FUUD: Shabu Shabu Bangkok in Kapahulu

By • August 27, 2010 • Food, Musings, The Daily Dish

We had heard about yet another new hot pot place opening up on Kapahulu Avenue.

Last week, Shabu Shabu Bangkok opened up in the space vacated by Yakiniku Toraji on the corner of Kapahulu and Kaimuki avenues.

So one of my girlfriends — who, I realize, loves eating anything out of a metal pot — agreed to try it with me.

We didn’t know what to expect. We had both only tried Japanese-style shabu shabu here — and loved it. But when she was in Hong Kong a few months ago, she ate at a hot pot restaurant and lived to rave about it. So she was optimistic. I was just hungry.

According to the restaurant’s menu, shabu shabu can trace its roots to the Chinese winter dish shuan yang rou. After it was imported to Japan, the name changed to shabu shabu, onomatopoeic for the “swish, swish” sound thinly sliced meat make when swirling in the hot broth.

While we both love the concept of Thai-style hot pot cooking, the experience didn’t blow us away. It was tasty and fun — and the company was great! — but we weren’t knocked off our chairs. Would I got back? Sure. But would I go here once a week, the way I would W&M Bar-B-Q Burgers or Rainbow Drive-In? Nah.

Here’s what we ate:

At the trailhead

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Waimano Pool is a hike off the grueling Manana Trail. The trailhead starts at the end of Komo Mai Drive in Pacific Palisades.

Shabu Shabu Bangkok, 949 Kapahulu Ave. 808-732-7666.

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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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ASK DR. DISH: Getting her back

By • August 26, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Editor’s Note: Yes, Ask Dr. Dish is back! And I’ll probably go back to posting these every Wednesday again. So if you have a burning question about anything from relationships to workplace etiquette, e-mail me at [email protected].

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Question: I have a problem. My ex-girlfriend of three years broke up with me but we had the best relationship — at least I thought so. We got along great, had the same values, etc. But she said she didn’t have those kinds of feelings for me anymore and just wanted to be friends. We still hang out and do everything a couple does except the intimacy stuff and we still have a great time together. I think she still does love me but is afraid. How can I win her back?

Answer: Well — (rolling up sleeves) — I have experience in this department!

I was in a long-term relationship with a guy with whom I got along great. But at some point, he did exactly what your ex-girlfriend did: he decided this wasn’t for him anymore and left.

Now at the time I was convinced he was making a mistake. Why would he leave me? We didn’t have any problems, we got along, we had the same interests. What’s going on?

Like your ex, he didn’t have “those feelings” for me anymore. As much as I tried to convince him otherwise, he stuck to his decision and, to be honest, it was the best thing for both of us.

You can’t make someone love you. They either do or they don’t. And when someone stops loving you, that’s it. No amount of begging, arguing or ice cream cakes will change that.

And let’s face it: do you really want to be with someone who doesn’t want you back? That’s the question I had to face — and the answer was no. I deserve better than that.

So I’d cut ties. If she doesn’t want to be your girlfriend anymore, you have to respect that. If it’s meant to be, maybe someday in the future your paths will cross. But for right now, let her go.

Any other advice to dish?

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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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Strawberry jam, yes. Honey, no.

By • August 25, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

As I was buying some homemade strawberry jam from Kula Country Farms on Maui this weekend, the woman ringing me up warned me that airport security wasn’t going to let the bottle through the checkpoint.

“No,” I said, in disbelief. “It’s jam. It’s not a liquid.”

The woman shrugged. “Well, I’ve had people complain.”

I wasn’t a believer. I mean, jam? A safety concern?

So I wrapped up the jam in some clothes — in case it leaked — and tucked it into my backpack. In my other carry-on, we had stashed guri guri, chocolate truffle mochi and a bottle of honey.

The jam went through security, no problem. But the honey was confiscated.

What gives?

According to the Transportation Security Administration, liquids aren’t the only things that won’t make it past security checkpoints. Here’s a list of gifts and foods that will be confiscated at the airport:

• Cranberry sauce
• Cologne and perfume
• Creamy dips and spreads including cheeses and peanut butter
• Gravy
• Jams
• Jellies
• Lotions
• Maple syrup
• Oils and vinegars
• Salad dressings
• Salsa
• Sauces
• Snowglobes
• Soups
• Wine, liquor and beer

Pies and cakes are OK. Poi, I’ve heard, is a no-go. And I guess airport security didn’t know what to do about the guri guri. (It’s sort of between a liquid and a solid.)

My problem isn’t that these items are deemed security risks — though, I’ll admit, maple syrup isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think “weapons of mass destruction” — but I’m annoyed that 1) most folks don’t know about these non-liquid items that won’t make it past security checkpoints and 2) TSA seems to be a bit inconsistent about following the rules. My strawberry jam went through, no problem. But the honey didn’t pass inspection.

Anyone else got a story to share?

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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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Did this: Kayaking in Kailua

By • August 24, 2010 • #CatTravels, Musings, The Daily Dish

When the winds are light and the surf in town is down — which is exactly the forecast for this weekend — I still want to get in the water.

And there’s no better way than by kayaking around in Kailua. (Well, taking my dogs out on a stand-up paddle surfboard is up there, too.)

It’s an affordable way to get wet, get some exercise and get an excuse to gorge on lunch after. (Which, as you probably know, is the only reason why I work out.)

Okonomiyaki Chibo Restaurant

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Need a drink, like, now? Head to Okonomiyaki Chibo Restaurant at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (808-922-9722) for happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Cheap appetizers and beer!

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Online dating not for me

By • August 24, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Happy 10th Birthday, eHarmony!

Now why is that millions of Americans are still single?

Or, at least, why am I still single?

See, the ads almost worked for me. I was lured in by the seemingly sincere couples — all of whom weren’t bad looking, by the way — who had found love online. They filled out that ridiculously long questionnaire — friends of mine said it took them hours to complete — and within weeks got matched with people who fit their love request.

But I just didn’t buy it. I’ve heard too many horror stories about online dating — from weirdos who are looking for quick hook-ups to potential online stalkers looking for “love” but in the wrong sense — that I’d rather date the hard way. Meaning, meet people IRL, you know, over lunch, at coffee shops, in line at the grocery store. (Or, in my recent case, through friends who convinced me this was the last good single guy on the planet.)

It’s not like in college where you could sit next to dozens of single guys — all age appropriate — who are following, at least at that time, the same path as you. Now, in our 30s, we’re scouring drugstore aisles and doctor offices, nagging friends or browsing Facebook pages to search for that potential mate.

It’s shameful, really. But that’s our reality.

Interestingly enough, according to a new study out of Stanford, adults who have Internet access are considerably more likely to be in a relationship than those without it. It went on to say that “in the next several years the Internet could eclipse friends as the most influential way Americans meet their romantic partners.”

So maybe eHarmony’s onto something. At least its new ad campaign — directed by Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris — seems to profess that.

“Love Begins Here,” it says. Let’s hope it doesn’t end there, either.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOkTjYcwAhk
Watch the new eHarmony promo

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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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