Articles Categorized Food

Thanksgiving Trivia

If you’re looking for silly activities after your Thanksgiving meal, why not play Thanksgiving Trivia? Category 1: How did Thanksgiving get started? Before Thanksgiving meant too much food, football games, and the Macy’s Day Parade, it was a day to thank God for, in the case of Pilgrims, sustenance itself. The first Pilgrims to America

Kale – The Queen of Greens

In the world of wacky commemorative days, the first Wednesday of October is National Kale Day, now in it’s fourth year. Organizers what to spread the word about the Queen of Greens. In fact, if you go to the website, you can join Team Kale and become part of the Kale Army. Exciting, isn’t it?

TIĀN TÁN: THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

Once Chinese Emperors stood as the intermediaries between gods and humanity, the conduits of harmony and prosperity on earth. Twice a year the Emperor approached the gods for ritual prayer. In the spring, he prayed for a good harvest. In the fall, he expressed gratitude for the bounty received. In preparation for the rituals, the

CUPCAKE BREAK!

Life is stressful these days. It must be time for a cupcake break. Fun, exuberant little cakes, the cup cake is almost sincere in its potential for simplicity. There’s automatic portion control. The little cakes bake more quickly than regular cakes which makes them energy efficient. Serving cupcakes, especially with their paper wrappers, is less

DIWALI – A FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

  Diwali is a Hindu festival occurring between mid-October and mid-November. This year the celebration takes place from October 29 until November 1. Although there are variations in how the festival is celebrated, its purpose commemorates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. It’s a time of family and friends dedicated to

Blue Zones Come to Hilo

  Once upon a time, people thought that somewhere in the New World there existed a Fountain of Youth. They thought anyone who drank from it would be restored to youthful vitality which was the next best thing to immortality. It’s unclear whether the lucky finder would have to camp nearby and drink from it

The Real “Johnny Appleseed”

  Fall is upon us – time for colorful autumn leaves and other fruits of the season. Apples and pumpkins with their golden colors come to mind. The days are still long and the nights a bit crisp. Halloween candy is in the stores. But let’s go back to apples. Apples have been part of

How My Mother Learned to Cook

My mother couldn’t cook. She could, however, follow directions to their furthest extreme. When she got married in 1946, she purchased three cookbooks. The books lived on a kitchen shelf and were so well used that two of them are held together with now brittle cellophane tape. I don’t know if the third book was

“STINGING NETTLES” TASTE LIKE SPINACH

Like many Americans, I’ve been eating since November – Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas cookies, and Valentine’s indulgences. I completed my eating frenzy yesterday with a chocolate bunny (ears first, of course). This means it’s time for another annual custom — shedding winter padding and getting ready for “bikini weather” or in my case, “basketball shorts weather.”