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Star-Bulletin staff
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BOOKS
Hungry opu makes for cute children's tale
Anyone who has ever had a craving for Matsumoto shave ice will enjoy Karyn Hopper's "There's a Monster in My Opu."
"There's a Monster in My Opu"
by Karyn Hopper
(Bess Press, $10.95)
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A monster makes lots of noises in a young lad's stomach as he rides a bike with his dad across Haleiwa's Rainbow Bridge, surfs among the waves, chases crabs and visits his auntie at a lei stand. The boy's hunger pangs are finally curbed after he eats a large lychee-mango-coconut shave ice.
Hopper's story was kindled by her own rumbling stomach. "I commented that it sounded like a monster was in my tummy," she said.
Sand and surf provided added inspiration for a local story setting. "My husband and I lived in a 300-foot-square beach shack on the North Shore the first year we were married," she said. "My husband loves to surf at Leftovers, and we like to hang out at the beach with him. Matsumoto's is my mom's favorite shave ice place. When she visits from New Hampshire, we go there three or four times."
The book is colorfully illustrated by Gavin Kobayashi, with adorable images of a blue monster and the boy who appears to be trying to get rid of him.
This was Hopper's first children's book, and she hopes there will be more. "I'd like to do another book, but we are expecting child No. 3 at New Year's. Time is an issue," she said. "It really looks like there's a monster in my opu!"
RESTAURANT REPORT
Enter Roy's, through the Green Door
Roy's Hawaii Kai begins a series of dinners showcasing Hawaii's smaller restaurants with a special dinner at 7 p.m. Tuesday featuring the Green Door and chef Betty Pang.
Signature dishes from the Green Door's Malaysian-Singaporean menu, served at its Manua Kea Street location, will be served in Roy's upscale setting. Roy's hopes to continues the dinners with other restaurants quarterly.
On the menu: Panag Samosa, Fruit and Vegetable Rojak, Singapore-Style Chili Prawns, Black Pepper Scallop, Nonya Sultan Pork and Bobo Cha Cha, a dessert of coconut, sweet potato, taro and tapioca and lemongrass. Cost is $45; $65 with wine pairings. Call 396-7697.
You be the judge at sake tasting
Sake lovers are invited to a Joy of Sake "Aftertaste" event, Thursday at the Japanese Cultural Center. The theme is "Daiginjo Sakes of Northern Japan," featuring 44 sakes from the Tohoku, Niigata and Nagano areas. Sixteen of the sakes are gold award winners from the U.S. National Sake Appraisal.
The tasting begins at 6 p.m., with registration at 5:45 p.m. Participants will be given judging forms so they can compare their impressions to those of the Sake Appraisal judges.
Cost is $35, including appetizers by Marians Islandwide Catering. Reservations required; e-mail, aftertaste@joyofsake.com.