Hey, Hawaii, you happy?

By • March 9, 2011 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Despite my crazy schedule and severe lack of sleep, I’m pretty happy.

I can surf before work, walk to Foodland for groceries, take my dogs to a nearby off-leash dog park and indulge in just about any food craving I can imagine — all within a five-mile radius of where I live.

It’s not a bad gig!

So it’s no wonder Hawaii was selected the happiest state in the nation, according to a 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Hawaii scored a 71.0 average well-being score, out of a possible 100 points. That’s up from 70.2 last year. Wyoming was second with a score of 69.2 and North Dakota rounded the Top 3 with 68.4.

All the states and Washington D.C. were ranked in six categories: life evaluation, emotional health, physical health, work environment, healthy behavior and basic access to things like healthcare and safe places to exercise. (Not weather or proximity to world-class surf spots!)

Happy in Hawaii? Sure. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have our share of irritants — like morning traffic, state budget cuts, gnats, coqui frogs, higher price for goods, lower salaries and potholes that never go away.

And if you’re tall, Asian-American, an observant Jew, at least 65 years old, married with children, runs your own business and earns more than $120,000 a year — and you live in Hawaii — well, you’ve hit the proverbial happiness jackpot, according to Gallup, as that’s the statistical composite for the happiest person in America. (Alvin Kuo Wong, 69, from Manoa, fit the composite and was profiled in a recent New York Times article.)

Men, apparently, are happier than women. That concerns me.

So what do you think about the survey? You happy? Lucky we live Hawaii? Or do you think life could be better in the Aloha State? Dish here!

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'Winning' is the new losing

By • March 8, 2011 • Musings, The Daily Dish

I didn’t want to blog about. I really didn’t.

But Charlie Sheen — who was fired yesterday from CBS’ wildly popular “Two and a Half Men” — is making it hard for me to ignore him.

First he made the rounds on TV morning talk shows, saying absurd things like he has Adonis DNA and he’s a “rock star form Mars” living with “goddesses” (aka: a former porn star and a “model”). Then he told ABC’s “20/20” that he’s “on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available. If you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”

To top it off, he joined Twitter (@charliesheen) — no, no, no! — and tweeted things like he’s looking to hire “a #winning INTERN with #TigerBlood.” (He broke records when about 350,000 started following the actor before he even sent his first tweet, then more than 1 million within 24 hours of signing up.)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djh7U2U-uxQ
Charlie Sheen, the topic of a recent “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

Yesterday, after the news of his firing, the Hollywood Reporter said Sheen climbed to the top of the Live Nation office building in Beverly Hills, wielding a machete and drinking out of a bottle. When asked by reporters what he was planning to do next, the actor screamed, “I ain’t gonna go to f—ing Disneyland, I’ll tell you that much.”

His career is shot. His twin boys were taken away from him. And there are questions about his sanity.

Still, Sheen is flying high — on himself, of course — and we’re all riding the roller coaster with him. We’re following him on Twitter. We’re buying merchandise bearing his famous quips. We can’t wait to hear or see what he’s going to do next.

So what’s with the fascination? I have no idea. But I find myself pausing whenever the TV news anchor says his name. It’s like I have to know.

There has been outcry about the media’s role in all this, giving Sheen a platform from which to extol. James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times wrote that news outlets are enablers, “aiding and abetting the epic meltdown of a celebrity.”

We can only pray Charlie Sheen doesn’t start burning cigarettes into his palms. Or gouging himself with a fork. Because he doubtless would invite a camera crew along. And, at the rate they’re going, a platoon of television producers would rush to bring us every bloody, self-mutilating moment.

So what do you think about this whole Sheen fiasco? Newsworthy because he’s a public figure and media is just meeting the demand of curious Americans? Or has this been played out?

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No more 'your way'

By • March 7, 2011 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Remember that Burger King promise, “Have it your way”?

