Pampering your pets

By • December 13, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Yes, I’m one of those dog owners.

I dress my dogs in T-shirts and neckerchiefs and throw birthday parties for them at the beach.

But I draw the line on buying them a $650 Chanel collar and leash set.

It’s a growing trend among dog owners: spoiling their pooches with designer duds, lavish digs and, of course, the highest quality, most expensive dinners you can imagine.

The Beverly Hills Mutts Club, a high-end pet boutique in Southern California, sells collars with Swarovski crystals and pearls, wools and cashmere coats, and an Italian “Diva Bed” for $1,400. That’s more than my own bed costs. (Sandra Bullock, Jamie Lee Curtis, Susan Sarandon, Billy Joel and Vince Neil are regular customers.)

Then you’ve got the standard Rodeo Drive brands such as Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue — all of which sell pet-related gear at brand-name prices.

But other pet retailers are tapping into this latest trend, selling everything from air-conditioned dog houses to video cameras you can put on your dog’s collar.

What do you think about this trend? Commonplace these days — or dog-gone ridiculous?

***

CAT’S GIFT IDEAS

SHOPPING DAYS LEFT: 12

TODAY’S GIFT IDEA: Holo Holo Santa basket from Petals & Beans

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Got a gift idea? Send ’em my way at [email protected].

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

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FUUD: Inferno's Wood Fire Pizza in Kalihi

By • December 10, 2010 • Food, Musings, The Daily Dish

It’s an unlikely place for a pizzeria.

But in a parking lot on the corner of Kalihi Street and Nimitz Highway, two guys are serving up some of the best pizza on the island. And baking them in an 800-degree, wood-fire oven on site.

Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza opened in August to rave reviews, especially from fans online, where word about this unusual pizzeria is growing. People love the fresh ingredients, the thin crust and, yes, even the idea of sitting in a tent in a parking lot in industrial Kalihi eating a gourmet pie.

Here’s what our recent visit looked like:

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Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza,, 306 Kalihi St. Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon-9 p.m. Saturday. Phone: 808-375-1200.

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CAT’S GIFT IDEAS

SHOPPING DAYS LEFT: 15

TODAY’S GIFT IDEA: Scrabble Flash by Hasbro

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Got a gift idea? Send ’em my way at [email protected].

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

Subscribe to Nonstop Honolulu on YouTube »

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Nook or Kindle — or not?

By • December 9, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

I love books. Real books. The kind you hold in your hands to read. The kind you throw in a backpack and take to the beach.

But now there are all these e-readers and e-books that are taking the feel of the tangible page out of the experience of reading.

And I’m completely intrigued.

The toss-up for me has been between the two heavyweights in the e-book world: Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

Barnes & Noble recently unveiled the color version of its popular Nook — it was featured on “The Oprah Show,” just to put that into perspective — with an Android-powered interface and touchscreen. Models start at $149, but you’ll like opt for the more expensive ones.

The Kindle is the best-selling reader, due in part to its price — $189 — and Amazon’s huge selection of e-books that you can read on your computer or smartphone. And unlike B&N’s Nook, you can access the virtual bookstore via both 3G and wireless networks.

(Read Gizmodo’s comparison of e-readers, including the Sony Reader. Thanks to Leilani Young for sharing this!)

I posted this question on my Facebook the other day and the responses I got were pretty consistent: ditch the e-reader and get an Apple iPad instead.

Makes more sense to me, since you can do more with the (more expensive) iPad.

So why get an e-reader?

Anyone?

***

CAT’S GIFT IDEAS

SHOPPING DAYS LEFT: 16

TODAY’S GIFT IDEA: Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker from Cuisinart

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Got a gift idea? Send ’em my way at [email protected].

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

Subscribe to Nonstop Honolulu on YouTube »

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Cat Chat episode 5: Scarfing

By • December 9, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish, Videos

My idea of accessorizing is earrings and hair ties I wrap around my wrist.

Suffice it to say, I’m no fashionista.

Which is why I asked Tanna Dang, owner of Eden In Love at Ward Warehouse, to give me some tips in the accessory department for this week’s Cat Chat.

Tanna showed me a quick and easy way to adorn any outfit — and stay warm at the same time: scarves.

I haven’t worn these seriously since my stint in Chicago. And I didn’t know what I was doing then!

Check out the different ways you, too, can wear a scarf — yes, even in Hawaii! — and post your own questions, suggestions and advice here. (By the way, you can get all the scarves featured in today’s episode at Tanna’s boutique.)

Enjoy!

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CAT’S GIFT IDEAS

SHOPPING DAYS LEFT: 17

TODAY’S GIFT IDEA: DeLonghi Burr Coffee Grinder

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Got a gift idea? Send ’em my way at [email protected].

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

Subscribe to Nonstop Honolulu on YouTube »

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Gifts for 'Hawaii Five-0' fans

By • December 6, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote a story about Christmas gifts for the die-hard TV fans.

For fans of CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0,” the newspaper suggested the following:

• Steal your giftee’s iPod and download Hawaii Magazine’s eight most romantic songs from the Aloha State, or head over to Kona Coffee for a special bag of sought-after extra fancy or peaberry beans grown on the Big Island’s Kona Coast.

• Pick up a faux coconut cup and fill it with the coconut-flavored M&Ms released last winter. Or whip up some brandied pineapples, bananas and other tropical fruit in real coconuts — Group Recipes shows you how — for a homemade touch.

• For the uber-fan of the original or the remake, buy a decent replica of the Five-0 badge at Collectible Badges or the complete first season of the original series.

I wondered if we — the folks who live here and the twee-kers who love the show — could come up with a better list for “Five-0” fans.

Here’s my list to start:

• Show your school spirit with a Kukui High School T-shirt
• The tackiest Aloha shirt you can find (like from Chin Ho Kelly’s wardrobe in tonight’s episode)
• A Hawaiian dictionary. Maybe then they could translate what Chin Ho and his “cuz” Kono Kalakaua are saying to each other.
• Better yet, “Peppo’s Pidgin to Da Max” by Douglas Simonson, Pat Sasaki, and Ken Sakata or “Da Kine Dictionary” by Lee Tonouchi

Got any others?

***

CAT’S GIFT IDEAS

SHOPPING DAYS LEFT: 18

TODAY’S GIFT IDEA: Naughty/Nice charm from Tiffany & Co.

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Got a gift idea? Send ’em my way at [email protected].

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

Subscribe to Nonstop Honolulu on YouTube »

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