelphia and in Hawaii. And you have a Celebrity Golf Classic (to raise funds and awareness for Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation) coming up in November I believe (November 21st at the Maui Prince Makena Resort)? What makes you care so much about your community?

Shane Victorino) Well, I just think that being in the position that I’m in today, you know, growing up there in Hawaii, I never really saw too much of these kinds of things. Being in the sport that I’m in, I have a lot of teammates who host charity events, and for me, I was always taught that any way you can give back, it’s just one of those things, if you can give back, why not? If you can make an impact on somebody’s life, why not? And I think that when I got into the level that I got last year, I told myself, you know what, it’s time for me to try and make something happen in Hawaii. We’ll raise money for certain causes. Last year it was Alzheimer’s, this year it’s Hawaii’s Children’s Cancer research. So any way I can give back, I think is one of those things where I’ve always uh. You know when you’re in a position, like they say, “well you’re a professional athlete, you should give back.” Well, sometimes I think that we’re in a position that we don’t have to give back, but we’re in a position where we can help to make the community build and I think that’s what we do and that’s why I love doing these charity events.

Shane doing an interview with a reporter at UFC 101

Edward Sugimoto) How’d you like the fight last night (UFC 101 was at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia)? We saw you!

Shane Victorino) I loved it! (*turns to camera*) Right on! Good job BJ! I was definitely excited. He definitely represented Hawaii. I think he worked hard. He was really, really focused on this fight and wanted to make an impression. I think that was what I saw out of him. He had that drive, he had that desire, he had the BJ Penn attitude. I think he really worked hard for this fight. He wanted to prove to people again that hey, you know what he’s still known as one of the best guys.

Edward Sugimoto) You probably have a lot of fans from Hawaii in for the fight and probably here for the game today. Are you pretty amped up about that?

Shane Victorino) Yeah, no I’m excited. I saw a few Hawaiian flags flying in the stands the last couple nights, so, it’s definitely nice to have the support and love from the Hawaii people.

Baseball Life:

Edward Sugimoto) You had a full ride scholarship to UH for Football. How difficult of a decision was it to turn that down and pursue a career in baseball?

Shane Victorino) It was very tough. It was one of those things, uh, you know my mom definitely wanted me to get a good education, and she definitely pushed that. She sent me to a private high school (St. Anthony in Maui) for a reason and that was to get a good education and to hopefully do well in sports and so on and so forth. But when that day came, it was definitely tough. But I told my mom, I said, “Mom, college will always be there. I may never have another chance to go pro.” So it was definitely a tough decision, but when I made a decision, I told myself I’m gonna go ’til I can’t stop. I wanted to go there and I wanted to work hard. As they always say, until they take the jersey off your back, I don’t want to quit. There were times yeah definitely through the minor leagues, there were struggles, and there were times I wanted to come home, but my dad said, “Hey just remember, you coming back home, you’re never going back.” That was words of advice that I’ll always remember. If I gave up when I wanted to, I may never get another chance to play pro ball, so I stuck with it, worked hard. But going back to the question, it was definitely a tough decision, but like I said, I told my mom, “Mom, education was gonna be there, college ain’t going nowhere.” You know, I can go to college when I’m 35, 40 years old. Hopefully I had a good career. I can go back to college when I’m done. So it was definitely tough, but I talked mom out of it, and I was able to go and turn pro, and hey, I’m having a wonderful time so far.

Victorino info on the billboard

Edward Sugimoto) The Phillies. You guys are all pretty aggressive, work hard. Is that something Coach (Charlie) Manuel stresses?

Shane Victorino) Yeah, um, you know what, Charlie is one of those guys where he lets you play. He’s the kind of manager that you want to play for. A guy that’s gonna let you go out there and gonna let you play the game that you play. Not gonna put too much stress on you, he’s not gonna bash you in the media. He’s gonna come and call you in his office if he wants to talk to you about things. So, when you come to the field every day, you know what you have out of your manager, and that’s the kind of guy you want. A guy who’s gonna be in your corner, not a guy that’s gonna yell at you, stress you out even more than what this game already does. He’s the kind of manager that we call a player’s manager. He takes care of his players. He goes out there, he wants his players to do their best. He’s got two rules: it’s to be on time and play hard (and hustle). You can’t ask much more out of a manager than that.

Phillies logo in the Phillies dugout

Edward Sugimoto) You wear a rarely fashioned double eared helmet. Is this because that’s how we used to play back in the day or just ’cause you’re a switch hitter?

Shane Victorino) Well, yeah, no, I did that in the minor leagues, and when I got to the big leagues, I put the one flap on for a while and it was kinda like I felt uncomfortable. So I told myself, why change? I did it in the minor leagues, I did it in Little League, why not keep it up? Plus, being a switch hitter, I don’t want to carry two different helmets, so some of those things factor in.

Shane Victorino sporting the double-eared helmet

Edward Sugimoto) Do you have a preference (right handed or left handed batting)?

Shane Victorino) No. There’s times you feel good from the right, there’s time you feel great from the left side. So you just gotta keep playing in this game. You play 162 games for a reason. You’re gonna go through your ups and downs, you’re gonna have your slumps, you’re gonna have your struggles, but you just go out there and keep working.

Edward Sugimoto) #8. Is there a reason why you chose that number?

Shane Victorino) Um, you know what, my brother was #8 in high school, my mom’s born on January 8, so 8 has some significance. I was 8 in high school. When I first got here, they gave me #8 so I was lucky enough, and I really didn’t have to ask for #8, but I was given #8 my first year here. It’s definitely a number that has ties to me.

Edward Sugimoto) Congratulations on winning the Gold Glove last season. Do you take pride in your defensive skills as much or more than your batting skills?

Shane Victorino) I definitely take pride in my offense a little more I think. But I mean I take pride in my defense too. I think defense is such a great factor in a ball game. You can never struggle. You should never slump on defense. You’re gonna go through struggles at the plate. You’re gonna go through 0 for 30s, you’re gonna go for 2 for 50s, but on defense you should never struggle because that’s not something where you gotta worry about hitting, you gotta worry about seeing the ball. You just gotta worry about staying focused, making good plays, and going out there and playing hard.

Shane manning the outfield (I know… kinda blurry!)

Edward Sugimoto) What’s the biggest rush. Homerun? Stolen base? Diving catch?

Shane Victorino) You know what, they all have their different life. Of course if you hit a walk-off homerun, that’s more exciting. When you make a diving catch in the game, that’s exciting. You steal a base in a big big situation, so you know, every one has its own weight I think. But for me, I would say, hitting a home run in a crucial situation, I think to me would be the most exciting thing.

Edward Sugimoto) You became the first Hawaii-born positional player in the All Star game. You had the support of Philadelphia, Hawaii, and everybody else (Both Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle showed their support, and South Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter even went door to door to solicit votes). You had 15.6 million Internet votes which set a record (previously held by Evan Longoria in 2008 at 9 million). How does that make you feel to have so much support?

Shane Victorino) It made me feel great. That really showed what Philly fans, what Hawaii fans, and what the passion of baseball has. The blessing that I had to be able to be voted in, to get that amount of votes, almost double what the guy the previous year had I think, was such an amazing thing. It really showed how much Philly fans and people around the world really care I guess about how I play the game and how I approach the game, so it was definitely a nice thing.

Edward Sugimoto) You had a hit in the All Star game. Explain your experience, the whole experience.

Shane Victorino) Everything was great. Every bit of it was what I expected. There were a few things, of course getting to meet President Obama again, just listening to the 5 living presidents talk before the game on the big screen about All Stars among us, people who are helping the community. Every moment had its catch, and being introduced as a starter, and then going out there and getting my first hit in my first at bat in my All Star game, or my first All Star game, so, it was some fun times.

