Adventures in Lala Land!

Pineapple Soju is fun and delicious to drink! Here’s the video!

Directions:

1. With a knife and spoon (be careful!), cut and scoop out the insides of the pineapple.

2. Blend up the pieces of pineapple and the pineapple juice with ice to create a slushy.

3. Pour back into pineapple.

4. Pour in the soju!

Enjoy! =)

What is Black Day?

Black Day is on April 14th and is a Korean tradition for single people who did not receive any presents on Valentine’s Day (February 14th) or White Day (March 14th).

Basically if you didn’t receive any gifts on those days, you dress up all in black, eat jjajangmyun, and proceed to get really drunk by drinking multiple bottles of soju to wash all your loneliness away. Okay I made up the last part.

Truthfully, I’d celebrate Black Day every week because I love jjajangmyun. =P Also, it goes really well with sweet and sour chicken (탕수육 ).

Here’s my black day video:

I ended up drinking some sake after lunch at The Sake Shop.. to you know, wash away my sorrows =P

Sunday night at Nocturna with Jinjoo! Asian glasses!

Drinking practice for my upcoming birthday party this weekend….

Lunch at Sushi Sasabune! They remodeled the place since the last time I’ve been there. I love the tree decoration and wall panels.

Of course, I had to get the Omakase! Here’s some of the courses.

Ahi and hamachi! It’s so fresh that it melts in your mouth.

Salmon with ikura and Aji!

3 kinds of oysters: with Ikura, with ponzu sauce, and one baked.

Lobster!

The main event, Toro!!! It’s like heaven in every bite. Actually it’s so soft you don’t even need to chew, it just melts like butter.

We had 2 kinds of sake: The specially made Sasabune sake and Kubota Manju.

The Sasabune sake is full bodied with lots of flavor. It’s best served at room temperature.

While the Kubota Manju is very light, smooth, and served chilled.

Sake jelly for dessert. Light and refreshing!

On Thursday I went to Crazy, Sexy, Standard at The Standard. It’s a huge networking party event. My table that I shared with my friend Toby was in a good spot on the dance floor.

(Picture credit to Toby Tamaye)

On Saturday, I went to a Karaoke house party at my friend Gerald’s friends house up on Tantalus. I don’t really go up there much so I took a picture of the really nice view.

It was a potluck party so there was lots of yummy food. Lots of Korean food!

I swear the bar area had more alcohol than most real bars.

Gerald’s famous chocolate shots.

Cheers!

I decided to make some ramen for lunch because it was pouring rain and pretty gloomy outside today. Lately, I been trying to eat healthy so I made my own soup broth instead of using the one that comes in the packet.

For the soup broth:

1 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove of garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
*If you want it spicy you can add peppers. I put in 1 Hawaiian chili pepper.

Put whatever toppings you want. I usually put egg, fishcake, and sometimes chicken.

Let it the broth simmer for a while. Then pour all over the noodles and enjoy! =)

Today I ate lunch at a restaurant called Hyungjae. I ordered one of my favorite Korean dish — soondubu jjigae (순두부찌게). It contained a lot of clams and squid, but was lacking a bit in flavor.

Now i’m going to edit videos and practice singing! I want to sing this song the next time I go Karaoke. I like reading the translation to Korean songs so that I can improve my Korean comprehension.

It’s not love
This isn’t love
It’s just your obsession
Wherever
Whatever I do
It’s frightening
The you who watches me

I follow in your shadow
I make a phone call
I become thrilled at the sound of your shaking breath
My heart runs after your increasingly quick steps
I think I’ll go crazy
The long night gets darker
Under the dead streetlamp in front of your house
I’m watching you through the crack in your window
Until the night ends
Come on and find me
You keep playing a suffocating game of hide-and-seek with me
You, you, you
You’re inseparable from me

Have you gone crazy?
Why are you like this?
Please just leave me alone now
Seeing you is suffocating
Please disappear from my sight

