Supreme Court Christmas Party

When I wrote before that Christmas in Hawaii is a big deal, I wasn't kidding.  In addition to a Christmas lights parade downtown, there is also a boat parade showcasing Christmas lights, we had a massive office party with 100+ people last week, and yesterday the Supreme Court had its own lunchtime Christmas party.  Although it was nice, I don't think it holds a candle to ours.  It did last a lot longer, though.  We showed up at 11:30 and didn't get out of there until about 2:00.  The entrees were all catered and thus not nearly as much homemade food.  There was slightly more traditional Hawaiian food, though.

Christmas Tree in Supreme Court Lobby

I tried also Poi for the first time.  It was an experience, that's for sure.  Poi is a very traditional Hawaiian dish made from the Taro plant.  Poi is produced by mashing the cooked corm (baked or steamed) of the taro plant until it becomes a highly viscous fluid. Water is added during mashing and again just before eating, to achieve a desired consistency, which can range from liquid to dough-like (poi can be known as two-finger or three-finger, alluding to how many fingers you would have to use to eat it, depending on its consistency).  It's like a paste.  I thought it tasted terrible and had a bitter, sour taste.  Don't tell any Hawaiians I said that, though.  They'll kick me off the island.  I was sitting next to our secretary who basically pour herself a bowl and ate it like soup.  She ate it ALL.  Poi is like sex to these people...they love it.

Poi

Anyway, the rest of the party involved more door prizes.  Everyone picked a number out of a hat and then received a corresponding gift.  I got a big coffee mug and some Hawaiian-made coffee.  There were also gift cards, homemade energy bars (that are quite delicious - they're made from oats, chocolate chips, and molasses), and see's candy.  Unlike our office party where everyone walked around and mingled, the Supreme Court party had plenty of tables where people could sit and talk with their table.  While people sat and ate, there was also a professional hula dancer who performed.  Finally, they also did a law-related movie trivia game.  The twist, though, was that members of the judiciary would act out scenes from movies and the tables, as a team, had to guess the name of the movie and one of the actors in the scene.  Our table was full of judges and it was VERY competitive.  We were actually in first place throughout the game, but then ended in a tie for first.  It came down to a tie breaker, which was to guess the number of minutes Chief Justice Recktenwald has been in office.  We lost.  Very disappointing, especially because everyone on the winning team received gift cards to various places around Honolulu. I hate losing.

Christmas Bar Crawl - Bar List

I am naturally a shy person; however, I am also a big believer in putting yourself out there, taking risks, and meeting new people.  This is especially important when moving to a new city (which I have done 6 times in the last 8 years).  Consequently, a few weeks ago I joined a homebrewing club.  The group regularly gets together and shares homemade beer and snacks at someone's house or has group outings that are based around beer.  This weekend there was a bar crawl where the plan was to partake in beer specials at a variety of bars in Chinatown.  There were maybe 50 people who showed up, all wearing various Christmas costumes. My friends and I did not get the memo and showed up dressed normally.  Oh well, it was still fun.

We started at Don Ho's at Aloha Tower.  From there, we went to Bar 35 where I got to sample some more beer on the massive 196-beer list.  After that, we went to Murphy's Irish bar.  Finally, we ended the night back at Aloha Tower and the Gordon Biersch brewery.  Overall, it was a fun night.  Aloha Tower is right on the water, so when we were at Don Ho's and Gordon Biersch, we sat outside on the deck, drank beer, and watched the boat parade.  What's a boat parade?  Exactly what it sounds like.  There were more than a dozen sailboats and yachts sailing around the harbor decked out with Christmas lights.