Edward Sugimoto) On Friday, the Phillies inducted Harry Kalas into the Phillies Wall of Fame. After a recent homerun, you pointed to the booth where he used to sit. Kalas has a history in Hawaii (with the US Army and as a Hawaii Islanders announcer). What kind of an impact did he have on you?

Shane Victorino) He had that voice that I remember growing up as a little kid watching Inside the NFL at my grandma’s house, thinking to myself, who’s voice is this I’m hearing? And then when I came here in ‘05, I remember hearing his voice when I got called up and I’m like, hold on, this is the guy’s voice that I used to hear when I was a little kid when I used to watch Inside the NFL, NFL Films. You know, it was just like, woah, this is the man. This is the guy, Harry Kalas, the guy that I remember growing up watching Inside the, you know NFL Films, and hearing that voice. To actually meet the guy in person, we definitely had a bondage. I remember one of my walk off homeruns, he said Victorino No Ka Oi. That was one thing he would always call me. “Hey! Victorino No Ka Oi!” You know he would always say that. He definitely had his roots to Hawaii. His first wife was from Hawaii, he definitely started with the Islanders, did some broadcasting there, so he definitely had some roots to the islands.

Shane Victorino

Edward Sugimoto) What does the future hold for Shane Victorino?

Shane Victorino) What does the future hold huh? Just try to be the best player I can be. To go out there and try to keep succeeding, try to keep getting better. In this game, there’s always room for improvement, and I think you go out there and work hard every day, that’s all I can say. I try to go out there and work as hard as I can, and try to play as hard as I can because you never know what could happen. Tomorrow may be my last day, today might be my last day. I might get hurt and never play again. But as long as I’m giving 100%, that’s all I can ask about myself.

Edward Sugimoto) You have any words of advice for your young fans out there?

Shane Victorino) Yeah. I think the kids in Hawaii, like I said earlier, I think a lot of Hawaii kids don’t understand, and they struggle with the fact of leaving home. To me, my advice to them is hey, if you get the opportunity, leave. Take the chance, see what’s out there. Work hard as a little kid and work hard now because when you work hard now, it’ll help you in the end. I was one of those kids where I was blessed by God. I had a lot of natural abilities. I didn’t work as hard as some of my friends, and I always say to myself if I did, how much better a player would I have been when I first got to the big leagues? But you know, I think with hard work and dedication, a lot of things can happen.

Edward Sugimoto) And how about your general fans? Message to them?

Shane Victorino) General fans? Thank you guys for everything. Thank you for voting me to the All Star game. Just enjoy. I think when you come to watch our team, that’s what we do. We go out there, we have fun, we try the best we can, and we play the game hard, and we just try to go out and win every night.

…

Right back atcha Bruddah Shane. Mahaloz for making all of us in Hawaii so very proud. Keep on playing the game with that intensity and heart and only good things will come. But I’m sure you already know this, as failure has never been in your vocabulary. V is for Victorino. Victorino No Ka Oi!

Me and Bruddah Shane

…

Ed’s Notes:

Shortly after this interview, Victorino strangely got ejected from the game (in centerfield!) by home plate umpire Ed Rapuano for throwing his arms up in the air (following a bad call). The Phillies lost the game and was ultimately swept by the Marlins, further diminishing their lead in the NL East.

Yikes.

A couple games later, in a matchup against the Chicago Cubs, he was doused with beer by a rabid Cubs fan – while trying to make a routine catch.

Eek.

Could it be? Could my interview with Bruddah Shane, in some strange way, possibly have put some kind of curse on the Phils? No. Can’t be! Riiight?

Thankfully, the Phils broke out in a big way, going 14-5 since then and is now sitting atop the NL East with a handsome 7 and a half game lead (as of 08/31). So you can actually say that this interview gave them good luck going into the post-season! You’re welcome fellow Philly fans!

A big Mahaloz to: Ted Nakamura, Leonard Nakahashi, Shane’s mom, Josh Goldberg of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, Greg Casterioto and Deanna Sabec of the Phillies organization, Bari Carroll, and of course Bruddah Shane Victorino.

Tags: all star, edward sugimoto, Hawaii, interview with shane victorino, Major League Baseball, Maui, michael victorino, mike victorino, peta, Philadelphia Phillies, shane victorino, shane victorino interview, Shane Victorino's daughter, Shane Victorino's family, Shane Victorino's girlfriend, spam, V for Victorino - A Chat With Hawaii's All Star Shane Victorino, world wide ed

Ship’s Ahoy! – Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time – Part II

Part I |  Part II  | Part III | Part IV

The 4th day started with the eager anticipation of finally seeing land. Our first of two land tours wasn’t to start until 12:30PM, so we had some time to catch a bite on board and roam the quant little town of Juneau.

South Franklin Street in Downtown Juneau

Downtown Juneau

Police Car in downtown Juneau

Ed’s Tip: The Alaskan Fudge Company is right in the heart of downtown Juneau and seemed to be a popular place for picking up omiyage. They even have a cold marble slab where they put their own chocolate concoctions together in front of interested patrons.

Alaskan Fudge Co. employee making some sweets on a marble slab

Additional attractions of this city – that some of our other family members enjoyed – included: riding the Mt. Roberts Tramway,

Mt. Roberts Tramway in Juneau [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

eating at Taku’s Smokeries & Store,

Aunty Amy, Uncle Mike, Kerri-Ann and Chris enjoying the eats at Taku’s [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

eating at Tracy’s King Crab Shack,

Tracy’s King Crab Shack [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

doing the Juneau Highlights – City, Glacier & Hatchery land tour,

Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center [Photo Credit: Andi Kubota]

and doing the Historic Gold Panning Adventure land tour.

Lee and Leanne Gold Panning in Juneau, Alaska [Photo Credit: Mom Kojima]

As for wifey and I, it was off to our first “land” tour: Helicopter Flightseeing & Glacier Walkabout! Woo hoo!

Description: No experience is necessary for this non-strenuous, one-hour interpretive walk! Your guide provides detailed explanation of the glacier environment, the surrounding area, and teaches proper use of the mountaineering equipment provided. There is plenty of time for photo opportunities. The amount of walking is moderate, over relatively flat to rolling terrain. Your pilot will choose the glacier landing site. Please note: Rain and windproof outerwear, boots, and gloves are provided. Minimum age is 8 years. Trips are conducted in small groups to facilitate an informative in-depth glacier experience. Guests weighing 250 lbs our more will pay an additional surcharge over the published fare. Every guest and his/her carry-on items on helicopter tours may be weighed during the check-in process. The tour operator will endeavor to be discreet during this process but please be aware that individual circumstances may not allow for complete privacy.

From the dock, we were bussed to a helipad near the airport, briefed, dressed up in odd looking attire, and led to the tarmac where our chopper awaited us!

Our helicopter pilot giving us the thumbs up!

After boarding, the pilot lifted off and flew us towards the glacier (I believe it was the Mendenhall glacier).

On the way to the glacier

Flying over Mendenhall glacier

Before long (about 20 minutes or so), our chopper was touching down on the huMANgous Mendenhall glacier…

Helicopter landing on Mendenhall glacier

… where we were greeted by guides who made their temporary home there.

Tents where our guides stayed

Soon, we were strapped up…

Wifey getting strapped up with her boots with the fur, er spikes.

… given some rudimentary tools…

Our walking sticks

… and sent on our way!

What it’s like to walk on a glacier in spiked boots

As the guide led our group around, we were able to take some artsy fartsy shots.

