THE Winter Olympics is underway in some city or another in Japan (you say tuh-MAY-to, I say tuh-MAH-to). But aside from how American sportscasters are varyingly pronouncing Nagano, I can't get really excited about it. Scott Ostler, the award-winning writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, is having similar problems. He says he tried preparing for the TV coverage by working out at home on his stationary luge, but it didn't help. He's a great admirer of the luge, says Ostler, because it's the one Olympic event in which dead people can compete. This won't sit well with Mike Feeney, Aloha Airlines pilot and owner of the Internet Cafe on Kapahulu. He regularly competes on the luge in the International Airline Olympics, and has beaten representatives from other carriers home-based in luge meccas like Austria and Switzerland. Seeing "Aloha Airlines" on the list of winners has to startle Europeans at the very least ... Pilot de-luged
with Aloha
WHEN Steven Ramey, the star bass, was ill and unable to perform in Verdi's "Jerusalem" at the Opera Theater of New York Sunday night at Carnegie Hall, it helped highlight the New York debut of tenor Keith Ikaia-Purdy. The Associated Press critic called him a "young singer on the rise" and described his voice as "impressive." Ikaia-Purdy will be off to Italy to open the Verona Opera season in another Verdi work, "Un Ballo in Maschera." ...
Irish cuisine
NOW there are two words (Irish/cuisine) you don't see back-to-back often. Friends of Irish-born Seamus McManus decided to throw an aloha party for him as he departs the Kahala Mandarin Hotel to take the reins of an even more prestigious hostelry, Claridge's in London. They naturally chose Murphy's Bar & Grill. Like, opposites attract, perhaps? Seamus was right at home, however, in his green leprechaun outfit as Irish music filled the air and Don Murphy put on a spread of Irish stew, salmon, potatoes (naturally) and shamrock-shaped dumplings. Each piece of the apple pies Marion Murphy prepared and baked for the party, also was decked out with a shamrock. Seamus departs for London Friday, but you can bet he won't be wearing his Irish outfit when he shows up at Claridge's for the first time ...MAUI Mayor Linda Lingle, who's off and running for governor, showed up for lunch at Sunset Grill the other day with campaign manager Bob Awana and Maui Hotel Association exec director Terryl Venci, and flashed a winning smile when G.M. Ted Tobby approached her table and said, "Can I get the governor something to drink?" ... For the record, Outrigger Hotels owner Dr. Richard Kelly is married to Linda, and Bitsy Kelly, stupidly mentioned here last week as his wife, is actually his daughter. This isn't one of those Woody Allen stories ...
Tea at the Queen's
ON leaving Queen's Medical Center Sunday after visiting a sick friend, I was about to drive two California visitors back to their hotel in Waikiki. But before we could get to the door, a woman we encountered said, "Please, come," and we followed her. Suddenly, just off the lobby, we were looking at a pottery collection from Japan and meeting the master potter. Then we were seated and the three of us found ourselves as guests at a classic tea ceremony, sipping green tea from bowls that were turned just so and we were instructed to hold in a certain way. As we finished our little cookie and tea, made our bows and reached the door, the visitors asked, "Does this always happen when you visit here?" ...
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.