Well, the beginning of every year is always filled with
change. From simply hanging up that new calendar you purchased at Borders...
whoops, that's change in itself since there is no Borders, to crowning a new
NCAA National Champion in football via the BCS's convoluted ranking system (I
guess if LSU goes undefeated, it's hard to argue against them). Then in
February there's a new NFL Champion (it'll definitely be a Happy New Year when
Raider Nation rises to glory again) and so on and so forth. Of course, once
every 4 years signals a possible change in the White House and this is that
year (whether you may like him or not, I'm hoping for continuity since he is
the Mrs' classmate and a native son of the 50th). And of course, once every
144,000 days or 394.26 years, a Mayan baktun or Mayan Long Count Calendar ends
(which occurs on December 21, 2012) signaling the end of days right?! Actually
most Mayan scholars would simply say December 21, 2012 is the end of baktun 13
which heralds in baktun 14. No end of days, just another cycle beginning. Since
that day in question falls on a Friday, I already warned the boss that I'll be holding
a nice bottle of wine at work... just in case... in case NASA hasn't discovered
that 5 mile wide asteroid hurtling to earth at 5000 miles per hour.
And then of course, there are changes we'd like to
initiate or experience or those we want perpetuated. So here's my humble list
for 2012:
Pop Up Restaurants
Since most of you reside in the massive 48 states (notice I didn't phrase it as "greater" since the 50th is just as great), you already may have experienced Pop Up Restaurants. As I mentioned in an earlier column, these Pop Ups are usually run by up and coming chefs who just don't have the capital or financial backing to start their own restaurants so they "borrow" space from established restaurants or established kitchens. What do they offer that established restaurants don't? For starters, the price point is usually better since they're not encumbered by fixed lease payments and payroll. And more importantly, they usually offer changing menus and fresher ideas. Newer interpretations to food preparation and cooking "outside" of the box. Of course just cooking outside of the box means nothing if the food doesn't ultimately taste good but in the case of recent Pop Ups in the 50th, great food with a twist and great prices.
I applaud this newer phenomena in the 50th and applaud
the owners of established restaurants who allow these young gun chefs to
flourish.
Farmer's Markets
While Farmer's Markets are nothing new in the 50th, there certainly are many more in virtually every neighborhood on a weekly basis. Just 10 years ago, the most notable market was in the parking lot of the Kapiolani Community College every Saturday. In fact, it was so popular many vendors ran out of produce within the first 30 minutes or so. Since vendors weren't allowed to sell before the 7:30am horn, what they did was allow shoppers to pick out bags of produce and held them on the side before the horn. Therefore once the horn sounded, many vendor immediately had 50% of their produce already sold. Now there are markets weekly on the Windward side, Honolulu and the Leeward side of the island. But why cater to these markets? Aside from better prices (eliminating the middle man), the produce tends be fresher and in the case of veggies like tomatoes, riper, sweeter produce. You also help to support your immediate community as many vendors live in the same area where you hail. And believe me, you won't have to worry about putting Bird's Eye or Green Giant out of business. Everyone still needs bags of frozen peas or artichoke hearts in their freezers.
Real Food
For lack of a better term (or maybe to simply make it
sound palatable), I simply mean the whole animal or most of the animal. When we
consume small reef fish, we eat the whole fish. Not just the pectoral muscle or
the tail muscle or dorsal muscle. In fact with salmon we even eat the skin
(salmon skin sushi is one of my favorites). However when we consume terrestrial
animals, we usually only consume the "good" parts. In fact a vast
majority of the poor animal simply goes to pet food or worse yet, fertilizer.
But there's good eats in those other "strange" parts. I mean after
all, the poor animal was sacrificed specifically to feed you. The least you
could do is not waste most of its carcass.
These "real" parts of the animal also tests a
chef's true talents as they usually require longer cooking or creative flavoring
and preparation. With a filet mignon it's simple - just don't overcook it! But
with tripe it takes hours of cooking to tenderize but once it's there... Mmm,
mmm, good!
Okay, for those who say that they consume more than duck
breast and legs but also the offals... like its liver. Foie gras doesn't count
plus it's going the way of the dinosaur in the Golden State in another 6
months. I'm talking about parts like heart and other organ meats like thymus,
pancreas and kidney. Or even tongue - Korean style grilled beef tongue is a
favorite or grilled lambs tongue with roasted beets. I even had smoked duck
tongue that tasted like smoked Shimeji mushrooms. Or even the nether regions
starting with the stomach down to the... If you've had hot dogs or sausages in natural
casing, well you've had what's also known as chitterlings. I don't expect you
to start with tataki warthog butt like Tony Bourdain sampled in Namibia but
heart would be a good place to start. It is a muscle after all just like the
"good" parts and Limon Restaurant's Anticuchos de Res would be a good
place to start. Or simply reserve a table at Incanto or Poggio for their
interpretation of "real" food.
Changes for the
Year
As Mahatma Gandhi said. "Be the change you want to see" so following that quotation I will patronize my local farmers markets on a regular basis. I will patronize up and coming Pop Up restaurants in the 50th... even if their preset dinners are only served on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays. And I will eat "real"... I actually already do so perhaps I'll even start cooking "real" (though tripe does need to be simmered outside, far from any windows and downwind).
Or as David Bowie said "Ch, ch, ch, changes... just gonna have to be a different man". Okay maybe eating offal is a little too different for you. How about working on just number 2? Or it doesn't even have to be food related. Over the following year just find time to read more, relax more, enjoy more, eat more... whoops, most New Year resolutions are to eat less. Okay eat more... fresh fruits and vegetables... that you purchase at farmers markets. And though we can't control what goes on in Washington or what goes on with management at work or even habits of the significant other, we can control (and change) our own personal time. So may the Year of the Dragon bring you health, peace of mind and happiness. Shinmen Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!
Comments