If you didn’t pay attention to where you were walking, you really could’ve been in some deep, deep trouble (pun intended).

Our group checking out some of the glacier’s moulins

Our guide talking about moulins and melt water.

After 1/2 and hour to an hour of “walkabouting” we had some time to rest and drink fresh glacier water…

Filling up our bottle with 100% natural glacier water.

and pose for a photo or two…

Wifey and I after conquering Mendenhall Glacier

… before heading back to base camp.

On the way back to base camp.

Wrapping things up at base camp.

There, we took off our boots and waited for our choppers to come and pick us up.

Helicopters picking us up on the glacier

We boarded them up…

Boarding the helicopters to head back

And headed back to the airport…

Leaving Mendenhall Glacier

… for a quiet landing.

Landing softly at Juneau airport

Not long after being dropped back off at the seaport, it was time for our second land tour in Juneau, the Alaska Salmon Bake. So we quickly re-boarded the boat, dropped our stuff off in our room and headed back out towards the van pick up area where we were shuttled to the Salmon Bake near Gold Creek.

Description: An Alaskan feast, this salmon bake features Alaskan-caught wild salmon grilled over an open alder wood fire. Also enjoy Cheechako baked chicken, Pasta Primavera, Chilkoot baked beans, wild-rice pilaf, a variety of fresh salads, corn bread and lemonade, coffee or tea. (Beer and wine are available for an additional charge.) Dine beside Salmon Creek in Southeast Alaska’s rain forest and listen to a local musician – a translucent roof protects you rain or shine. After dining, toast marshmallows over a crackling campfire and walk to view the beautiful Salmon Creek waterfall. Remnants of the historic Wagner Mine are evident here. Return to ship by shuttle bus. Please note: Tour not suitable for wheelchairs due to uneven terrain at the salmon bake. Bring warm jacket. Restrooms are available.

Alaska Salmon Bake at Gold Creek, Juneau, Alaska

The area was wonderfully spaced out, with soothing folk music (performed by Betsy Sims of the Glacier Erratics) and plenty o’ options for food as well as seating.

The picnic area

We started off with fresh, clam chowder, then, made our way to the buffet station where a bevy of choices awaited us…

Wild-rice pilaf and Chilkoot baked beans

Corn bread

Penne Pasta Primavera

Cheechako baked chicken

Orange wedges and pasta salad

Caesar’s salad

… before making our way to the main attraction, the salmon, baked over the open alder wood fire.

One of the chefs prepping the salmon to be grilled

Salmon pieces ready to be gobbled up!

Salmon patron comin’ to get his

After loading our plates up, we found a seat to enjoy our meal. I’ll let ya guess which plate was mine. *grin*

Normal plate

My monstah plate

There was a dreamy glaze that they used over the salmon, and believe you me, it was to die for! We concluded that it was some kind of concoction made up of what tasted like butter and brown sugar.

Salmon glaze

Unbelievably, we still had room for dessert: a light, sweet blueberry treat.

Blueberry dessert

On the backside of the salmon bake area, in an inconspicuous corner, a trail presented itself.

Where does this trail go?

Walking alongside a river to our left, we approached a sign that gave us a hint.

Salmon Falls sign

At the end of the short, several minute walk, we arrived at the crown jewel: Salmon Falls. What a gorgeous, post-dinner spot!

Salmon Falls, Gold Creek, Juneau, Alaska

Miscellaneous old school relics surrounded the area near the falls to take you back to the historic gold panning days.

Gold panning equipment

Panning for gold

Pelton Wheel – Some old school mining contraption

Chilkoot mine

With some time to spare, we decided to cook up some marshmallows – over their open campfire – before our shuttle arrived to take us back to the boat…

Where’s the marshmallow you ask? It fell off! LOL!

… the perfect way to close out day 4 of our Alaskan adventure!

Roasting marshmallows over the open campfire

Part I |  Part II  | Part III | Part IV

Tags: Alaska, Alaska Salmon Bake, alaskan cruise, Alaskan Fudge Company, Betsy Sims, Caesar's salad, Cheechako baked chicken, Chilkoot baked beans, Chilkoot mine, corn bread, Downtown Juneau, Glacier & Hatchery, Glacier Erratics, glacier moulins, glacier water, Gold Creek, gold panning, Helicopter Flightseeing & Glacier Walkabout, Historic Gold Panning Adventure, Holland America, Juneau, Juneau airport, Juneau Highlights - City, marshmallows, Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, Mt. Roberts Tramway, northstar trekking, Orange wedges, Pasta Primavera, pasta salad, pelton wheel, salmon creek, Salmon Falls, Ship's Ahoy! - Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time, South Franklin Street, Taku's Smokeries & Store, Tracy's King Crab Shack, wagner mine, Wild-rice pilaf

Tinman Tips – A First Timer’s Guide to Tinman Success

Late last month, your boy manned up and checked yet another item off the ol’ “bucket list”: Compete in the Hawaii Tinman. On Sunday, July 26th, the 2009 Tinman Triathlon was in full effect and, bright eyed and bushy tailed, I was there yo. Having a couple of marathons already under my belt, I was going into the Tinman thinking it would be another cakewalk. Boy was I mistaken!

The “just have fun” mentality will quickly eat you alive in the Tinman competition if you aren’t properly prepared. Below are the lessons I’ve learned as a first timer that I’d like to pass along to all y’all. Enjoy!

* Take it serious! – unlike the marathon, there are a lot less “just for fun” participants, as made obvious by my finishing rank! LOL! Being fairly athletic and in reasonably good shape does not equal Tinman success. Not training seriously will not only be dangerous to your health, but frustrate the bejesus outta you (when your muscles don’t agree with what your mind is telling them).

* Train! – I would recommend training each activity/concentration successively, in addition to individually. In other words, it’s good to swim until the cows come home, but you should follow it up with a bike and then a swim. Yes, on the same day. My cheater friend Bari (who also did the Tinman with me) wisely took it a little more serious than I and participated in running and biking groups that met up on the weekends. The Heavy Breathers group in the Hawaii Bicycling League has a biking group that goes out on Saturday mornings and the Honolulu Marathon Clinic has a running group that goes out on Sunday mornings. He fully recommends joining them.

* Give yourself time to train – not only is the entrance fee more expensive the later you apply, you need sufficient time to prepare for what your body will go through. We decided to START TRAINING just two months before the race. With busy schedules and other life activities already planned (like that trip to Alaska), my once a week training schedule (at best), definitely did not cut it.

* Get ready to invest – if you’re “newbs” like us and going into it from scratch, be prepared to shell out some pretty pennies in order to get the party started. The bicycle (no, a mountain bike doesn’t count!), helmet, tri-shorts (specially padded swim trunks that are waaaay too tight), no-blister socks, goggles, water bottle, water bottle holder, miscellaneous bike tools/kits/bags, etc., are just some of the things to think about. And that doesn’t include the $80-100 entrance fee. And BTW, don’t laugh at the mountain bike comment. I actually briefly considered doing that (using the mountain bike I already owned) to save me some money. That, and using my snowboarding helmet as a bike helmet. LOL!

* Run the course – don’t use the day of the race to practice running the actual course. Go to Queens and swim the 750 meter (wall to wall to wall) ocean course. Bike the 24+ miles (40K) to and from Hawaii Kai. Jog the 6+ mile (10K) Diamond Head circle. All BEFORE the race! Extra special bonus points if you do all of them back to back as if it were race day. Click here for the specifics on the course paths. Since Bari and I were a little behind schedule, we ended up driving the course by car the day before. Don’t be us.