Well, turns out restaurants and diners around the country are opting for exactly the opposite, taking control of their menus and dining experiences and telling the customer to just shut up and take it, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

They’re not offering substitutions. They’re not creating special-order dishes. They’re not even serving ketchup.

You can’t get a toasted bagel at one bagel shop in Greenwich Village. There’s only one kind of cheese at a gastropub in the West Village. And forget trying to get decaf coffee at one Chicago restaurant.

This isn’t anything new at Japanese restaurants, where you can’t even swap out the entrees in a combination teishoku. (Don’t believe me? Try it one day!)

While I can see the allure in having the power to order whatever I want from any restaurant — just how I like it — I can empathize with owners and chefs who are constantly manipulating their dishes to each customer’s tastes, as unrefined as they may be.

It goes back to this idea of customization, ownership and entitlement — to me, anyway. We have this notion that we can — and should — have whatever we want, as long as we’re willing to pay for it. And I don’t know if that’s always the best decision. We diagnosis our own illness, thanks to WebMD. We shape our world opinions based on blogs and Twitter. And now we think we know more than the chefs who spent years honing their skills. No, no, the steak tartar should be seared, trust me, I know. Oh, and served with ketchup, please.

So what do you think about this latest trend? You think customers are always right — or do you think we’ve become too demanding?

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FUUD: Roy's in Hawaii Kai

By • March 4, 2011 • Food, Musings, The Daily Dish

Last month I was craving meatloaf and a nice glass of wine.

That could only mean one thing: I was going to Roy’s Restaurant in Hawaii Kai.

But I’ll be honest: except for the meatloaf, I’ve been a bit underwhelmed on my last few visits there.

But this time, there was something different. The food was vibrant. The menu seemed reinvigorated. So we asked our server if there was a change in the kitchen.

Sure enough, there was a new executive chef, Chris Garnier. He’s not new to the company — he was busing tables there about 15 years ago — but he was new to the role. And at least to me, it seemed like the restaurant was back to its previous grandeur.

Here’s what we ate:

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Roy’s Restaurant, Hawaii Kai, 6600 Kalanianaole Highway. Phone: (808) 396-7697.

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Cat Chat 17: Puppet sex?

By • March 2, 2011 • Musings, The Daily Dish, Videos

When my editor, Diane Seo, told me that I would be interviewing a puppet on today’s Cat Chat, I was a bit concerned.

Not about conversing with a puppet. But that the puppet would upstage me.

And sure enough, the puppet — named Princeton and part of Manoa Valley Theatre’s latest production, “Avenue Q,” which opens tomorrow — did just that.

“Avenue Q” is a sharp-witted and hilarious coming-of-age parable, satirizing the issues and anxieties of young adults, particularly the ones — like Princeton — who are recent graduates with throw-away college degrees.

It’s a spoof of PBS’ “Sesame Street,” where kids are special and everything finds a way of working out. Life is good on Sesame Street — but not so great on Avenue Q.

And unlike “Sesame Street,” this play has some real-life situations not appropriate for kids. Like swearing, nudity and, yes, puppet sex.

The show is so popular — it won Tony Awards in 2004 for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Original Book — and tickets sales so strong, MVT decided to extend the show two more weeks. That means, it will run from Thursday — opening night — until April 3.

So Princeton — and his handler, Elitei Tatafu Jr. — and Christmas Eve — played by Pomai Lopez — spent some time with us yesterday to talk about the show, their personal take on the message, and how in the world can a puppet show be R-rated.

For more information or to order tickets, call (808) 988-6131 or visit www.manoavalleytheatre.com.

This production is one of the first community theater productions in the nation and uses puppets from the official play licensing house. Guest director, Bree Bumatai. Guest musical director, Megan Mount. Choreographer/puppeteer, Cindy Hartigan.

Special thanks to Manoa Valley Theatre, Elitei Tatafu Jr., Pomai Lopez, Aubrey Hawk and the cast and crew of “Avenue Q” for making this Cat Chat happen!

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