Great Debate: Should anonymous comments be banned?

By • March 6, 2013 • Musings, The Daily Dish

angry_computer_guyOn yesterday’s “Today Show” the regular panel of professionals tackled a question that hits home for me.

The question: “Should anonymous comments on websites and blogs be banned?”

This is something we used to debate in the newsroom, when I worked at the now-defunct Honolulu Advertiser. We had just launched the ability for readers to post comments on stories online — and we realized very quickly how bold and brazen people were when they didn’t have to attach their real names to their comments.

In many cases, the comments weren’t fair. They were just mean and malicious and they really had no business being published. And yet there they were, unedited and unfiltered, and attached to real news stories that were held to a higher standard.

Frustrating.

At the same time, isn’t it the allure of the Internet to remain anonymous, to speak your mind without any fear or worry?

Here’s my take on this: If you’re going to say it, own it. Period.

I realize there are privacy issues. Like a woman who wants to share her experience being raped but doesn’t want to reveal her identity. I get that. But that’s an exception.

So I’m tossing it out there: Do you think anonymous comments should be banned?

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In search of the best pies in Hawaii

By • March 4, 2013 • Food

pies

I grew up eating pies.

Apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, lemon meringue pie, custard pie and — my favorite — chocolate cream pie. You name it, we had it in our house.

There’s something magical about pies. These 8-inch pans can be filled with just about anything, from sweet strawberries to dark chocolate to chicken-and-vegetables.

But if you think about it, pies aren’t huge in Hawaii, at least not the way they are on the Mainland. The saying, “As American as apple pie,” doesn’t really count here. And here’s why.

• We don’t have the kind of fruits — cherries, blueberries, apples — that are often used in pies here.

• We like our pies sweet — super sweet. So, for example, we tend to prefer the sweetsweetsweet pumpkin crunch dessert over a slice of pumpkin pie.

• We have a potluck mentality. We like BIG desserts — desserts we can share. Unless you buy one of those humongous pies from Costco, pies are too small to share.

• Pies aren’t part of our cultural vernacular. There aren’t really pies in Asian cultures — with the exception of custard pies (Chinese), which local folks love.

At least that’s my assessment.

So starting today, I’m on a mission now to find the best pies in Hawaii. And I’ll post my findings here (of course).

So if you have suggestions for the best pies — apple, custard, anything — let me know. Post it here or on my Facebook page, tweet me, or shoot me an email! I’m all ears!

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FUUD: Kissaten Ramen in Waikiki

By • March 1, 2013 • Food

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I miss Kiwami, that authentic noodle shop on the lower level of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza.

And ever since it closed last year, I still frequent the spot, waiting to see if there’s word it will re-open somewhere else.

But last night, something else was in the spot vacated by one of my favorite ramen shops.

Kissaten Ramen — or Japanese Noodle Shop, as it said on the window — had its soft opening yesterday

This is owned by the same folks who run the popular 24-hour Kissaten Cafe near Ala Moana Center. But it’s strictly a ramen shop; don’t expect to find the cafe’s tomato bisque or turkey pesto melt here.

Here’s what our recent dinner looked like:

Kissaten Ramen

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I'm not sure if this place is called "KIssaten Ramen" or "Kissaten Japanese Noodle Shop," but the sentiment is the same: this is a ramen shop, not a coffee bar.

Kissaten Ramen, 2250 Kalakaua Ave. Suite LL-102, Waikiki.

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Q&A with Hawaii’s ‘Top Chef’ Sheldon Simeon

By • February 27, 2013 • Food

Chef Sheldon Simeon of Star Noodle - Wailea, HI

Tonight’s the night, the finale of Bravo’s “Top Chef.”

And, more importantly, your last chance to vote for local boy chef Sheldon Simeon for #FanFavorite. (Tweet #ChefSheldon for the next couple of hours!)

Simeon — who chefs at two my two favorite Maui restaurants, Star Noodle and Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop — made it to the Final Four of the hit Bravo reality show and garnered fans around the country with his fresh approach to Asian-style cooking, his laid-back attitude and, of course, saying things like, “That chicken was frickin’ good!”

Love the guy!

So I chatted with Hawaii’s “cheftestant” today to get the lowdown on tonight’s finale and what he’ll be doing in the near future.

CT: So where are you right now? Still on Oahu?”

SS: No, I’m back on Maui. Actually, I’m working at Star Noodle. Back to the grind already!