* Get a good night’s rest – never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep the night before the race. If you’re a night owl, you might want to consider sleeping early several nights in a row to help your body get used to sleeping at an early hour.

* Fuel up – eat enough food to last you until the late morning/early afternoon hour, as that will probably be your next meal. As they say, eat bananas to help with cramping and carbo-load a couple days before race day.

* Arrive early (Check in starts at 4AM) – if you arrive too late (especially if this is your first time), you will be scrambling around, trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do and where you’re supposed to be. You will probably also have a hard time finding a place to rack your bike once everyone else has settled in and found their spots.

* Be prepared – unfortunately, the folks at the Tinman only make your packet available about a week before the race (I could not find a PDF version of it on their site). There is a lot of valuable information in there that you’ll want to read before race day. Your various race numbers (for your bike itself, for your back for the bike portion, for your front for the run portion, sticker for your helmet, etc.) are also in there. Familiarize yourself with what they are and where they go. It also says to mark your left arm and left leg with your number (for the swim portion) before you arrive, but there are volunteers there, the morning of, with markers to help with that. Concerned for our health, Bari and I went to Longs and picked up a non-toxic marker and did it ourselves. The choice is yours.

* Make sure you can handle rough surf – Before the race, Bari’s dad told us that the waves were expected to be 3-5 that morning at Queens. Not sure if it actually got that big, but there was definitely a bit of washing machine action going on. Rough water swimming in the ocean is A LOT harder and different than in your local pool, or even flat water swimming in the ocean for that matter. Since the water was probably the only possible place I could die (if I rested), I concentrated on training my swimming the most. Probably 98% to my 1% bike and 1% run. Although I HIGHLY recommend training the swimming fo sho, I would also say that you need to devote more than 1 and 1 on your bike and run. :\

* Stay away from the wall (during the start) – for some reason, the officials for Bari’s group made them go all the way back against the wall. The combination of the crowd and the rough waves and the reef did not bode well for Bari’s foot as he opened up a gash on the bottom prior to starting.

* Enter the water later – if you’re a weak swimmer or don’t have much water endurance, what in the heck are you doing competing in the Tinman!? Hehe. But seriously, if you’re a weak swimmer or don’t have much water endurance, don’t hurry to get to the starting line within your group (you start in groups based on experience, age and gender). You may end up burning up your energy trying to stay afloat for up to 5 minutes until your start time. Plus, if you stay towards the rear of your group, there’s a better chance of the water being less rough and crowded. Well, at least until the group behind you catches up! LOL!

* Buy a good bike! – thanks to my great friend who shall remain nameless, Bari thought it would be a good idea to buy a bike for me from a Craigslist ad. Later, we discovered that we’ve been duped and that the puppy was actually one from Walmart. So even when I was flying it at full blast on the highest gear, everyone continued to whiz right by me. WTH!? Don’t take any chances. Get a good, Tinman quality bike from the beginning, especially if you plan on competing more than once. If you’re not sure, some of the local bike shops may rent bikes out. Here’s the rental information from The Bike Shop.

* Hydrate, especially during the bike portion! – there are NO aid stations during the 24+ mile bike portion of the race. Be sure you have a water bottle or two filled with your favorite fluid (other than hard liquor ). I had one bottle of Gatorade and that wasn’t enough, just FYI. If you’re in the same situation, be sure to partition out half for going to Hawaii Kai and the other half for coming back.

* Have a great support system – having your friends’ and family’s support before, during and after the race is priceless.

Wifey snaggin’ some action shots [Photo Credit: Kari Ohara]

Still in good spirits (for some reason) on Heartbreak Hill [Photo Credit: Kari Ohara]

The cheering section! Ahaha! [Photo Credit: wifey]

Making me crack up on the way back down Heartbreak Hill [Photo Credit: wifey]

* Kiss your bum g’bye! – after sitting on a teeny seat for that long, your butt and “special areas” (if you’re a man) will undoubtedly get sore. I’m just sayin’.

* Wear gloves – I underestimated the value of a pair of gloves for that long of a bike ride. Though it was just tender and didn’t quite blister for me, I can see it being a problem for others.

* Be careful on the bike dismount – if you didn’t train properly (or even if you did!), when you dismount your bike, be aware that your legs will be J-e-l-l-o. This happened to me as well as my unnamed friend Bari, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually some who ate it coming off of the bike. Just be aware.

* Transitions, transitions, transitions! – Our transition times were just plain ridiculous. Streamline your in-between time to shave precious minutes off your overall time.

* Don’t take pictures – unless you’re a dedicated writer/blogger extraordinaire (like me) , don’t stop to smell the roses. Taking mental notes and stopping to take photos during this race is not a good idea for your finishing time. Lesson learned. But then again, we wouldn’t have any wonderful shots like these now would we? *grin*

Looking back on Monsarrat Ave, on the way towards Diamond Head

Leaving the first of 3 aid stations at Kapiolani Community College (the 2nd was at the beginning of Elepaio St and the 3rd was at Triangle Park)

Much like the Honolulu Marathon, you’ll head down 18th Ave towards Kilauea.

At this point, my legs were shot. The reason why this photo is looking up towards Diamond Head is because I was walking backwards! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do right?

Again, much like the marathon, you go up Kahala Ave towards the finish.

Tourists taking in the sights on Kahala Ave

Aloha story: you see the fella in the blue jogging in the photo above? During the race, he came over and decided to keep a brutha company and jog along with me towards the finish. He was just exercising and wasn’t even in the race! What a nice gesture, especially being that since 5:55AM that morning, I was pretty much on my own. It was nice to have someone to finally talk to. After chatting a bit, we found out that we shared a mutual friend in fellow Honolulu Advertiser blogger Melissa Chang. I Tweeted @Melissa808 after the race to please thank her friend and found find out that his name was Russell. Mahaloz Russell for your company and encouragement!

Cones leading to the finish line

Allllmost there! [Photo Credit: Kim Asano]

Alas! The goal is in sight!

Funny story: DJ Maleko, who was emceeing the finish line area, called out my name and said that I should’ve taken this picture after I finished, not before!

So thar ya have it! I hope this helped you future Tinman-ers at least a little. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comment area below.

A special Mahalo to my blog commenter M, and all of the staffers at The Bike Shop and McCully Bike for the pre-race help/tips! Doumo Arigatou (Mr. Roboto) to Kari Ohara, Miko Ohara, Kim Asano, moms, pops, wifey and wifey’s family for the support before, during and after the race! Big ups to the Tinman peeps for putting on this glorious event and the 100s of volunteers (and race participants as well) who showed their support during the race! Props to Russell for being my last leg jogging partner! And a final grazie to the Carrolls for the hospitality before the race and a wonderful lunch after.

I (guess I) can’t forget to send some love to Bari Carroll for motivating me to train for this thang against my will. You be a-ight I guess… Nah, thanks B!

See ya guys in the water next year???

P.S. Wanna see our progress from newbs to average Joes? Check out Bari’s (slightly biased) editing magic in our Tinman journal/video documentary! Don’t watch if you’re squeamish about pale, topless men. Consider yourself warned!