Picture from Don Ho's deck

Since I have never been to some of these places, here is my review.  You'll have to forgive me, but my memory of the bars gets a little hazier as the evening wore on.  Without further ado:

Don Ho's:  This bar and grill opened in 1998 and is located right on the water at Aloha Tower.  There is both an outdoor and indoor bar serving typical bar food.  I ordered the kalua pork sliders, which were decent, but nothing to write home about.  The bar prides itself on its entertainment calendar.  They bring in singers and performers as well as host karaoke weekly.  Don Ho was apparently a big musician here and until his death in 2007, he spent five nights a week, center stage behind his Hammond Organ, singing some of his favorite songs and "talking story" with his audience.  When we were there, there was a chorus/choir of elementary school-age children singing Christmas carols.

Bar 35:  I have previously described this bar as a lounge with an outdoor patio and indoor couches.  Every Wednesday from 6-8pm there is a House of Brews beer tasting event with delicious pizza.  On Saturday, everyone hung around outside and drank beer on what was a gorgeous 76-degree night in Honolulu.  It is a really chill environment.  I think some nights they have live music, but when we showed up at 8:30pm on Saturday night, it was dead inside.  The beers can be expensive ($9), but they have happy hour Saturday night where you can find 130 beers that cost only $4.  They also have $3 vodka martinis.  One other fun fact: if you watched Hawaii Five-0 on Monday night (12/13), Bar 35 was actually a scene in the show.  If you are interested, you can watch it online at CBS.com.


Murphy's:  I had been here once before for happy hour and was not overly impressed.  When I went on Saturday night, though, I thought it was a great bar.  The bartenders were friendly and talkative, despite the fact that it was busy.  The service was phenomenal, despite it being crowded.  The beer prices were nothing special, but the environment was worth it.  If you like Irish pubs, you have basically two options.  They are actually across the street from each other: O'Tool's and Murphy's.  O'Tool's allows people to smoke inside.  Murphy's does not.  Murphy's is also much more well-lit inside and has less of a "dive bar" atmosphere.  The only downside to Murphy's is that the bartenders did not know how to properly pour a Guinness.  Yes, at an Irish pub they didn't know to pour halfway, let sit, finish pour.  What can I say, it's Hawaii.

Inside Murphy's

Gordon Biersch: This brewery originated in Palo Alto, CA, but currently operates 29 restaurants in the U.S., including Honolulu. Additionally, two Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants operate in Taiwan.  The idea behind the brewery is to serve traditional German beer.  They admit they don't do fruit-infused wheat beers or 100 varieties from around the world.  The brewery here is also at Aloha Tower and has both indoor and outdoor seating.  It is right next to Don Ho's, but I would recommend Gordon Biersch.  The service was a little better, it is much bigger so it is less crowded, and the prices are slightly better.  The menu options at Gordon Biersch is also much better.

Inside Gordon Biersch

Overall, the Saturday bar crawl was a lot of fun.  The best part was that you can walk between all of the bars without a problem at all.  All of Chinatown is also covered with Christmas lights this time of year and while it was weird to see Christmas lights in shorts, it was really pretty to see the city all lit up.  If you're in the mood for a Chinatown adventure, I recommend doing this lineup of bars and sampling the cuisine as well as the brews. 

Wahoo's Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

I have now eaten at Wahoo's Fish Tacos twice and the best I can say about this place is that it's "okay."  Although there are a few decent places (i.e. Cholo's on the North Shore), Hawaii is not known for its Mexican food.  In downtown Honolulu, Wahoo's is one of your only options.  I don't recommend their chips and salsa, AT ALL.  The chips are stale and the salsa is bland.  The fish tacos were also not particularly appetizing.  The fish was dry and the portions were small.  One nice thing about this place is that you can order your food "a la carte," which means "without beans and rice."  I have never been a huge fan of refried beans and rice.  So it's nice that you don't have to pay for it if you're not going to eat it.

The best thing I have tried thus far is the burrito. They have chicken, steak, and fish burritos.  I have had the fish and a chicken/steak combo.  I recommend the chicken/steak combo.  Also, get your burrito "wet."  A wet burrito, like the one pictured below, is simply a burrito that they smother is a spicy green chile sauce.  If you absolutely love spicy food, you may be disappointed.  There is not much "kick" to it.  That said, it is hearty and has a good flavor.  If you're visiting and desperately need a Mexican fix, I recommend waiting until you make it to the North Shore.  If you absolutely cannot wait, then stop by Wahoo's.