Top Chef - Season 10CT: That last episode you were on, where you were cooking in (‘Top Chef’ judge) Tom Colicchio’s kitchen seemed a bit crazy balls!

SS: (laughs) It was. At one point, I just stopped in the middle of service. There were tickets coming in, Tom’s yelling, cameras were in my face. But I had to stop. It was so surreal. I was cooking my ass off. It was just so unreal. At that moment, I realized I was blessed.

CT: You cooked for some world-renowed chefs including David Chang and Katsuya Uechi. Who intimidated you the most?

SS: Actually, it was Restaurant Wars that intimidated me, to tell you the truth. Not because of the judges, but because I was cooking something that was kinda new, but something I really believed in. The whole time I was putting myself out there. It was fun.

CT: The gamble (to cook Filipino food) paid off. Your team won. Was that also your proudest moment then?

SS: Oh, definitely. In fact, that was the proudest moment of my whole career. I put Filipino food out there and everyone received it well and it kinda made me realize the type of cooking I want to do. This was something I could actually spend the rest of my career doing.

CT: Has your participation on ‘Top Chef’ changed your career direction?

SS: Yeah, for sure. The next step is looking for something on my own. I’ll continue with Star Noodle, though, because they gave me so many opportunities and they’ve done amazing things for me.

CT: You planning to move away? I hope not!

SS: There’s just tons of opportunities right now up on the Mainland and even here. I’d like to raise my children here, but in the end, it’s whatever’s best for my girls, my wife and my family.

CT: I know you’re a fan of the show. Does it trip you out that you’re now part of the show’s legacy? I mean, you’re one of those chefs you watched!

SS: Frick, a year ago, when Paul (Qui, Season 9 champion) won, I went to Uchiko (in Texas) and I was the guy who was starstruck. I was, like, ‘Hey, Paul, how’s it going, I love your food, your sashimi is sooooo fresh.’ (laughs) I was THAT guy! Now we’re constantly talking on Twitter and on the phone. I have contacts with Emeril (Lagasse) and Tom (Colicchio). In a blink of an eye! It’s crazy!

CT: As a viewer, you don’t really know what’s going on. Was there anything that totally shocked you, something you didn’t expect, once you became a cheftestant?

SS: It’s long days on the set, man. It’s brutal. It’s back to back to back to back. We’re doing 16- to 18-hour days, average. Some days we were doing 22-hour days. It’s crazy. You’re out there, you’re so vulnerable at that moment. You don’t know what to come up with, you have to go with your first instinct. It’s definitely the most physically and mentally grueling thing I’ve ever done.

CT: So the finale tonight… can you tell us anything?

SS: Tonight I’m going to support… I can’t say! But I’ll be working (at Star Noodle). I’m actually cooking on the line tonight. We’re doing an ahi belly … I’m going to kill it.

CT: What’s the best advice you got from other cheftestants?

SS: Every single one of them gave me advice for life after ‘Top Chef’ and it was this: don’t ever stop cooking. Don’t ever forget what brought you to ‘Top Chef’ and your newfound fame. It’s the food. Don’t forget that.

Watch the “Top Chef” finale on Bravo at 8 p.m. tonight.

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Farewell, Byron’s

By • February 27, 2013 • Food

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Shrimp burgers, oyster burgers, Green River drinks and those popular deep-fried Twinkies.

Those will be gone in March, as the 47-year-old Byron’s Drive-In near the airport will close its take-out windows tomorrow.

Last year the landlord announced plans to redevelop the area — and that included tearing down the drive-in and its iconic yellow sign.

Byron’s was the last hold-out of Andy Wong, whose family also ran these nostalgic heavies: Orson’s, Chowder House and the beloved Andy’s Drive-Inn in Kailua.

Again, another local restaurant is closing and, despite the last-ditch efforts of patrons to support the drive-in, it’s a little too late.

I don’t know why it personally pains me to see it close. I wouldn’t call myself a regular — in fact, I hadn’t been there in years — and when I drove there this morning, I felt a twinge of guilt that I had waited so long to come back.

The thing is, nothing I could have done would have affected the outcome. The landlords wanted a change, and that change involved the closing of the drive-in.

But it makes you think of all the small businesses, mom-and-pop shops and family-owned restaurants that are still around — that I haven’t been to in years.

So let this be a wake-up call. Change is inevitable. Businesses come and go. Support the ones you love, the ones that are worth it, and hope they, like Byron’s, don’t become part of the lore you tell your grandkids years from now.

Go!

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