Saturday, June 16, 2012

7 Years at the 7 Month Mark

The next order of blogging business is the Richie/Mariann/Johanna/Melissa Visit Extravaganza.  Unfortunately, Johanna has not posted her pictures (hint hint) so, in the meantime, here's some general catch-up.  There's a lot.
One Saturday, we stopped by Spam Jam. 


It's exactly what you think - a giant street festival devoted to Spam (with an awesome name).  The crush of people was insane so we didn't stay too long, but we stayed long enough eat some Spam musubi and check out the t-shirts.


I just noticed the guy in the background.  Enjoy.

We couldn't get too full because we had AKL plans for later.  We took one of Matt's coworkers with us and it was quite the experience for him.  I won't post the pictures (yes, I have some) but suffice it to say, he was beaten to the floor with a wooden spoon at one point.

The next night, Matt and I had AKL over for dinner at our place.  We made some homemade ravioli with a couple of sauces.  A pasta maker is on my wish list, but we were able to make due with a wine bottle as a rolling pin.

Ingenuity at its best!

Won brought a delicious chocolate cake from a Korean bakery and we had a very low-key evening, rounding out the night with a Korean American-Idol-like show and soap opera called If Tomorrow Comes.

Speaking of cooking...did you know what happens to eggs if you forget about them while they are boiling?


They explode EVERYWHERE and make a very loud gunshot-like noise.  The worst part?  This has happened to me twice.  The second time I caught them before they exploded, but had to eat around some burned parts.  Wicked Smaht.

Anywayyyy...For Memorial Day, like most holidays here, the Hawaiians do it big.  They have a huge floating lantern ceremony that draws 40,000+ people to Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island.  There are stages, tons of vendors, performances by grammy-winning artists, and an hour and a half-long ceremony.

We scored some amazing spots on the wall on Magic Island, right at the start of the restricted part


handsome :)

Tons of people lining the wall/in the park behind us
The crowds on the beach, people wading in the water to watch the show

Not a bad view at all

So many people!

Also - the lines in the water catch the lanterns so they don't float too far out

Folks in the park were launching different kinds of lanterns that flew...that guy is about 4 feet tall

Boats carrying lit lanterns to people along the beach

Watching the beach light up

Another lantern from the park

At the end of the ceremony, people floated lit lanterns decorated with names, messages, and pictures into the water.   Here's a link with some photos, information, and (I think) a live video http://www.shinnyoen.org/lantern-floating.html.




This past week, Matt and I finally checked out the Blaisdell Farmer's Market.  They have live music, free samples, and fresh produce.

Those are apple bananas - they are smaller than "normal" bananas and have a crisp, tart flavor.


It felt really good to be able to buy peppers, ginger, tomatoes, and zucchini for $6 instead of twice that...

On Thursday, Matt and I went to the Ginger and Garlic Festival.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  A heavenly combination.




It. Was. So. Tasty.  We tried a garlic-y slow-cooked steak sandwich, some garlic-y fish with ginger-y orzo, and some garlic-y pork hash burger with ginger aioli and eggplant fries.  YUM! 


100% healthy.  This actually BURNS calories.

Of course, you can't have a food festival without some themed drinks:

My ginger martini - vodka and ginger syrup (wayyy better than I expected it to be) and Matt's ginger "margarita" - tequila, ginger syrup, and sprite (they ran out of sour mix) also very good

Miss Hawaii made an appearance at the festival, but this pair was much more interesting:



This lady, coordinating with her hot pink poodle, was feeding the dog noodles with her fork and then using the same fork to eat.  Over and over again.  It was gross but we couldn't look away.

This past week, I've had a really annoying cold.  It's one of those colds that lingers with a stupid cough that's really annoying.  Anyway, I've been slightly miserable and what does my fiance do to make me feel better?  Flowers? Amateur.  Tea? I can do that myself.  Ginger ale? Not even applicable.

He gets me...

A whole pie.

Not to mention my most favorite of pies - lemon meringue. 

What a guy!  Sorry ladies, he's taken.  Speaking of that...we celebrated 7 years on June 15.

We walked to Orchids in Waikiki for dinner where we had a slow roasted veal appetizer, some Onaga "Orchids Style", and a Colorado Lamb Rack.  We were going to order a bottle of wine, but closed the menu real quick when we saw the average price was $200/bottle.  Instead we each tried a "signature" drink... 

(Strawberry Basil Martini and Lost Passion Martini)
 ...and followed that up with a mai tai.  It had a stalk of sugarcane in it as a stirrer - really fun


The restaurant also surprised us with a complimentary coconut cake for dessert!


:)

After dinner, we went to Lewer's Lounge for some live jazz and a couple of drinks.  Fun fact: Lewer's Lounge is in the same hotel as Orchids.  We did not know that.  We took the scenic route around the block in very painful shoes.  Oops.. The musicians, Maggie and Rocky were extremely talented.  Maggie played the piano and sang (sounding very much like Diana Krall) and Rocky played the sax, clarinet, and flute.

View from our very comfortable seats
I decided to expand my drink horizons and try a Negroni:

It tasted like poison, but I felt like I was in Mad Men so I may grow to like it...
Matt tried The Majestic:

It tasted like a fizzy margarita...but better.  Two thumbs up!
and he finished the evening with some Makers 46.  Very classy.

Matt and I are having an amazing time here and are doing our best to make the most of our time in paradise.  Despite that, we are also looking forward to being in RI again.  My body doesn't understand this perpetual summer.. Also: job update.  I've been applying to teaching positions in RI so keep your fingers crossed for me!

My student was late for class, claiming that he was in the restroom.  I think he was stalling.

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