A Japanese couple walked into the Chowder House at Ward Warehouse Monday noon and ordered clam chowder and a cheeseburger. Then Akira Kumagai set up his camera to take a photo of the food while freelance reporter Kiyomi Furusawa talked to restaurant owner Marion Wong about the famous customer who ordered that meal, Barack Obama. The journalists are doing a photo spread on Obama's Hawaii connections for “;Anecan,”; a Japan fashion magazine, which has a monthly page on Honolulu. Other stops for the pair were at the Town & Country shop at Ward, which sells an Obama T-shirt, and Zippy's, another favorite food stop for the president-elect. Wong said Obama's grandparents, Stan and Madelyn Dunham, were regular customers and brought him along as a child ...

...in Kamuela, on the Big Isle, lives Jimmy Thomas, a Marine Korean War veteran and the most dedicated Dallas Cowboy fan I have ever come across. He even has a replica of former Cowboy coach Tom Landry's hat hanging in a place of honor on his wall and loads of other Cowboy memorabilia in his house. So when I glanced though the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book and came across what is called a “;Wow Gift,”; I immediately thought of Jimmy. It's an entire Cowboys end zone from Texas Stadium, all 530 square yards of it, with Cowboys painted on the grass. The $500,000 package also includes VIP treatment for the last Dallas regular season game in Texas Stadium. The buyer and his or her party will have pre-game photos taken in the end zone with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a luxury suite for the game and a once-in-a lifetime post-game tailgate party with the Dallas cheerleaders. And there is more: The buyer receives autographed memorabilia from Cowboy legends and a VIP package to attend the opening of the new Cowboys stadium in 2009. What's more, the Jones family and the Cowboys organization will donate the entire $500,000 purchase price to the Salvation Army. So what are you waiting for Jimmy? I'm sure your family will enjoy it almost as much as you will. All you need is a huge backyard and, oh yeah, 500 grand ...

The Governor's Ball at the Waikiki Sheraton Nov. 15 raised $325,000 for the March of Dimes and Hawaiian Airlines was honored with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Award for distinguished community service. Earlier that week Hawaiian's CEO Mark Dunkerley was named business leader of the year at the Business Leadership Hawaii Awards dinner at the Hilton and the airline marked its 79th anniversary ... A fundraiser for surfer Todd Murashige, seriously injured in a shark attack off Kaaawa, will be held today, 5 to 9:30 p.m. at the Willows. Call the Willows, 952-9200, for ticket info ...