You can never break away from me
You have no one to love but me
Try to escape
Wherever you are
I can see you
You know deeply
You can never break away from me
You have no one to love but me
Look at me now
I don’t wanna cry no more, more

Get lost
Just back off
I really can’t breathe
Wherever I go
Wherever I am
It’s frightening
The you who follows me

A hundred times
Tens of thousands of times
I’ve called you
But why, why is there no answer?
Did you forget?
It’s already been a thousand days since we met
I prepared a gift you’d like
I sit on the street you frequently travel
I’m waiting for you
I know my love
Don’t call it obsession, you don’t know love
Don’t say I’ve gone crazy
You don’t know my heart
You can never be separated from me

Have you gone crazy?
Why are you like this?
Please just leave me alone now
Seeing you is suffocating
Please disappear from my sight

You know you want me too
You know you love me
Don’t run away from me
Cut the crap~
Get ahold of yourself and stop it
Let go of me now

This ain’t right
This isn’t love
It’s just hurts me, don’t be like this
I loved you
But I don’t now
Erase me from your memory

I don’t wanna cry no more, more

사랑이 아냐 이건 사랑이 아냐
너의 집착일 뿐이야
어디 있든지 내가 무얼 하든지
무서워 나를 바라보는 넌

[Rap]
너의 그림자를 따라 밟다
난 전화를 걸어
네 떨리는 숨소리에 짜릿해져버려
빨라지는 네 발걸음 따라 뛰는 내 심장
미칠 것만 같아
어두워지는 긴 밤
너의 집 앞 불 꺼진 가로등 밑에서
너를 본다 네 방 창문 틈에서
밤이 끝날 때까지
날 찾아봐 어서
나와 숨 막히는 숨바꼭질을 계속해
넌 넌 넌
넌 절대 내게서 떨어질 수 없어

[*]
미친거니 왜 그러니
이제 그만 나 좀 내버려둬
네가 보여 숨이 막혀
내 눈 앞에서 좀 사라져줘

[Rap]
넌 날 절대 벗어날 수 없어
넌 날 사랑 할 수밖에 없어
도망쳐봐 (I don’t wanna see you)
네가 어디에 있든지
난 볼 수 있으니
널 알지 깊숙이
넌 날 절대 벗어날 수 없어
넌 날 사랑 할 수밖에 없어
이제 날 봐
I Don’t Wanna Cry No More more

사라져 버려 그만 좀 꺼져 버려
정말 숨도 못 쉬겠어
어딜 가든지 내가 어디 있든지
무서워 나를 따라오는 너

[Rap]
수백 번이고 수만 번이고
전화를 걸었는데
왜 왜 넌 대답이 없어
잊었니
우리 만난 지 벌써 천일이 됐어
네가 좋아하는 선물을 준비했어
네가 자주 가는 거리에 앉아
널 기다리고 있어
내 사랑을 알아
집착이라 말하지마 사랑을 몰라 넌
미쳤다고 말하지 마
내 맘을 몰라 넌
넌 넌 넌
넌 절대 내게서 떨어질 수 없어
[*]
미친거니 왜 그러니
이제 그만 나 좀 내버려둬
네가 보여 숨이 막혀
내 눈 앞에서 좀 사라져줘

너도 날 원하잖아
나를 사랑하잖아~
나를 도망치지마
헛소리 좀 집어 치워
정신 차려 그만 좀 해
이제 나를 놓아줘

이건 아냐 사랑이 아니야
내게 상처뿐이야 이러지마
널 사랑 했지만
이제는 아니야
너의 기억에서 날 잊어줘

I don’t wanna cry no more, more

Credit watermelon856

Wow I am so excited for this! It’s set to open this year in April and will be called “Gorilla in the Café Hawaii. He has a restaurant in Korea located in Gangnam called, “Gorilla in the Kitchen“.

I’m not a big fan of Bae Yong Joon but I think it’s awesome that he decided to open up a cafe in Hawaii!

“Gorilla in the Café Hawaii will be located at 2155 Kalakaua Ave. and is tentatively set to open in April. Bae is expected to attend the grand opening.”

