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What the Heck?
John Heckathorn
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Spiderman, shoes and waffle dogs
Shining Shoes: In the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center on Monday, Salvatore Ferragamo unveiled its new $4.5 million, 7,500-square-foot flagship store. Waiters carried silver trays of Bellinis, wine and San Pellegrino. The pupus were from the Halekulani. Guests wearing coat-and-tie and even fur stoles congratulated Ferragamo area manager Gillis Asao.
Hawaii Retail Merchants Association Executive Director Carol Pregill said she'd known Asao since the mid-'80s, when both worked for Liberty House, she in sportswear, he in shoes. "Of course, Gillis is still at it," said Pregill, nodding toward a display of expensive pumps. "They're just better shoes."
Look Before You Leap: Those concrete pedestrian bridges between buildings at Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center have been demolished. If you try to walk from building to building on the upper levels a sign warns: "Bridge closed. ... Unless you're Spiderman."
Burying the News: The Democrats look like they may have a candidate for governor, Randy Iwase. Unfortunately, one of the daily papers (not this one) ran the story announcing his intentions on the same page as the obituaries. Randy's facing a tough race, but it's a little early to bury him.
Video Laulau: If you'd like to eat on camera, you might want to get to tomorrow's luau at the Royal Hawaiian, which is being taped by the Food Network for a show called "The Secret Life of ... Hawaiian Food." Also on the bill: Roy's Restaurant, Rainbow Drive-In, and Matsumoto Shave Ice.
No Waffling: Ten-thousand people showed up for last weekend's New Year's Festival thrown by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. Of all the cultural activities, from tea ceremonies to martial arts, the one that seemed to interest attendees most was eating.
Amid traditional Japanese New Year's dishes like ozoni and mochi was a different kind of food tradition -- waffle dogs from KC Drive Inn. They were the real deal. Dayton Asato, whose family owned the drive-in, provided the batter and the special waffle dog grills.
KC Drive Inn closed last March, which explains why the small group of volunteers manning the booth got slammed.
"This is crazy," said Ty Tanji, a senior at Hawaii Baptist Academy. "The line never gets shorter."
Despite his age, Tanji was the guru of the grill.
Working the second grill was a rookie, Clyde Imada, a botanist from Bishop Museum. Imada had wandered by, seen some friends in the booth and was pressed into service.
Waffle dogs aren't exactly fast-food. You have to spray the grill with Pam, fill it with a ladle of waffle batter, insert jumbo size hot dogs, and carefully cover with more batter. Then you have to wait seven minutes and you only get six dogs.
The ladies at the front -- Joyce Gushiken, Carol Shishido, Jean Maeda -- would cut, wrap and sell them for $3 apiece. Unfortunately, the first person in line would often buy all six. The ladies limited sales to three apiece, then two.
By 1 p.m. it became clear that the waffle dogs were going to run out long before the line ended. "I'm afraid there's going to be a riot," said Maeda. But when told the hot dogs were running low, most people at the end of the line refused to leave.
One customer, Judy Au, spent an hour and half in line before reaching the front. She'd never had a waffle dog, she said, "But my husband said they were great stuff."
The way she said it indicated that husband Reynson's credibility was at stake.
Finally, she bit into her first waffle dog.
"Still married, yeah?" asked Reynson.
"Yeah," she said. "It's good."
Living in Harmonica: Last Sunday was also the Day of the Three Kings celebration at United Puerto Rican Association Social Hall in Kalihi. Admission was $5, but every child got a large stuffed toy from the Three Kings (whom you may know better as the Three Wise Men). And everyone got a plate full of arroz con gandules, lechon asado and macaroni salad.
Father John Freddy Quintero celebrated the Mass that preceded the fiesta. One of two Spanish-speaking priests serving Oahu, he arrived from Colombia 11 months ago.
Despite the fact we barely knew each other's language, he managed to get me to understand that El Dia de los Tres Reyes, the 12th day after Christmas, was the most important holiday of the season in Latin America and much of Europe. Fiestas were similar to the one in Kalihi, but muy grande, he said.
Asked how he liked Hawaii, Quintero broke into a gap-toothed grin and one word of English: "Wonderful."
He liked the people -- "Latinos, Orientales, all the culturas" -- living in, and he was about to say the Spanish word for harmony, but he graciously decided he'd translate for me: all living in harmonica.
John Heckathorn's radio show,
Heckathorn's Hot Plate, broadcasts 12-1 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and 1-2 p.m. Fri on SportsRadio 1420 and repeats on 1080AM 6-7 p.m. He can be reached at
heck@sportsradio1420.com.