Tags: 10K, 18th Ave, 40K, 750 meter, @Melissa808, A First Timer's Guide to Tinman Success, bananas to help with cramping, Bari Carroll, bicycle, bike, bike rentals in hawaii, bike tools, carbo-load, Carrolls, Diamond Head, DJ Maleko, Elepaio St, goggles, Hawaii Bicycling League, hawaii bike rentals, Hawaii Kai, hawaii tinman, hawaii triathlon, Heartbreak Hill, Heavy Breathers, helmet, honolulu marathon, Honolulu Marathon Clinic, honolulu triathlon, Honolulu Zoo, Kahala Ave, Kalakaua Ave, Kalakaua Ave fountain, Kapahulu ave, Kapiolani Community College, Kapiolani Park, Kari Ohara, Kilauea ave, Kim Asano, Manoa pool, McCully Bike, Melissa Chang, Miko Ohara, Monsarrat Ave, no-blister socks, Queens, run, Russell, swim, The Bike Shop, tinman tips, Tinman Tips - A First Timer's Guide to Tinman Success, Tinman Triathlon, tinmanhawaii.com, Train, transitions, tri-shorts, Triangle Park, water bottle, water bottle holder

Ship’s Ahoy! – Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time – Part I

 Part I  | Part II | Part III | Part IV

For someone who’s spent his entire life on an island completely surrounded by water, it’s amazing that your boy has never traveled much on one of them floaty things… What are they called now? A yes, a boat.

I mean there were those times on fiberglass-infested kayaks, small fishing boats, and touristy catamarans all over Hawaii, or that local ferry in Seattle, or even that Honshu to Kyuushu hovercraft in Japan… but nothing really to write home about.

So when the fam wanted to get together for a little family bonding on the water – Alaskan Cruise ship style, I was in like flint!

Now because the ship’s first port of call was out of the Port of Seattle (Smith Cove Cruise Terminal on Pier 91 to be exact), we “Hawaiians” had to fly over to our Northwest neighbor in order to start our Alaskan adventure.

Ain’t no thang. All it meant was that we’d have a bonus night (going) and whole day (coming back) in the Emerald City. Sa-weet! Two vacays in one!

After a quick stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites SeaTac – which was preceded by a high class meal at the Silver Dollar Casino Restaurant & Lounge, and followed by a visit to the “International Festival” at nearby Angle Lake Park the next morning, we were shuttled off to the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal.

Much like the airport terminals across the country, this seaport terminal could get confusing and hectic real quick if you aren’t paying attention.

Expect to stand in line for like 20-30 minutes.

Following the long wait and mandatory paperwork, we were ready to board yo!

Not sure if this is typical of cruiselines, or we were just waaay too early, but our rooms were not ready when we got on the ship. We decided to kill some time familiarizing ourselves with our home for the next 7 days, and its many amenities.

The Sea View Pool

Alas, our rooms were ready… If you’re claustrophobic, your stateroom may be a bit tight for you. Check it.

View from the “bedroom” to the hallway and bathroom

Pretty tight quarters for the potty and shower/tub, but it worked.

Our luggage was not delivered to our room yet and we wondered where in the heck it was. Turning the corner to get to the elevator answered all of our questions.

Ed’s Tip: If you love your luggage, buy a hard case. They stack everyone’s luggage near the elevator, on the floor you’re on, before room delivery.

Before we could even catch our breath, it was time for the all-ship, mandatory (yes mandatory!) safety training, where we geared up in our lifejackets (provided in each room) and proceeded to the 3rd floor deck for some instruction.

After roll call (yes, roll call! ), we were trained on what to do in case of an emergency. Although it was supposed to be serious, we were able to find humor in our fashion.

Ed’s Tip: Be sure to study the chart on the back of your room’s door. It shows the quickest, shortest route to your designated meeting area outside, in addition to how to properly wear your life jacket.

Following the training sesh, we further explored the ship, discovering the Hydro Pool, Thermal Suites, Fitness Center, Lido Pool, and all-important basketball court!

Brother-In-Law made the mistake of challenging the Sugimotos to a 2-on-2 game of hoops, which led to the following victory and defeat photos. *grin*

Maybe next time? [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

Ed’s Tip: If you try to hoop it up and it’s insanely windy, don’t give up. The wind up there on the 11th floor varies, depending on the weather and what day of the cruise you’re on.

Before long, it was time to get ready for dinner. Since it was casual night, we decided to just eat BBQ food (served next to the Lido Pool) and follow that up with some dancing at the Northern Lights Nightclub on the 3rd floor.

Holland America’s reputation is that it is more for the older crowd, and nowhere was that more apparent than the empty nightclub that night. We owned the dance floor baby! Later, we were told that formal nights are when the club (and everywhere else) gets crowded.

Ed’s Tip: Party on formal nights. You’ll have more company.

Every morning, you’re greeted with a “Today at a Glance” daily itinerary in your room’s mailbox. Itemizing various activities hour by hour, you’re never short of possibilities to fill your day (e.g. Basketball Shootout, Ping Pong Challenge, No Limit Texas Hold’Em Poker Tournament, Bingo, Digital Workshops, Wine Tasting, Culinary Arts Presentations, Broadway-esque shows, etc.).

On day two, we decided to make it a true vacation and fill our time with long overdue pampering, courtesy of room service for breakfast and the Hydro Pool and Thermal Suites for hard core relaxation.

The Hydro Pool

Our view from the Thermal Suites (beds are heated)

Ed’s Tip: Part of your fees includes a daily charge of $11 for tip. Since you’re paying for it anyway, you might as well order up room service for those times when you just don’t feel like going out. For the Hydro Pool/Thermal Suites package ($40 per person), order this to start the morning of a full day on the cruise (no docking) to make the most of your money. This way, you’ll have all day and night for in and out privileges. For the Thermal Suites, try to pick an off-peak time to go. With just 6 beds, you will hardly ever find a bed open during peak hours.

And then it was formal night!

I was probably in the minority on this one being that I was fairly excited. How often do we get to play dress up and grind good kine eats like this?

The Crab Cake was a winner for all of us. I ordered two for good measure.

Surf and Turf combo

Crab Legs!

Ed’s Tip: If you’re a big eater, portions will be small. You may want to order up several rounds to satisfy the ol’ appetite.

But don’t forget to leave room for dessert!

… But not as much as us!

After squeezing in another session at the Thermal Suites, we decided to put day 2 to a close in preparation for the next day’s festivities.

Day 3 called for us to turn our clocks back one hour (from Seattle time to Alaska time) and involved many on-boat activities, including the highlight: majestic Glacier Bay.

My attempt at an artsy fartsy shot near Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay, Alaska [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

Glacier near Glacier Bay (notice the relative size of the ship in the water and the gushing waterfall in the cave?) [Photo Credit: Lee Kojima]

Family shot in Glacier Bay

Ed’s Tip: Give yourself enough time to eat so you’re not rushing to finish eating in order to get a good view of the scenery. The Glacier Bay Park Ranger Commentary, for us, began at 1PM (check your daily schedule). Also, dress warm. During certain hours, staying outdoors to experience Glacier Bay for long periods of time may prove to be too cold for some.

And then, it was time for socializing with our tour group at the Captain’s Corner of the Crow’s Nest (10th floor Observation deck)…

… with dinner to follow at the Vista Dining Room again (9th floor).

Fairbanks Seafood Platter appetizer – A fine selection of Alaskan spotted shrimp, salmon jerky, clams, hot-smoked salmon and smoked halibut.

Ketchikan Fisherman’s Chowder – Halibut, salmon, cod, shrimp, thyme, celebry, red-skin potato and corn braised in a creamy clam soup, served with sourdough croutons.

Reindeer Sausage and Vegetable Soup – Rich beef broth with sausage, diced carrot, onion, potato, green beans, peas, cabbage, fresh herbs and finished with sherry pepper to add a little extra spice.

Halibut Caddy Ganty entrée – Topped with sour cream, onion and fresh breadcrumbs, served over olive oil red-skin mashed potatoes, broccoli florets and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Razor Clam, Bay Scallops and Manila Clam over Noodles entrée – Tender egg noodles, diced tomato, garlic and parsley, tossed in a white wine cream sauce, topped with sautéed razor clam, bay scallops and streamed Manila clams.