For more information check out the article about it at Honolulu Pulse.

BYJ owns 2 cafe’s in Japan: Gosireh and Cafe-B.

I swear kimchi goes great with everything! This pizza is delicious, spicy and mouth watering! Cheese and kimchi are the perfect combination. Check out my video to see how it’s made.

Get the recipe at my other blog “Food La La”:

http://www.honolulupulse.com/food-drink/food-la-la-how-to-make-kimchee-pizza

In the words of my lyrical friend Toby Tamaye:

“Rice Rice Baby. Vanilla Rice Rice Baby.
All right stop, collaborate & listen.
Rice is back with a brand new invention.
Something grabs a hold of me tightly, flow like a musubi, daily & nightly.
Will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know.
Head to Magic Island and you’ll know.
To the extreme I eat the rice like a vandal
Head to the Rice Fest and eat as much rice as you can handle.”

There are two huge rice events going on this weekend!

Sake barrel opening ceremony at last year's Joy of Sake

This Friday September 9, 2011 is the Joy of Sake. It’s a celebration where you can eat delicious food from 15 restaurants and drink over 300 kinds of sake! Check out the restaurant and food details here: http://www.joyofsake.com/restaurants/restaurantsHON.htm

Rows and rows of sake

I am especially excited to try the Sauteed Escargot with Prawns in chili ginger sauce from Chai’s and the Char-Broiled Sake Kasu Marinated Black Cod on red bean rice cake and grilled green onion from Hoku’s. I’m drooling just thinking about them.
I’m glad they moved it indoors this year to the Sheraton and not the Academy of Arts again. Even though it’s beautiful at the Academy of Arts, it was way too hot and humid. Now at the Sheraton it will be nice and cool in the air conditioning!

This is one of my favorite events to attend and will be my 3^rd time going, so I will share some tips and advice:

• Make sure to eat all the food first (food runs out much faster than the sake)!
• Or you can have a friend watch your table while you grab all the food and bring it back to enjoy with some sake.
• Stick to the sake with the gold stars and the ones that you can only get in Japan! The gold stars are awarded to sake with the top scores annually by 10 judges from Japan and the U.S ( I want to know how I can get a job as a judge).

There’s no way to get through all 300 sake. Trust me, I’ve tried. Last year I got through about 55 of them and then it was all a blur.

When: Friday, September 9, 2011

Where: Sheraton Waikiki Hotel

2255 Kalakaua Avenue

Time: 7:00–9:30 p.m.

Cost: $80 per person

Buy Tickets Online or in person at The Sake Shop

—

Then Saturday September 11, 2011 is the 2^nd annual Rice Festival at Magic Island!

There will be lots of rice dishes to eat, a spam musubi eating contest, “Rice-ipe” contest, celebrity cooking demonstrations, scavenger hunt and more! See event schedule here.

Rice Festival at Magic Island

10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ricefest?ref=ts

Looking forward to the weekend! Anyone going to these events? Make sure to say hi! I’ll be there taking lots of pictures and videos for my “Food La La” blog on Honolulu Pulse.

I got the chance to talk with Nat Bletter — co founder of Madre Chocolate.  He shows the whole process of chocolate making in this video! It’s awesome because it’s locally made chocolate — even the cocoa beans they use are grown in Hawaii!

Check out my blog ‘Food La La’ on Honolulupulse for the whole story and review of their chocolate!

http://www.honolulupulse.com/food-drink/food-la-la-madre-chocolate

Recently, I started a cooking show with my friend Kelly Loui. So far we have 2 episodes up!

Episode 1: How to make Dukbokki

Episode 2: How to make Sweet and Savory Crepes

To get the recipe and see pictures of the food check out my blog ‘Food La La‘ on Honolulu Pulse.

http://www.honolulupulse.com/food-drink/food-la-la-how-to-make-dukbokki

http://www.honolulupulse.com/food-drink/food-la-la-making-crepes