. t h e k c c f o o d i e .

Don't you die on us...

Don't panic. Don't panic. OK, maybe there is need for panic. I'm not much for "guy food," as you may recall, but I certainly respect Grant Achatz, and if he loses his battle against cancer, I shall be very sad, as will many devotees of his Chicago restaurant Alinea. His diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma is not uncommon, especially in fair-skinned Caucasians. Caught early, it's completely curable, but in the advanced stage, which Achatz has, it may cause disfigurement, and what worries me more is his cancer is in the mouth, making it easier for the cells to spread to other areas. Hopefully treatment is successful and we can look forward to good news ahead. Here's today's Chicago Sun-Times with the article.

Thinning out the herd, so to speak...

My early pubescence was spent as a balloon, with folds of cottage cheese weighing me down by 160-ish pounds, only 20 pounds less than I am now. Looking back, I have right to blame a bit of that on the advertisements I took into my greedy little eyes sitting in front of the telly. Of course, I'd beg my poor mother for goodies in the supermarket, and she'd grudgingly oblige.

Maybe the next generation will be better off--McDonald's has taken a step to improve advertising to kids 12 and under by offering healthier menu items like low-fat milk and white meat McNuggets (which, in my opinion, are still morsels of artificially stabilized protein). Nevertheless, better something than nothing, I suppose.            

Tough Cookies

The Best Movie Ever Made--a.k.a. "Ratatouille"--touched on several issues the culinary world faces, one of which was women in the kitchen, via Colette. I'm really enraged by the disrespect females are forced to endure; this enforces my belief that gender equality is far from established. Kate in the upcoming "No Reservations" speaks truth when she says, "I've worked hard to get here" (although I'm more used to Catherine Zeta-Jones in roles such as the ravishing partner in crime of Zorro), and women certainly work hard to climb the kitchen ladder. In all honesty, though, I would prefer women than men alongside me any day. Here's a good article on this topic.

To Please the People

I can't even count the number of times my blog has been hit by Googlers, Yahooers, and MSNers trying in vain to obtain information about 'Elua Restaurant & Wine Bar. I knew they were closed when I walked in today, but I just wanted to grab a couple of tidbits to help feed the starved. Here's the scoop:

1341 Kapiolani Blvd., Uraku Tower; it's on the right on a one-way street, so get in your right lane ASAP to avoid having to go back around the block
Free sectioned parking in basement
955-ELUA (3582)
Weekday Lunch 11:30a--2p (last seating~1:30p)
Nightly Dinner from 6p

A website, www.elua.com, is promised on the business card, but I have yet to see anything.

Happy Days

Looks like the wait for natural-foods mecca Whole Foods has been shortened. Along with this article about local vendors that have been picked to offer their products comes news that the Kahala location--occupying the former Star Market space in Kahala Mall--plans to open as early as next spring. Of course our own little natural/organic foods stores (Huckleberry Farms, Kokua Market, et al.) should be at least a tad worried, but I believe they've already gathered such a following that loyal customers will continue to shop there.

My Wednesday food section pass-thru

If my teeth are still intact by the end of the bag, it's a good brand of chips. Then again, they can't be so delicate as to qualify for a ladies' luncheon. The perfect chip has substantial crunch, salt enough to make my molars squeak, and true potato flavor. Tried-and-true Kettle Chips are my fav, but Lay's new Kettle Cooked are pretty tasty too. Quite frankly, locally made chips are a bit too jaw-breaking for me. Read this wonderful NYTimes article on the crispy shaved tater.

Newly accessible gelato on the island has made me joyful (especially Mondo Gelato in Waikiki), but on occasion I like to take a shot at making my own. So far success has been found with chocolate, pistachio, honey vanilla, and vanilla bean, and I'm eager to try a lot more. I might attempt stracciatella, a refreshing chocolate-streaked pleasure my boss Stefano goes gaga for. Read this SFChronicle article on homemade gelato and try your own too.

I'm not a huge fan of Hawaiian food, but of course I know a number of people who are, and one in particular keeps raving about Helena's in Kalihi. Yesterday's Star-Bulletin brought news that might make her cry--Helena Chock, the woman behind the restaurant, passed away from pancreatic cancer this past Friday, and the restaurant will close until July 17. Even sadder is Helen was diagnosed only a few weeks ago.

Thank God

Sometimes there arrives news so wonderful you feel like simply jumping up and yelping in ecstasy. One bite of such news came today, proclaiming the ousting of syrupy carbonation in all Californian schools. The law came about as a result of trying to curb obesity, something that's way past overdue. But I'm jumping.