"Wet" Fish Burrito

Heavy Rain

Thursday night through Friday afternoon saw a major thunderstorm for the first time since I've been in Hawaii.  It made for a very wet furlough Friday.  Thunderstorms are pretty typical in the midwest so I wasn't all that surprised when I saw lightning and heard thunder.  However, in Hawaii those things are apparently rare.  The winter is Hawaii's rainy season, and it has rained a few times in the last month or two, but nothing unusual in my opinion.  The last two days, though, have been pretty crazy.  There has been a constant, heavy rain.  So much so, in fact, that the Department of Heath actually issued an advisory to Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui and Moloka'i to stay out of any water that is brown.

The Department warning says, "The public is advised to stay out of flood waters and storm water runoff due to possible overflowing cesspools, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, chemicals, and associated flood debris. The health department warning says boaters, swimmers and surfers should stay out of coastal waters if they are turbid and brown."

I previously wrote about Leptosperosis and its prevalence in Hawaii.  I was fortunate that I did not contract it when I went cliff jumping at Maunawili Falls, but I think this advisory is enough to convince me that I won't be going back in the near future.

Five Traditional Hawaiian Foods

I was randomly reading CNN.com today and saw a column called "5@5" which is a daily food-related blog that compiles lists by chefs, writers, foodies, and other self-important people who think they know food.  I have never read it before, but the headline on the front page of CNN.com was "Five Traditional Hawaiian Foods." I was intrigued.  The list was compiled by Carol Wallack who is the executive chef and owner of sola in Chicago, Illinois. The writers at 5@5 decided to focus on Hawaii in the midst of a cold spell hitting...well...the rest of the country.  They were longing for the warmth of Hawaii.  While I didn't come up with this list, I have certainly come across all of the items on it and have eaten most of them.  I have not eaten Spam yet and don't really have plans to.  Anyway, without further ado:


Five Traditional Hawaiian Foods:


1. Kalua pork
"Kalua pork, unlike the way it sounds does not have Kahlua, the liqueur, in it. It's pork butt baked in an underground oven called an imu. If you don’t have an imu, you can replicate the flavor by seasoning and wrapping the butt in banana leaves and baking it, then smoking it in a regular smoker. You can pull the pork and mix with herbs,  and put the meat into pot stickers. They are served with a mango and kumquat salsa which really says Hawaii with fruity deliciousness. It’s about the only way I’ll eat pork, besides bacon of course."  [Ed. Note: This is seriously delicious].


2. Poke
"Poke (pronounced po-kay) is my way of having just another form of Hawaiian tuna to eat, and I serve it with avocado which is my second favorite food! It’s so popular at sola that it’s been on the menu since we opened. The tuna is mixed with a hijiki (seaweed) salad layered with avocado and sushi rice, garnished with wasabi tobiko, sweet soy, wasabi oil and scallions. It doesn’t get much better than that. Everyone loves fresh Ahi tuna, and the best is right off the dock in Honolulu at the auctions." [Ed. Note: when I first moved to Hawaii and was invited to Justice Duffy's house to watch football, a local friend suggested I bring this instead of typical "chips and salsa."  This is something you will see at almost any party.  If it's fresh, it can be quite good].

Poke

3. Pineapple
"Pineapple just makes everyone think of Hawaii and it can be used in so many dishes. The best part about it is that in Hawaii, it's always in season and can be used in an array of dishes. I love to grill it and dice it into risotto. A Hawaiian favorite is French onion soup with pineapple in the stock. It tastes fantastic and is the perfect fruit to add sweetness and acid simultaneously." [Ed. Note: If you're a vodka drinker, I recommend putting pineapple in your drink instead of lemon or lime].

