I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Captain's Log, Stardate 06.04.2009
Because I know you’re all just DYING to know what we ate at my dad’s party, here are the pics!
This is the lechon (I think that's spelled correctly), which is Filipino style roast pork. This stuff is AWESOME!!! OMG it's even better than Chinese style roast pork. It's got a more delicately crispy outside and tender inside. Yummos!

Sashimi! (Raw fish, for those of you who don't know.) This is hamachi, or yellow tail fish. This is probably my favorite sashimi.

More sashimi! This is ahi, or tuna. This is the typical sashimi you'll see at Japanese restaurants. Hawaii people take their sashimi very seriously. The really high grade stuff can go for up to $50/pound, especially at New Year's. I don't think this was quite that expensive, but it tasted really good! The white stuff is shredded white radish (also called daikon), used as a garnish, not to eat.
The green stuff in the square bowl to the top right is wasabi paste, Japanese horseradish. Mom actually started to tear up when she was making the paste that night. Wasabi can also lose potency when exposed to air for overnight, because when we ate the leftover sashimi the next day, Dad said the wasabi wasn't as hot anymore.
This is kim chee, which is Korean spicy pickled vegetables. Most kim chee is made with cabbage, which is what this is made of.

This kim chee is made with cucumbers rather than cabbage. Just as spicy!
My mom's famous Chinese chicken salad! Seriously, I love her salad and can't reproduce it to save my life. She just makes the dressing really well.

This was my plate. This was after I'd snarfed a bunch of my sashimi down, hence only a few pieces at the top center. The green stuff on my Chinese chicken salad is cilantro! Yum!
There was also Korean kalbi, or marinated grilled beef (bottom left) and Chinese noodles (top right).

This is me with my two grandmas!


This is me with two of my cousins!

Because I know you’re all just DYING to know what we ate at my dad’s party, here are the pics!

Sashimi! (Raw fish, for those of you who don't know.) This is hamachi, or yellow tail fish. This is probably my favorite sashimi.

More sashimi! This is ahi, or tuna. This is the typical sashimi you'll see at Japanese restaurants. Hawaii people take their sashimi very seriously. The really high grade stuff can go for up to $50/pound, especially at New Year's. I don't think this was quite that expensive, but it tasted really good! The white stuff is shredded white radish (also called daikon), used as a garnish, not to eat.

This is kim chee, which is Korean spicy pickled vegetables. Most kim chee is made with cabbage, which is what this is made of.

This kim chee is made with cucumbers rather than cabbage. Just as spicy!

My mom's famous Chinese chicken salad! Seriously, I love her salad and can't reproduce it to save my life. She just makes the dressing really well.

This was my plate. This was after I'd snarfed a bunch of my sashimi down, hence only a few pieces at the top center. The green stuff on my Chinese chicken salad is cilantro! Yum!
There was also Korean kalbi, or marinated grilled beef (bottom left) and Chinese noodles (top right).

This is me with my two grandmas!


This is me with two of my cousins!

Comments
Blessings!
* Honey
glad you and your family had a good time and it looks as though your mom really went all out,
mamat2730(at)charter(dot)net
Honey, I personally don't know how to make it, but according to my grandma, it's easy. If you Google Kim Chee recipes, you'll find a bunch you can try.
Edna, thanks! We had a great time.
Camy
* Honey
I would really like the recipe for the KimChee with cucumbers. Can ya hook a southern girl up??
Milissa :)
Mdriverswife@aol.com
Here are two recipes that are closest to what we typically eat:
Honolulu Advertiser
Food Network
Let me know if you make it! I actually like cucumber kim chee better than cabbage.
Camy