Ahhh… the end of day 3. By now, you’ll be getting used to the VERY long days.

Tomorrow, we are expected to see land for the first time in 3 days, as we hit Juneau Alaska at 6AM in the morning. See ya bright and early!

To be continued…

 Part I  | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Tags: Alaska, alaskan cruise, butchart gardens, canada, Holland America, Juneau, Ketchikan, salmon bake, Seattle, Ship's Ahoy! - Experiencing an Alaskan Cruise for the Very First Time, Sitka, vancouver, ziplining

BJ Penn On Family, Fighting Florian, and the Future

B.J. Penn.

Say it but once and it commands respect.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or so, the name B.J. Penn is one you’re probably very familiar with. It’s the same name that is revered in Mixed-Martial Arts circles and synonymous with that word “respect”.

Best of all, bruddah is ours; a son of the `aina, born and raised in our backyard of Hawaii.

Hawaii’s own… BJ Penn (Photo Courtesy: UFC)

When the opportunity presented itself to meet and interview this legend of the sport, you can bet your candypants that I was going to be there.

Penn was first introduced to the art of jiu jitsu by his neighbor Tom Callos. Callos had just moved to Hilo with his girlfriend and was looking for training partners to roll with. B.J. excelled and eventually went on to become the first American born competitor to win the (Mundial) World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the black belt featherweight division.

Since then, he’s fought some of the biggest names in (and out of) his weight class including Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, Matt Hughes, Renzo Gracie and Takanori Gomi, and has made a case for himself as one of the greatest pound for pound fighters in the world.

Penn puts a rear naked choke on then Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes to take the title at UFC 46: Super Natural (Photo Courtesy: UFC)

On August 8th, Penn will be putting his Lightweight Championship belt on the line against a game Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Florian is one of the top lightweight contenders in the UFC who possesses a dangerous muay thai striking game, wicked elbows and a sick jiu jitsu ground game, and, is, oh-by-the-way, riding a 6 fight winning streak over the likes of Roger Huerta, Joe Stevenson, Joe Lauzon and Din Thomas.

UFC 101 Poster (Photo Courtesy: UFC)

Penn, now 30, talks about fighting Florian, his family and what’s to come in his not-so-distant future… Check it!

Video Interview with B.J. Penn – Part I – Personal Life (Click to Play!)

PERSONAL LIFE:

Edward Sugimoto) (It’s very evident that) you’re very close to your family. Describe the importance of that strong bond.

B.J. Penn) It’s always good to have a good family bond. You know you always got people to back you up and always got someone to hang out with… Someone to have fun with… have a good time so, yup family’s very important.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) You just started a family of your own with your daughter (Aeva Lili’u , born on October 16 2008). How has she changed your life?

B.J. Penn) (*laughs*) Yeah I just had a daughter Aeva, 7 months old right now and, you know, she’s awesome! She gives me a reason to come home. There’s no reason to stay out late a lot of the nights. You know, just come home. It’s just awesome, awesome having a daughter.

Edward Sugimoto) What is your favorite part of being a dad?

B.J. Penn) I guess my favorite part about being a dad I guess is just seeing your baby after not seeing them after a couple hours or waking up in the morning. It’s just a real good time.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) Growing up with brothers, you have a tendency to be very competitive. You have 3 brothers. How much of a role do you think that played in your life competing in sports?

B.J. Penn) I definitely think that having a lot of brothers made me competitive. I mean, just with me being in between Reagan and JD you know I can you know, I can get into it with him and get into it with Reagan so being a middle child I think that helped me a lot.

Edward Sugimoto) You seem to go out of your way to represent the state of Hawaii with great pride. From your King Kamehameha pose during the weigh-ins, to your Brudda Iz entrance song, to your shakas… Even staying true to your Big Island roots. Why is that so important to you?

B.J. Penn) I just uh, I like to go out there and spread Hawaii all around the world and let people know what we’re about. It’s really good to spread the Aloha Spirit and all these different things around and you know, sometimes you feel like “if I don’t do it, who will?” (*laughs*) you know.

B.J. Penn and the author

Edward Sugimoto) Unlike other celebrities, you’re pretty down to earth, you’re welcoming with your fans. What makes you so grounded and humble?

B.J. Penn) I guess when I’m in Las Vegas and the big UFC and everything, and all the action going on you know, I really don’t get to see none of that stuff over here at home in Hilo so it’s just a total different world you know. You go up there and it’s real busy and all these things. Down here in Hilo it’s just real relaxed. I think can owe a lot of being grounded to just being where I grew up.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) Do you have any heroes?

B.J. Penn) I for sure have a lot of heroes. Hulk Hogan, “Rocky Balboa”, and Mike Tyson. You know, I mean everybody growing up. I’m a fan of a lot of people.

Edward Sugimoto) Do you follow other local athletes like Shane Victorino, Tadd Fujikawa, etc.?

B.J. Penn) I’m not a big baseball fan, but I know of Shane you know, I wish him the best and all his successes. And I remember Bryan Clay… just won the Olympics. That’s just amazing. Greatest athlete on earth right there. So it’s just amazing the kind of athletes that have been coming out of Hawaii lately.

Edward Sugimoto) What is a typical day in the life of B.J. Penn?

B.J. Penn) Typical day in the life? Training day: I guess wake up, drink a protein shake with some oatmeal, and go work out. Come home, relax, eat a bunch more times, and go back and work out again. Come home and relax. And on a rest day: don’t do nothin’. Stay home all day or down at the beach or river or whatever.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) You make a lot of excellent use of web and social networking: Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, whatnot. How has these helped to get your message out to your fans?

B.J. Penn) Yeah, it’s a great way to get what you want to say out to the fans. And that’s the best thing about having your own web site or doing stuff because people always try to edit you down and people always try to not let you say what you want to say and that’s the most important thing about having BJPenn.com is I can say whatever I want to say and I can get that message out.

Edward Sugimoto) Speaking of BJPENN.com. It looks like you guys put a lot of work into it. Daily video blogs, forums, and that kinda thing for the fans. What’s the ultimate goal with the site?

B.J. Penn) I just want to let BJPenn.com keep growing and you know, ah, I guess it’s at it’s ultimate goal right now, and now we just keep letting it grow and multiply and multiply until it’s something to be reckoned with I guess. (*laughs*)

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) You work pretty tirelessly with the keiki as well, at your gym and you have a B.J. Penn Foundation. What motivates you to educate and shape the future of Hawaii?

B.J. Penn) You know, just kinda watching the kids around. I don’t want to be a role model. I don’t want to be you know the guy, like I’m a perfect person cause I’m not that’s for sure, but you know, you put me in front of a bunch of kids and you tell me to start talking to them and it just seems like it comes out natural. And I just talk to them and I see them and I know you know, everybody’s different, everybody has their hardships and goes through their different things, so it’s good, you know, if I can just brighten up their day for a little bit or maybe they can take any advice that I might’ve learned over my years of experience I guess, it all makes it worth it.

The sign outside Penn Training & Fitness Center, where first time keiki and world class fighters alike train

Edward Sugimoto) You’ve been seen wearing “B.J. Penn for Governor” T-shirts. Is this something you’d like to one day shoot for?

B.J. Penn) (*laughs*) Um, I don’t know. I don’t know if we’re gonna run for office. Anybody who ever asks me about that shirt, I just have to tell um, “we’re weighing our options.” (*laughs*)

Video Interview with B.J. Penn – Part II – MMA Life (Click to Play!)