4. SPAM musubi
"SPAM musubi is a favorite in Hawaii. Locals eat it all the time. It’s a slice of SPAM over a block of rice. Recipes vary but typically slices of SPAM are grilled first, sometimes with a light teriyaki flavor. An acrylic mold is then placed over a sheet of nori, which is edible seaweed, and rice is pressed into the mold. The grilled SPAM is placed over the rice in the mold, then the mold is removed. The nori is then wrapped over the top and around the musubi. And there you have it, Spam Sushi!" [Ed. Note: Yea, not gonna happen].

Spam Musubi

5. Loco moco
"Loco moco is a rice and hamburger concoction with brown gravy over it. There are many ways to eat it, including what I call the 'Big Kahuna.' I take a Wagyu burger and serve it over togarashi potatoes, cheddar cheese from a local farmer, bacon, fried eggs, onions and Hollandaise. It’s definitely a great brunch item. Sort of poetic license, if you will." [Ed. Note: Haven't had this, either].

Loco Moco

If you find yourself in Hawai'i, then I highly recommend going to a local dive somewhere in Chinatown and ordering these plates.  You'll be considered Hawaiian in no time.  Just make sure you don't do it while wearing a fanny pack!

Holiday Party

Office Christmas Tree

Today was our office holiday party, but in Hawai'i that carries a whole new meaning.  First of all, I know a number of lawyers at big firms where a holiday party includes a lot of alcohol and catering and networking.  It's not quite the same when you work for the Hawaii State Government.  We have 30 people who work in the office, but everything is about Ohana (family) here.  That means that when you throw a party, you invite everyone.  There were over 100 people crammed in our tiny office eating and snacking and having a good time.  It was during the day, which was done so more people could come.  It also means no outrageous stories.

Hallway Decorations

Setting up for this party reminded me of home, actually.  I have a pretty big family (8 aunts and uncles, 30+ first cousins) and holidays are our only chance to get everyone together at the same time.  The family Christmas party every year is a complete and total mad house with kids running around doing God-knows-what.  Everyone brings a different food item.  There are amazing smells wafting in the halls and kitchen.  There is always someone's girlfriend/boyfriend/random friend that no one knows.  We catch up on school, work, and life.  We also do a secret Santa where everyone gets the chance to do something nice for a brother, sister, or cousin.  It's my favorite time of year.
 

Dessert Table

Our holiday party was exactly like a family event at home.  The secretaries were amazing.  They got most of the food from caterers, but also made about a dozen homemade items.  There were TONS of homemade desserts, crab dip, crab/vegetable sushi, Bulgogi pork, Kalua pork, garlic chicken, chips/dip, pasta salad, and spinach salad.  Setting up for the party was a hectic dash to make everything come together, but somehow it did.  When everyone arrived, we were all milling around bumping into each other, meeting new people, and catching up with old friends.  On top of all that, EVERYONE also got a gift.  Nothing major, just gift cards, poinsettias, little christmas trees, tins of cookies/candy, kitchen supplies, or other random gifts.  Do people need the gifts? No.  But it wasn't about that.

Setting up the food table

I think sometimes people look at gift-giving as a hassle or burden.  Or maybe they think, "well, the person doesn't care, why give a gift."  Our secretaries went out and bought all these gifts, wrapped them ALL, and then put them around the office with an assigned number.  When people showed up, they picked a number out of a hat and had to find their gift.  Everyone had a great time searching around.  Not one secretary complained while they were putting in the time for this.  They had fun. Yes, I am traditional, that's true.  But it seems to me that Christmas is the one time a year where families get a chance to do something nice for each other. Who cares if it's small?  Gestures are a big deal and they mean a lot.

We decorated EVERYTHING

Recently some grinches people in my family decided they no longer wanted to do the secret santa.  They didn't want to spend the $20 on a gift card.  Not only did they not want to spend money on family, they didn't want to deal with the hassle.  Nevermind that they don't even need to buy a gift.  Whatever happened to making someone dinner as a gift?  Or taking someone to lunch?  Or babysitting?  This week I saw 6 secretaries wrap 100+ gifts for co-workers, colleagues, and people they didn't even know, all without complaining.  They made dozens of homemade desserts and entrees, all without complaining.  I think people who complain about having to go to the store to get a gift card might want to take the stick out of their ass.  So while Hawaii has its quirks, for sure, one thing I love about it is that everyone is family here and they treat each other accordingly.

