|
The Weekly Eater Nadine Kam |
Mind the portions
and pounds take care
of themselvesNew years always begin with good intentions, and no doubt many have resolved to make 2004 better than last, with new plans to get fit, which starts with diet and exercise.
I can't help you with the latter part of that equation, but I know a little about diets. Many believe that diets and restaurants don't mix, so expect me to weigh in at more than 200 pounds because I dine out for a living. When they learn I weigh less than 100, they ask for my "secret."
The secret is no secret: No extreme diets, no magic pill or potion, but simply balance and recognition of the power of understanding portions. This I can credit to a former publisher who, when asked for a gym membership to help me keep those pounds off, said, "Just don't eat everything on the plate." Touché.
So here are a few tips and tricks for maintaining your ideal body weight, even as you live large:
1. Don't be afraid of real food. You've got to wonder what's in fake cheese or fake bacon bits marketed as alternatives to the real thing. Provided you have no allergies or philosophical quandary over the real thing, a nibble of real cheese or real bacon would be so much more satisfying than an impostor and be enough to quell your craving while you proceed to a platter of fresh roasted vegetables which taste so much better than any faux food.
At Palomino at 66 Queen St., nightly fish specials ($17.95 to $24.95) are often accompanied by roasted seasonal vegetables. Watch the fish preparations for fatty sauces. Grilled or steamed selections are preferred. Other healthy selections at Palomino include a grilled wild mushroom salad ($13.50) and grilled tiger prawns served on toast with sun-dried tomato and fresh basil ($10.95). Go easy on the toast.
2. Know your cuisines. Some tribes just eat healthier than others. Say yes especially to foods of the Mediterranean, Philippines and India (lots of vegetables), and Japanese selections if you keep the soy sauce and white rice to a minimum.
At Casablanca, serving up Moroccan fare at 19 Hoolai St. in Kailua, you'll find a vegetarian platter that features enough hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouli, olives and marinated tomatoes that two can share. Of course, once you're there, you'll be tempted by kebabs and aromatic tagines. Share and save a few dollars, not to mention extra calories.
For quick Mediterranean, try Olive Tree Cafe behind Kahala Mall, Leo's Taverna at 1116 Bishop St. and Mediterranean Cafe at 212 Merchant St.
3. Be portion-conscious. Many guffawed at the diminutive dimensions of nouvelle cuisine, but purveyors of such fare are now getting the last laugh as people grow more aware of the benefits of downsizing entrees.
We've learned that the stomach's capacity is 3 to 11 ounces, and the ideal portion is about 3 ounces, the size of a deck of cards or no more that can fit in the palm of your hand. The idea is to graze on small portions throughout the day for optimal metabolism. Research on rats is showing this may have the added benefit of increasing longevity.
Small, bite-size portions are central to Chinese dim sum, and the Willows Rainbow Room introduced the Western equivalent through a small-plates menu, with dishes such as bacon-wrapped prawns and blue crab cakes with pineapple-papaya salsa. Prices run about $6.95 to $9.95 per plate.
5. Doggie bags are good things. In spite of what your mom told you, don't try to eat everything on your plate if portions are huge. Eat half or a quarter, box the rest for a later meal. This will help with your other resolution to save money.
6. Go easy on the alcohol. Wine and beer are full of sugars and calories. I've read that a drink a day will add 15 pounds in a year. That can't be pretty after a couple of years.
7. Navigating the buffet. There will also be celebrations built around buffet tables, and it is possible to walk away from these without inflicting too much damage on your body. This means being selective and piling on more poke, fresh fish, vegetable salads and fruit than deep-fried chicken or entrees coated in cream sauces or gravies. Starting with a consommé or noncreamy soup will curb your appetite to start. In fact, drinking lots of water before you leave home will do the same thing. Then, don't fill your plate, but take a little at a time and plan to make a few more trips to the tables. If nothing else, the walk will give you some exercise.
8. Food safety. Worries over fat and cholesterol pale when questions abound over mercury in fish, pesticides on produce and mad cow disease. A person can go crazy worrying about all of this, and cynical beef eaters have said in interviews, it doesn't matter what you eat because everything is ultimately bad for you.
Just remember it is an election year, so pay attention to candidates' stance on environmental issues because, as distant as this seems, we're all conncected and none of us come out unscathed by decisions made in D.C.
* * *
Char Hung Sut lives!
In this line of work, one always hopes to avoid killing off a restaurant before its time, but alas, I blundered last week when I said that Char Hung Sut was among the dearly departed of 2003.Pay attention: Char Hung Sut is alive and well, filling cravings for char siu baos, pork hash and other Chinese comfort foods, just as it has been since opening in 1945.
What happened was this: Over the summer, I received dozens of phone calls from people pining that their favorite establishment had closed. When you hear the same thing repeated by so many people, it twists into fact, and I made the beginner's error of failing to check this out firsthand.
Co-founder Bat Moi Kam Mau had died in late spring at 97, and this set people to panic that the business might close. So great was their fear that they convinced themselves it really happened, and they started calling me to commiserate.
But fear not, Char Hung Sut remains open for business and likely will be for the next 100 years, at least, given the massive outpouring of community affection and support for the restaurant in recent days.
They're still at 64 N. Pauahi St., open from 5:30 to 2 p.m. Mondays, and Wednesdays to Saturdays, and 5:30 to 1 p.m. Sundays. Call 538-3335.
My apologies to the owners, staff and patrons for the error.
See some past restaurant reviews in the Columnists section.
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com
excellent; very good, exceeds expectations; average; below average.