MMA LIFE:

Edward Sugimoto) When did you first realize you could scrap?

B.J. Penn) I still don’t know if I can scrap. I gotta find out some more. I don’t know I just realized one day when we were playing around boxing and somebody punched me and I realized ah, it doesn’t even hurt. And that’s when I realized that, well I didn’t realize, but then I just knew that punches don’t hurt.

Edward Sugimoto) Speaking of that, what is your head made out of? I hardly ever see you bruise or bleed or anything!

B.J. Penn) (*laughs modestly*) Oh no, no! I don’t know. Just gotta knock on wood (*knocks on wood*) for that one.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) The story of how you got introduced to BJJ is legendary (introduced by your neighbor Tom Callos)…

B.J. Penn) Yup, my neighbor Tom Callos lived right on this road. And he did a couple of jiu-jitsu lessons and he seen us kids wrestling around, boxing and hanging out, and he wanted a bunch of kids to just work out with. Cause he wasn’t teaching, just to have fun and roll around with. And then we, we uh, we started… So I didn’t wanna really do it, and my dad was like c’mon go do it, go do it, so I went down and then Tom choked me out tapped me out and I was like man, there’s something to this, and my brain just started going.

Edward Sugimoto) So we can thank Tom for B.J. Penn!?

B.J. Penn) Yeah, I really gotta thank Tom Callos. I tell him that all the time. (*looks into camera*) And thank you Tom.

BJ Penn, unknown, Kennan Cornelius, Reagan Penn, Tony DeSouza and Tom Callos. (Photo Courtesy: Tom Callos)

Edward Sugimoto) You still work with him right?

B.J. Penn) Yeah yeah, he lives right here, down the road.

Edward Sugimoto) I mean on the web site, you have his web site linked.

B.J. Penn) Yup, Tom the Master. Martial Arts gym owner, business man.

Edward Sugimoto) You earned the nickname “The Prodigy” early on. In a recent interview I saw that you were thinking about changing it. If you could change it today, what would you change it to?

B.J. Penn) (*laughs*) Um, Jay Penn, Jr. Nah. I dunno. Umm…

Edward Sugimoto) We’ll just stick with that one.

B.J. Penn) Yeah, we’ll stick with “The Prodigy” for now (*laughs*)

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) Talk about your flexibility and how that helps you.

B.J. Penn) Yeah, I didn’t know I was flexible my whole life. You know everybody always asked me, “How’d you get so flexible?” “Do you stretch so much?” and after I started doing jiu jitsu, everybody started telling me I was flexible, and THEN I started stretching, like, to make it even more… to get more flexible. So that’s the whole story on my flexibility.

Penn displaying his flexibility against Matt Hughes at UFC 63 (Photo Courtesy: UFC)

Edward Sugimoto) A lot of people try to use the statement “oh he’s spoiled because he comes from a rich family” and that pisses ME off hearing that. Be honest, how fired up do you get (when you hear people say that)?

B.J. Penn) You know, a lot of people say I’m spoiled and stuff and I really would like to respond, but I gotta go jump inside the limousine, it’s waiting for me right here and we’re gonna go ahead and jump in my private jet and head outta here so… (*laughs*) You know, but um. Ah, people can say whatever they want. They don’t know how you live, you know. But I guess at least they’re that interested that they want to know. So if people are talking good or bad, you know, just as long as they’re talking, it’s worse if they’re not saying anything.

Edward Sugimoto) A lot was made also about your partying days and your cardio back in the day, Until one day, you just flipped the switch. Was their one specific thing, that made you do that?

B.J. Penn) I didn’t like partying after a while. I mean, I still don’t mind it, but, I mean, now with a daughter, and just the whole training and everything, I wanted to take it more serious. I wanted to see you know how far can I get, how good can I get? You know it’s constantly evolving, it still isn’t finished yet, and I don’t think it ever will be. Every time you get into a new training camp, you try new methods and you try to improve and that’s just how it goes. I don’t think there’s ever an end-all say-all this is it, this is how you train for a fight.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) What’s the deal with licking blood?

B.J. Penn) I dunno, you gotta ask that guy in the ring because the guy right here would never lick blood I tell you that right now. (*laughs*) So it’s just a different man

Edward Sugimoto) Your cauliflower ears are often referred to as one of the nastiest in the business. Do you take that as a diss or a compliment?

B.J. Penn) (*laughs*) What do you mean? (*shows his right ear*) Look at that aerodynamic! (*laughs*)

Edward Sugimoto) The other side!

B.J. Penn) OK, ok, this one’s pretty bad, but… um, yup, it got bad. I really, you know, tell all the kids out there, you know, if you start grappling and your ear starts getting messed up, take care of it. I really wish I didn’t let it get too bad.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) You have an intensity on your face before you walk out or in your interviews that is unmatched. Are you like pissed off or focused? What is that?

B.J. Penn) I think I get focused when I’m doing interviews or in a match, but, I think it’s just that I’m emotionally involved, and I’m there, and I really wanna do my best, and I… I really wanna do my best whether it’s fighting, entertaining the fans, or whatever it is, you know, and I really feel I have a genuine like or love for the sport of mixed martial arts, and I take this stuff very serious, you know. This isn’t just a game for me.

Penn’s game face (Photo Courtesy: UFC)

Edward Sugimoto) Did you catch Machida’s performance (at UFC 98)?

B.J. Penn) Oh I got to see Lyoto Machida knock out Rashad Evans and that was just amazing how he did that. He did an awesome job. And Rashad went down.

Edward Sugimoto) Don’t think Dana White would allow it (different weight classes), but is that a rematch you’d like to have one day?

B.J. Penn) Um, you know, we’ll see what happens in the future with Lyoto and stuff. I mean first thing’s first. I gotta beat Kenny Florian coming up on August 8. And then I’m gonna move forward slowly and see who we fight next, and I wanna make sure I got a couple rematches in mind you know that I wanna have.

Edward Sugimoto) Speaking of UFC 101 against Florian. How’s the training going so far?

B.J. Penn) The training’s going great for UFC 101. I’m making sure not to overtrain. And, you know we started a couple months ago, and I’m training with Marv Marinovich, and we’ll be spending our last 8 weeks in California with a bunch of good training partners, with Marv Marinovich there, Jason Parillo will be there, Rudy Valentino’s gonna fly up, so I feel VERY good about this training camp.

B.J. Penn and the author

Edward Sugimoto) Just a while ago, you also just came back from training with Marv (famed ex-NFL trainer Marv Marinovich). How did that go?

B.J. Penn) Marv is just amazing. You know, I don’t want to get into everything that he does but it’s just his fundamentals for making somebody get to a much better athletic performance, it’s just amazing how he tackles athletic problems. He really is, that guy’s a genius.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) Kenny Florian is no joke. Without giving away too much, what’s your kind of plan of attack (for taking him out)?

B.J. Penn) Well I never really make a game plan when I go into a fight. I’m just gonna try to run at him, try to hit him. And he’s gonna try to I dunno, get away from me, or come in, but I’m gonna try to submit him or knock him out the whole time. And that’s it. I’m not really a good game plan guy, I just go and try and do my best.

Edward Sugimoto) Are you concerned at all about his notorious elbows (opening up a cut)?

B.J. Penn) You know, I’m sure he’s gonna be coming out with his elbows and stuff but actually, it’s better that I know that his elbows exist, and he’s good at um, so I think already that’s an advantage. Knowing is half the battle.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) There’s also our Hawaii boys Kendall Grove and Shane Nelson on the same card (UFC 101). How does that make you feel?