Headnote of the Week

A drunken man is as much entitled to a safe toilet as a sober one, and much more in need of it.
Cooper v. Nat'l R.R. Passenger Corp., 119 Cal. Rptr. 541 (Cal. Ct. App. 1975)

Mission Houses Museum

I am a big fan of deals and coupons.  I am absolutely the sucker that marketing companies target because I will buy 2 of something if the second one is 30% off or whatever.  I am naturally drawn to big ass bright signs that say "CLEARANCE" or "50% OFF!"  I also go to the store and compare unit prices and get the item that is the better buy, even if I don't need two 60oz jars of peanut butter.  It's just smart shopping, in my opinion.  This is why I love Costco.  I also love Groupon and LivingSocial - programs that harness group buying power to lower prices of events, activities, spas, and restaurants in major cities around the world.  If you're not familiar with these websites, you get one email a day alerting you to some phenomenal deal for the day.  It's free to sign up and you don't get spam as a result (other than the daily email).

Kawaiaha'o Church

I recently bought a coupon for Buy One/Get One Free Tea at the Mission Houses Cafe and Tea Parlor.  The museum and cafe are located across from 'Iolani Palace and next to the Supreme Court building. It is right off of Kapi'olani Ave on the Kawaiaha'o Church grounds.  The Mission Houses Museum connects the story of the American Protestant missionaries to the history and culture of Hawai‘i.  The Cafe and Tea Parlor is nestled in with the houses of the first Missionaries that came to Hawaii in the 1820's. I was a little skeptical at first, but it was actually pretty nice. The Cafe serves a light breakfast, coffee drinks, and lunch with takeout and casual in-house dining.  On Saturdays, though, they have "Saturday Afternoon Tea," which is what the coupon was for.  They have a preset menu with preset prices where they serve a pot of hot tea (per person), little sandwiches, desserts, and biscotti.

Mission Houses Cafe and Tea Parlor

The pastries, pristine tea sandwiches, and carefully prepared teas are served on fine china and are great for a relaxed afternoon break if you're walking around downtown or sightseeing at the Palace/Supreme Court building. Note that the tea is ONLY done on Saturdays from 11am-4pm.  The Saturday tea menu commemorates the women who came to Hawai'i as Missionaries in the 1820’s. Each menu offering is named after one of these women and highlights her contributions to Hawai'i.  They give you a little booklet that briefly talks about each woman, and I have to say their contributions were impressive. One woman founded the first organized school in Hawai'i.  Another translated Hawaiian into English so they could teach scripture, but she went further and also taught Hawaiians how to speak English.  Lucy Thurston, another woman whose name is on the menu, was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent the island's first mastectomy in her late 50s, and yet continued to teach in the Hawaiian schools for 21 years (until she died just before her 83rd birthday).

Presentation of Treats

You can see the normal menu here or the tea menu here.  Overall, this is probably something that older couples or mothers/daughters would spend time doing, but it was admittedly a cool place to check out. The food and tea were good and it was peaceful.  As I have said before, I am not a fan of museums, so I didn't tour the museum itself, but you can always do that too if you're interested.

Museum and Cafe Grounds

You're Welcome, America

I grew up in Delaware. This has proven to be great fodder for comedy among my friends in college and law school.  The most common phrase I hear when I meet new people is, "wow, I've never met anyone from Delaware."  I attribute that to the fact that there really aren't that many people from the country's second smallest State.  Delaware has two things it clings to, though.  First, we are the home of tax free shopping.  That's right, no sales tax on ANYTHING.  When you go to a restaurant and the price says $12.99, that's all you pay.  None of this $13.47 garbage you see everywhere else.  Second, and the theme of this post, is that Delaware is the First State. December 7 may be a date which will live in infamy, but it is also a date which should be more well known for something awesome.  Delaware was the first State to ratify the Constitution...you guessed it...on December 7, 1787.  Although the U.S. Constitution did not go into effect until March 4, 1789, Delaware still led the way. You're welcome.

