From raging wildfires in both the Golden State and Down Under, racial tensions that erupted into massive civil unrest not seen since the 1960s, an ongoing pandemic and a divided country that’s not about to resolve anytime soon, the turning of the Year of the Rat could not have come any sooner and I’m sure I, along with legions of citizens welcome the Year of the Ox. But will this new year suddenly resolve all the woes of the past year? Not anytime soon.
Continue to Mask Up
As this column was competed in early December, there still is no FDA approved vaccination for COVID-19. I’m aware that the two earliest trials showed greater than 90% efficacy which is better than the annual influenza vaccination. However, we don’t know how long that immunity persists as there are documented cases, albeit just case reports but people who were infected early in the pandemic came down with a 2nd infection a couple of months later. Granted, the two cases of re-infection was with a slightly different strain but what I fear is that the emergence of a vaccination will give people a false sense of security where they’ll stop wearing face masks, or stop social distancing or start congregating in large groups again and until the majority of the population is immunized, we still need to practice these measures.
That’s why I’m still waiting for my high-tech face masks funded through Indie GoGo. I received two other masks with N-99 filters (which technically protect better than medical grade N-95 masks) that are silicone to produce a complete seal against the skin… Of course, because everyone’s face is shaped different, they don’t provide a complete for some people… like me since I have what’s termed an “upepe” nose or flat nose so I don’t have that bridge to provide a complete seal. So, I hope the Leaf UV and UVMask provide a better fit over my schnoz!
And until the majority of the population is vaccinated, we’re still primarily dining out via take-out. As contact tracing is refined, it’s still apparent that indoor dining is associated with the spread of COVID-19, even more so than coffee shops or indoor gyms. But we still want to keep as many local restaurants as possible in business so we knosh on restaurant created food once or twice a week whereas we might have dined in about twice a month pre-COVID. And though the 50th hasn’t experienced had a 2nd major resurgence of COVID-19, because our economy is tourism based, there are many restaurants and small business that have folded permanently as they have in the Bay Area. We were so bummed when Chef Chris Cosentino shuttered Incanto over 6 years ago and were just as crushed when Cockscomb closed their doors for good. So, while my waist is still expanding like the galaxy, we still plan on doing our part to keep our restaurant industry solvent.
Dried over Canned
As the pandemic spread across the Pacific, there was a run on disinfecting supplies, paper goods and dried staples whether it was rice, pasta or flour. While we usually always have a full 30 roll package of Kirkland toilet paper on hand, we did start stocking a full back-up of paper towels. And we’ve gone from Lysol spray to generic since Lysol is nowhere to be found in the 50th. We also purchased more dried grains and legumes since there was a run on canned goods. And though everything is back in stock (other than Lysol spray), I’ll continue purchasing more dried grains and legumes even after COVID-19 has been reduced to a bad memory as they don’t take as much space, don’t tear the handles off your reusable grocery bag like canned goods and with a pressure cooker, are pretty easy to prepare. I’ve been fortifying all of our chili, curries and soups with farro, barley and lentils in a slow cooker for added protein and fiber and it’s as easy as open the bag, dump in the cooking vessel and slow cook for a couple of hours while performing other chores or just watching TV.
Legumes are just as easy to prepare if you have an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker with the only difference being an overnight pre-soak before pressure cooking them. Some legumes like dried soybeans don’t even require an overnight pre-soak – when I prepare my kuromame every Oshogatsu, I simply place the dried kuromame in my trusty Fagor multi-cooker (I’ve used Fagor well before Instant Pot was a buzzword) with water, sugar, shoyu and a touch of baking soda and salt with a small piece of dashi konbu then let it pressure cook for 1 hour.
Support Local
Though I’ve been preaching this for a while, the difficulties faced by all business in the face of a pandemic is as daunting as being infected with the virus so it’s critical to support those local neighborhood businesses so neighborhoods don’t turn into ghost towns of shuttered businesses. So, we continue to place regular orders for produce delivery from local farmers and protein from Chef Bob McGee who butchers and packages beef and chicken from Oahu and the Big Island, lamb and venison from Niihau and pork from Waianae.
This also includes seeking local Maui vodka and gin, local Kohana, Lahaina and Kauai rum, Maui Wine sparkling Rose, Hawaiian Shochu Co or Islander Sake as well as rice from The Rice Factory in Kaka’ako. During these hard times, I’ve also curtail my purchases of frozen natto from the Motherland as I previously found that it was convenient to store in my freezer door and always available but since the pandemic hit, I just reach for the local natto from Aloha Tofu. The downside is that local Aloha Tofu natto doesn’t have the same strong aroma and flavor and because it’s refrigerated, does have a “use by” date. However, it is packaged in larger containers than Japanese natto and because natto is basically steamed soybeans that have “gone South”, I don’t even pay attention to the “use by” date. Consuming after the “use by” date probably makes it a little funkier like natto from the Motherland!
Year of the Metal Ox
As the Chinese zodiac contains 12 animals representing subsequent years along with the five elements of metal, water, wood, fire and earth, a full cycle is composed of 60 years. That’s why a kanreki is celebrated when someone turns 60 years old as that person has completed the full cycle and is in a sense, reborn. And the last time we were entering the Year of the Metal Ox was in 1961 when yours truly made his appearance on this little orb. I’m not sure if I should be celebrating or tremulous as though a kanreki is meant to be a celebrated, a yakudoshi is a time to be wary as 61 is considered an unlucky year for men. Since Japanese citizens are considered 1 year old at birth, 61 years in the Motherland is 60 years here… And since the year before and after a man turns 61 years old are also considered unlucky years (and 2020 was pretty bad by anyone’s measure), I think I’ll keep a low profile this year (and wear that traditional red vest and hat on my birthday).
About 5 years ago, before an acquaintance passed away while in hospice, one of the last photos shared on social media had him wearing a t-shirt with a simple message “Life is short, drink the good wines now” and since that time, we’ve embraced that sentiment finding any little “occasion” to uncork any good bottle. You too should make your own little celebratory “occasions” during the year. So as usual, in this Year of the Metal Ox, I wish you health, happiness and peace of mind. Shinnen Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu.
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