B.J. Penn) I’m really excited to have Kendall and Shane on the card with me. I’m gonna be a lot more comfortable. So I’m not gonna be the only one with pressure on my back that night. They gotta share the load.

Edward Sugimoto) Years ago, probably something like this would have never happened: 3 out of the 11 fights (of a major UFC card) involve fighters from Hawaii.

B.J. Penn) That’s right! Three out of the 11 fights are people from Hawaii. That’s amazing.

The author and B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) You’re also in a movie (“Never Surrender”) and you’re also in a video game (UFC 2009: Undisputed). Must be good to be B.J. Penn right now huh?

B.J. Penn) (*modest laugh*) Uh, I dunno, uh, ah, things… I dunno I haven’t gotten to play Undisputed yet, but I heard it’s a great game. And, I don’t know about my acting in the movie. Wasn’t too good, so… It’s alright, it’s alright. Just same ol’ getting back in the gym and getting ready to fight.

Edward Sugimoto) What does the future hold for B.J. Penn?

B.J. Penn) After we beat Kenny Florian on August 8th, come back, relax, and then, I don’t know, we’ll see how it all goes you know, I wanna get another title defense quick, right away, right after it so, we’ll see how it goes.

B.J. Penn

Edward Sugimoto) Anything else to add for your fans out there?

B.J. Penn) I just want to thank all the fans. Fans of MMA in general and all my fans. And thank you guys very much for the support and thanks for sticking with me. It’s been a long ride and it’s been fun thank you guys.

B.J. Penn

Even though this was probably one of the most challenging interviews to line up, it was definitely the most gratifying. Not only am I a huge jiu-jitsu/MMA/martial arts enthusiast, I’m a big fan of B.J. Penn. He’s come from his humble beginnings in Hawaii and made a name for himself in his sport like no other. He’s as real as they get and for that I applaud him.

UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn (Photo Courtesy: UFC)

Following this experience, in which he showed true class and humility and never once made me feel like just another appointment on his calendar, I can truly say that I am an even bigger fan of Hawaii’s own, B.J. Penn. All the best to B.J., his family, his fight, and his future.

Respect Bruddah B.J…. Respect!

B.J. Penn and your boy. Yeah, I need a haircut… I know!

www.bjpenn.com
www.penntrainingandfitness.com

***

A special mahaloz to Maribel Quemado and JD Penn for making this interview a reality, Dave Oi for being my videographer and photographer for the day, and to Elizabeth Loucheur and Edward Muncey from the UFC for all of their assistance with media requests.

***

BONUS!

Prior to this interview with the champ, I asked my World Wide Ed blog community if they had any questions they’d like me to take up. The following link goes to the blog that I wrote today, that includes the questions they posed, and B.J.’s video response to them. Enjoy!

BJ Penn Answers Your Questions [Video]

UFC 101 Live Streaming Content: Thanks to the good people at the UFC, you can now view post UFC 100 video highlights and LIVE streaming events taking place leading up to UFC 101 on Oceanic.com! Check it out!

UFC 101 Live Streaming Content

Linkage

Kewl! MMAMania.com picked up my story. Pulled kind of a negative, out of context quote, but check it out nonetheless: “BJ Penn: ‘I’m making sure not to overtrain’ for UFC 101“.

Tags: bj penn, bj penn interview, BJ Penn On Family Fighting Florian and the Future, BJ Penn Video Interview, interview with bj penn, Kenny Florian, penn vs florian, UFC, ufc 101

Banzai to Kanpai! – Kanpai Bar & Grill

When I hear someone say “Eh, we go bar!” I picture some dark musky room with sweaty old men drinking cheap booze as they throw popcorn at the TV or complain about their nagging wives.

And although there ARE actually places like this, there are several watering holes around town that are working hard to completely wipe that image from your head. The relatively new Kanpai Bar & Grill (opened in September of 2008) off Ward Avenue is one such place.

“Kanpai” is the Japanese word for “cheers,” or to toast, and there’s definitely reason to raise a glass and give a little banzai to this “higher class” bar.

Kanpai Bar & Grill sign

Why “higher class”? For one, they’ve done a number to the interior of what used to be Dixie Grill and Tio’s. Lots of great “dining” style seating (indoor and outdoor), three dart machines, multiple-touch screen game machines, and 11 or so flat screens showing the most current sporting events all complete the ambience. And we didn’t even mention the food. Not your typical popcorn and peanut collection here yo! It’s real, restaurant quality food and it’s off the hook!

Having owners/partners with many years of experience in the fine dining and food and beverage worlds probably has something to do with it.

The husband and wife dynamic duo of Nadya & Bryan Yamasaki has 17 years of Food & Beverage experience under their belts. Combine that with the culinary mastery of Neil Nakasone, Brandon Hamada, John Estrella, and Jensen Hirota (aptly named Quatro Foods) in the kitchen – with experiences at such places as The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong, Halekulani, Ritz Carlton, Ruth’s Chris, and Tokuname – and you’ve got yourself a winning formula for some of the best bar eats in town.

Two of their best sellers are the signature steaks (wafu or kim chee), and the shortrib loco moco.

Wafu Style Ribeye Steak with Kabayaki Braised Mushrooms and Onions, Daikon Oroshi, Garlic Chips, and Ponzu Sauce (12oz – $16, 16oz – $22)

Kim Chee Ribeye Steak with Kim Chee and Two Fried Eggs (12oz – $16, 16oz – $22)

Braised Shortrib Loco Moco With Natural Pan Gravy and Two Eggs – $12

Other customer favorites according to Nadya include the garlic soybeans ($7), ahi belly ($10), and something off of their daily specials menu.

Favorites of this writer include the Spicy Garlic Chicken, Pork Chops, and Fried Rice. What’s a good meal without rice right? Right.

Fried Rice with Two Eggs – $8

Spicy Garlic Chicken – $8

Pork Chops with Sauteed Onions – $14

Oh, and let’s not forget to mention their Saimin and Kalbi Fried Noodles.

Saimin with all the Fixins – $8

Kalbi Fried Noodles – $10

How does Kanpai pull all of this off in such turbulent economic times?

Nadya explains, “In today’s economy, quality and value are important factors in any business. Providing good food with good value is a challenge that motivates us to meet and satisfy our customer’s expectations.”

This kind of attitude is what sets Kanpai apart from the rest. It also helps to explain the loyal customer base that packs this place on the regular.

So if you’re tired of eating peanuts with sweaty old men, give Kanpai a try the next time someone says “Eh, we go bar!” Your tummy will thank you.

Kanpai Bar & Grill
404 Ward Ave # 100
Honolulu, HI. 96814 (map)
(808) 593-9202
Open 11am to 2am daily

Tags: ahi belly, banzai, Banzai to Kanpai! - Kanpai Bar & Grill, bars in hawaii, braised shortrib loco moco, Brandon Hamada, Bryan Yamasaki, cheers, Daikon Oroshi, Dixie Grill, fried rice, Garlic Chips, garlic soybeans, Halekulani, hawaii bars, hawaii restaurants, Jensen Hirota, John Estrella, Kabayaki Braised Mushrooms, Kalbi Fried Noodles, kanpai, kim chee, Kim Chee Ribeye Steak, Nadya Yamasaki, Natural Pan Gravy, Neil Nakasone, Onions, Ponzu Sauce, Pork Chops, pupus, Quatro Foods, restaurants in hawaii, Ritz Carlton, Ruth's Chris, Saimin, Sauteed Onions, spicy garlic chicken, The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong, Tio's, toast, Tokuname, Two Fried Eggs, Wafu Style Ribeye Steak, ward avenue, watering hole