State Flag of Delaware

Consequently, I can now boast that I have lived in the First State and the Last State (Hawaii joined the Union August 21, 1959).  So there's your fun fact of the day. If you're so inclined, I recommend taking a trip to the nation's First State. Here is our travel website (which I didn't even know existed) full of great tourist information.

69 Years Later

View from Shore

Today is a day that will live in infamy. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, about 25 minutes North of downtown Honolulu (does anyone else find it funny that they can fly planes across the Pacific and drop bombs with serious efficiency yet can't figure out which pedal is the gas and which is the brake in a car?). Today was an especially big deal here. There are memorials and ceremonies going on all over the island commemorating those who died in various parts of the island attack.  The most prominent though was at Pearl Harbor itself.  About 200 survivors and 2,500 members of the public attended the waterfront ceremony and dedication of the new $56 million Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and museum. This year’s theme for the Commemoration and Dedication was “A Promise Fulfilled,” focusing on the "creation of new experiences for visitors" at the newly opened "Pearl Harbor Visitor’s Center at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument."

USS Arizona Memorial

Most people already know what happened: At 7:55 on the sunny morning of December 7, 1941, 183 Japanese warplanes swooped out of the sky and demolished the US Pacific fleet docked at Pearl Harbor. It was this single catastrophic event, not the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain or the persecution of the Jews, that finally dragged the U.S. into World War II.  What you'll learn at the Memorial, though, is the intricate details of the attack.  For example, you'll learn that the way the battleships were organized and docked made them particularly susceptible to attack.  ALL the battleships were lined up right next to each other, in pairs (known as Battleship Row).  The USS Arizona (the famous exhibit at Pearl Harbor) was sunk in 9 minutes. It was over 600ft long and displaced 34,000 tons of water.  Do you know how hard it is to sink a ship that big in 9 minutes?  It sank that fast because one of the 2000-lb bombs broke through the deck and ignited a gun powder reserve tank. The ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives are still buried beneath the water. The memorial itself is a 184-foot-long structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship and consists of three main sections: (1) the entry and assembly rooms; (2) a central area designed for general observation; and (3) the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall (as well as survivors who asked to be buried with their fallen shipmates).

If you've never been to Pearl Harbor, it is an absolute must-see.  Its humble simplicity and reverence are truly amazing. If you ask people here about going, they're likely to make it sound like a nightmare trip.  They'll say, "ah, it's too late, you'll never make it" or "oh man, that's too far to go unless you leave at 6am."  Tell them to shut up.  Better yet, don't ask anyone.  I have been there several times - on weekdays and weekends - in the middle of the day, and have never had a problem getting a ticket for the next available boat.  When you walk in, go to the information desk and ask for a ticket to the USS Arizona Memorial.  The ticket grants you access to the water taxi (necessary to get to the Memorial) that leaves every 30-45 minutes.  The ticket is free, but there is an optional $6 audio tour that I highly recommend.  There are also two other ships, the USS Missouri Battleship ($20) and USS Bownfin Submarine ($10), which show visitors what the inside of a battleship and submarine are like, including living quarters for sailors.  Before walking over to the water taxi, make sure you stop and listen to the 23-minute video (free) that is on a constant loop. The video describes the morning of the attack with tremendous detail, including the escalation of conflict between the U.S. and Japan that led to the attack. There is also a memorial to all the submarines and crew that died in WWII, which is pretty interesting.  It is all really awe-inspiring and I recommend making the trip.

Names of Those Who Died on the USS Arizona

Here is a video of FDR's speech to Congress asking for a Declaration of War on Dec. 8, 1941.  This is his famous "date which will live in infamy" speech: