from the twisted minds of snm
Mmm…
Nothing quite as good as pork tamales from Cha Cha Cha Salsaria in Hawaii Kai. I got there a little early, so I had to wait for them to open, but it was worth the wait. Pork carnitas with corn tamale and black beans with a green tomatillo sauce. Rice and chips with homemade salsa on the side. They thoughtfully put the chips in a seperate container for take-out orders so they don’t get all soggy.
$9.37 USD
Four out of four grinning chow monkeys
Tio Muerte says, “muy sabroso!”
There are a surprising number of Japanese-themed restaurants in Kaneohe. I say “themed” because in general, they serve Americanized or “Local”-ized fare and not authentic, traditional Japanese cuisine. Maybe I’m also being a racist, since so far all of the ones that I have tried in Kaneohe have been run by ethnic Koreans. That’s not to say Koreans can’t make good food – they make terriffic food: I’m saying the restaurants in question don’t produce acceptable approximations of Nihon-ryouri. It’s picture-book cooking – it looks like it’s supposed to, but doesn’t taste exactly like it’s supposed to. It’s like those science fiction shows where aliens build soul-less, substance-less copies of earth cities, then populate them with kidnapped earthlings and assume the humans will not notice they aren’t at home anymore. Continue reading ‘Our Dog is an Awesome Dog’
Went to E & O Trading Company for the office holiday dinner last night. Dark with earthy tones and Southeast Asian decor, this trendy Pacific-fusion restaurant takes over the empty space between Compadres’ and Borders at Ward Center once occupied by Jean-Marie Josselin’s Oahu branch of A Pacific Cafe. The server was polite and pleasant, but it seemed like the wait staff was overstretched – We would go many minutes without seeing our server on many an occasion. A brief read of the menu indicated that their culinary lean was toward South and Southeast Asia, with Indian, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese influences. There were some Chinese and Japanese-inspired menu items tossed in for good measure too. Continue reading ‘No Expectations = No Disappointments’
Ho Cuz – wen’ go by Yama’s Fish Market today fo’ get one numba’chree Lau Lau plate, an’, frick – trip me out! Was $9.00 USD wit’ one $0.45USD poi upgrade! Dat stay $9.94 wit’ tax fo’ dose of youse who no stay get one calcalata’ handy.
WTF?!
The Lau Lau was a little on the dry side today and the poi tasted a little weird (not sour - I would have liked that actually). Not up to the standard I’ve come to expect of them – especially at ten bucks!
Sunday, 05 August 2007
Clear to partly cloudy, 20-25C, still
We awoke early and puttered around the condo until opening time then headed down to Blendz for Belgian dark chocolate mochas. The sun was just coming over the mountaintops, and the still-sleeping village was quiet and deserted, save for a few odd souls who had risen with the sunrise. We wandered down toward the health clinic, passing fresh bear scat on the sidewalk. The intent was to go to the tennis club for breakfast, but mapless and going on only a vague recollection on its location, we ended up going on a nice 1.5km stroll down Blackcomb Way, then over to 99 and back again – basically circling around the tennis club! Not to say a brisk walk on a crisp, clear morning was unwelcome – it was a good way to loosen up the tightness and soreness from the many riding days before. The air was cool and a layer of convective fog hung in the low-lying areas aside Blackcomb Way. The sun rising in the clear sky would soon heat the air and burn the fog away, but in the meantime the wispy ether cast a faint rainbow in the light that managed to ply the spaces between the pines. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 10’
Saturday, 04 August 2007
Scattered clouds, 22-28C, breezy
A beautiful morning broke on our last riding day. The forecast was for clear weather for the next few days after the wet spell yesterday morning. We finished the bagels for breakfast, pretty much depleting the groceries we bought at the beginning of the week. Today was to be a medium length ride out North. According to the maps, it wouldn’t be a deathmarch like the Riverside-See Colours and Puke ride, or the Kill Me, Thrill Me-Green Lake Loop ride. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 9’
Friday, 03 August 2007
AM – rainy, 20-23C, still
PM – overcast, 23-25C, still
As predicted, the morning was rainy. The wispy, high-altitude clouds that rolled in yesterday afteroon were the precursors of the moist front that arrived from Hawaii via the Pineapple Express. I awoke before dawn to the sound of rain falling on the vinyl furniture out on the terrace. I closed the window and returned to sleep. We eventually had Pizza muffins then went down to Blendz for Belgian dark chocolate mochas. We wandered around the village, eventually ending up back at Opa! in Marketplace for lunch. It was busier this time, but the workers’ routines were getting more established, so I got my food quicker. The weather was clearing up and the ground was drying up, so we headed back to the condo to gear up for an afternoon spin. We could have easily taken the whole day off, but it seemed like such a waste since we came all this way to BC to ride. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 8’
Thursday, 02 August 2007
Clear, 20-29C, light breeze
The morning was clear and cool – perfect weather for a good long ride. That’s definitely what we would get today. We rode over to the golf course and got on the Valley Trail Northbound. Crossing the railroad tracks, we skirted around the right of Emerald Forest and headed North. We crossed over Highway 99 and picked up the bike path on the other side and followed it out to the terminus past Green Lake. Continuing along 99, we passed a pair of RCMP officers dealing with a pair of kids who drove their Southbound Hyundai off the road into a gully. A little ways on, we could see the trailhead before a concrete barrier at a right turn in the highway. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 7’
Wednesday, 01 August 2007
Clear, 25-29C still
This was to be a rest day after the long ride yesterday. The legs and ass both needed a little rest. Jeff had gone downstairs to Blends Coffee to get some Belgian dark chocolate mochas in the morning. I had a raisin bagel with cream cheese, milk, OJ and yogurt for breakfast then watched a little TV and had a nap. At lunchtime, we walked down to Marketplace and went to Opa! restaurant next to IGA where the Chinese restaurant used to be. It is a fast-food Greek-style franchise. They had souvlaki plates and pita wraps. I had a pita wrap with gyros meat. It was good and adequately large with fresh, quality fillings. The service was a little sketchy and random since they had just opened and none of the workers had developed routines yet. About $6 CAD with tax. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 6’
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Sunny, 24-28C breezy
I awoke yet again to the keitai and returned to the comfort of sleep. Considering the physical fatigue I had, I surprisingly wasn’t able to sleep straight through the night. I would usually wake up before sunrise and check the clock on the keitai, only to discover that it was still like 03:00. It was hot at night, even with the window open, and the bed wasn’t that comfortable either. Breakfast was pizza muffins, coffee, milk and OJ. Today was going to be a deathmarch, so I filled the reservoir to capacity. The legs were a little tired, but the ass was getting sore from all the saddle time. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 5’