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“Hot Bowl of Goodness”

Every Saturday morning, I walk over to Chinatown from my apartment in Kakaʻako. I like to think of it as exercise (“urban hiking.”) But really, it’s to eat. It’s become a regular, weekly ritual for me. Usually, I’ll order up some type of noodle soup. My term of endearment is “hot bowl of goodness.” Best way to describe it, and best way to start the weekend! So comforting…

You’d expect to find a lotta Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, but outside of the Cultural Plaza, most are Vietnamese. Three of my fave Vietnamese shops are all in a row at the end of King Street near River Street. I get phở from Saigon Vietnamese Cuisine, bún riêu (crab-tomato soup) from Anh Hong, and bún bò Huế (spicy beef soup) from Kim An.

When craving dumpling noodle soup, I head over to Hong Kong Noodle House on the river side of the Cultural Plaza. So good! A couple of doors down you can get Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup from KC Kitchen. A great place on Maunakea Street is Lam’s Kitchen. There you can get a bowl of Beef Flank w/ Tendon & Look Fun Noodle Soup. All good and all affordable.

I am a ramen fanatic, but there is no ramen in Chinatown with the exception of Lucky Belly. The Belly Bowl there is really good. Marukame Udon in the Fort Street Mall is super popular. Very inexpensive and tasty. Only thing is that the broth comes out luke warm. Gotta have it hot.

At Papa’s Café on Hotel Street, you can get Malaysian laksa. Order the combination of brisket & wonton. There is much variety in Chinatown, from pulled noodles to glass noodles, topped with pig’s feet to duck leg to short ribs. Mmm, so ono.

You’ll find me in Chinatown on Saturdays. Look for the guy sitting near the window wearing a baseball cap, stirring chili oil in anticipation of the “hot bowl of goodness” to come…

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TED-Ed Lesson on Polynesian Wayfinding

Excited that it got published! I was blessed to be a part of the TED-Ed Innovative Educators cohort this past school year. Having met the animators at TED HQ in New York, I saw the potential and reach of this platform. At the time, the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage was taking place and Disney’s Moana was all the rage. The timing was right.

This lesson was a collaboration with Hōkūleʻa crew member Shantell De Silva. We worked on the script with a team from TED-Ed (a writer, a voice actor, and an animator.) The entire process took about 6 months.

I am pleased (and relieved) that the TED-Ed lesson has been well-received. It was an opportunity to introduce a Hawaiian culture-based lesson to the world. I am proud that this lesson shared ʻōlelo and connected a global community of learners to the Hōkūleʻa. My hope is that the lesson will help to tell the story of the indigenous wisdom and “moonshot” achievements of our ancestors.

Here is the link to the full lesson.

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Ramen Dreams: My Top 10

I love ramen! What makes it so awesome is the synergy of the broth, the noodles, and the chashu. Such a magical dish. I’ve been searching for my fave bowl of ramen on Oʻahu for the past four years. Hard work, yes. So here are my Top 10 favorite ramen-ya:

10. Goma Tei in Ward Centre has been a long-time favorite. The Tan Tan Ramen is spicy and so, so comforting. One of the first shops to bring “craft” ramen to Hawaiʻi. The curry, the Tatsuta-age Chicken, etc, etc. This shop started it all….

9. Lucky Belly in Chinatown offers up Asian fusion fare and a trendier type of ramen rather than the traditional. The Belly Bowl is flavorful, beefy, porky, and slightly spicy, with hints of miso, ginger, & sesame. Who wouldn’t want a sausage in their ramen?

8. Ramen Manichi, the one on Kona Street (and NOT the one in Shirokiya) is another great shop with long lines. It came at around the same time as Golden Pork Ramen Bar (and that’s why I always confuse the two.) Manichi uses some type of water filtration for their broth. Huh? Either way, tastes really good.

7. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is located at the entrance of Don Quijote on Kaheka. They have a good Shio Ramen and a good Kara Miso, but the one to get is the Shoyu. Nice broth, chewy noodles, and tasty toppings. Good stuff.

6. Tsujita is a newcomer, located in the Waikiki Yokocho Gourmet Alley in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza. The Yokocho in my opinion, is the best food court in Hawaiʻi. Tsujita’s specialty is their Tsukemen dipping noodles. Mind-blowing, chewy, toothsome noodles….

5. Wagaya is located across the McCully McDonald’s. I would go for the Tsukemen here as well. The broth is deep, flavorful, & complex, and the noodles are curly and have a great texture. They have the best ajitama egg here. They even have beef tongue on the menu!

4. Agu Ramen Bistro (Isenberg location) is next-level, gourmet ramen. It is expensive, but it is amazing. My fave bowl here is the Spicy Kotteri (level #2 spiciness.) The broth has layers upon layers of flavor. This shop also has great small plates (side dishes) from gyoza, to jellyfish, to pig ears.

3. Menya Musashi is on Pensacola Street. To me, this shop has the best broth, the best noodles, and the best chashu (kakuni.) Disclaimer: when they are on their “A-game,” they are by far the best. By far. But, I have found them to be inconsistent. On an “off day,” ooh not so much…

2. Kiwami on Keʻeaumoku was my go-to place for tsukemen. WAS…. It shut down. I was devastated to see the chains on the door. No more Spicy Tsukemen (medium spiciness with noodles served hot) for me.

1. Japanese Ramen Kai was my hands-down fave ramen-ya on Oʻahu. I was traumatized when they closed as well. The owner got homesick and moved back to Japan, taking all of his recipes with him. Their Goma Cha-Shu Tan Tan was amazing. Their signature Miso Cha-Shu Ramen is now a fading memory. Tear.

I know, I know. My top 2 are sentimental. So I would recommend Menya, Agu, and Wagaya. Check out the Waikiki Yokocho if you can. Happy slurping! Always dreaming of ramen….

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Ideas Worth Spreading

We did it! Our Kamehameha Schools TED-Ed Club held its Student Talks event at SALT @ Our Kakaʻako in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It was a great success and a big relief…

The morning started with pre-event music by Chase & Chels. They were awesome and added much “street cred” to our event. Then our president Malia greeted the crowd and kicked us off. Here was our lineup.

• Malia spoke on life-changing lessons learned on her trip to the Galapagos Islands.
• Duke spoke on his summer internship at the University of Pittsburgh studying cancer treatments.
• Sasha shared her experiences as Editor-in-Chief at our school’s newspaper, Ka Mōʻī.
• Jacob shared the emotional journey of his injury at a track & field meet in the pole vault event.
• Sierra talked about her passion and experiences being involved with robotics programs.
• Laʻakea shared about work ethic in making it onto the USA Water Polo Olympic Development Team.
• Keely took us on her journey of auditioning for a Filipino reality show and friendships made.
• Cade, a “speechie,” articulated experiences of competing in speech & debate at the international level.
• Nicole spoke on her passion of exploration & adventure and to recognize opportunities.
• Bailey shared her inspiring story of why she created the Lifesavers Club and how to bring awareness.

They were all amazing! The Lifesavers Club then held a demonstration/clinic on CPR & AED.

It was a huge success and a great day for our students and audience. Mahalo to our student speakers! Mahalo to our president Malia for your hard work! Mahalo to SALT @ Our Kakaʻako for hosting us and for all of your support!

#TEDEdKS