BATTER UP

Look at the cook, see what it took

Those who have had the pleasure of watching short-order cook Mel Cachola behind the Liliha Bakery food counter will miss watching his steady, efficient poetry in motion. A short stack? No problem. Burger with fries? You bet. Country-style omelet? Done. And all the while, cleaning as he goes, keeping that stainless-steel grill tidy with regular sweeps and scrapes of his stainless steel spatula. Ting, ting, ting.

No wasted motion. No mess. No sweat — not even over a hot grill.

After 35 years, Cachola, 62, retires on June 14. Just one question, Mel: Just how do you keep that crispy white uniform so clean?

WINDS AHOY

It's not a matter of if, but when ......

Recent exercises by federal, state and city agencies preparing for hurricane season revealed the scope of what could happen should a Category 4 hurricane strike Oahu. And it wasn't pretty.

With an estimated 70 percent of homes and up to 150,000 people seeking shelter, it would be pandemonium.

Officials are also preparing for 30 days without electricity. If Honolulu could barely cope with recent outages which lasted only about a day, it would be interesting to see how residents would deal with an entire month without juice.