Did you know this is National Tailgating Day? Yes, the first Saturday in September has long been the time for a special custom in the USA when friends gather outside the football stadium at the tailgate of a pickup truck, or equivalent, to consume grilled meats, drink beer and banter. It sounds idyllic, and it kind of is, for I willingly participated in this practice for more than two decades.
The reality is that getting to the football game is a royal pain to find a desirable parking slot. Then the weather. Almost always too hot in Hawaii, with, now and then, rain and wind. In certain seasons you wonder why you suffer this ritual when the team is doing so poorly on the field. In the case of what was known as the von Appen years, things got so bad that many remained in suspended-tailgate until just before the game ended. How bad?
Fifteen years ago, in Fred vonAppen’s disastrous final season, the ‘Bows were outscored an average of 33-13; were shutout twice (including an embarrassing 20-0 loss to Arkansas State); and only finished within single digits of their opponents one time (a 30-21 loss to Utah in the second game of the season). I recall that the team was so painful to watch that I checked out the Saturday night movie listings before I went to home games, hoping I could catch a more entertaining flick if I left at halftime. He came to Hawaii from Stanford.
Thus, you can appreciate the wisdom of my making certain "tailgate" adjustments in my twilight. I have expanded the concept to include women's volleyball. Plus, this weekend featured a three-night marathon beginning Thursday. The Packers had already beaten the Bears for the first NFL game of the year. Then, our Thursday night table celebrated two birthdays (note the Army shirt I'm wearing):
The 170-year old set of candles represents our combined age. Note also that cute dragon. Bob and I were born in the Year of the Dragon. With that final bit of information, you should be able to calculate our ages.
Here is a piece of that Haupia Chocolate Chiffon Cake, and the sashimi plates to start our party:
We had bottles of Prosecco and Cabernet Sauvignon, shown here with Gordon, Bob and Al, then Charlotte, Sets and Ted:
Gordon, incidentally, still goes to the UH football games, and will be there when Hawaii plays host to Oregon State today. I can't remember this ever happening when we play a Pac12 team, but we are 6 point favorites. 
As I'm creating this posting, I have been watching on TV Army and Michigan in overtime, which Michigan just won. Army comes to Honolulu in our final game this year. A year ago just around this time I was at West Point to see Hawaii lose to Army. Here, a photo from that game. To the left above our meager tailgate meal that day, with orange juice.
Of all the coincidencies, after our birthday party "tailgate," I saw the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team beat Army. It was a tough victory.
Tailgate #2, last night, was a Hawaiian luau on my lanai in prelude to Hawaii versus Sacramento State in volleyball. 15 Craigside provided the laulau, chicken long rice, salad and lomi lomi salmon.
However, I also shopped around for limu kohu poke and squid luau. First, I cut the laulau in half and fried the pieces in some Japanese wagyu beef fat. My meal with a Stanford cab, hot sake, cold beer and Suntory Hibiki whisky (tablespoon or so into the chicken long rice):
The star of the show was one of my latest concoctions, combining the poke with lomi salmon, adding chopped cucumbers, onions and tomatoes, tiny pieces of kazunoko, and dousing with a generous amount of chili water, on a bed of lettuce:
I made too much, so will add this leftover into tailgate #3. This Japan-infused international feast, which I will enjoy as soon as I post this blog, will feature mizunara, a legendary Japanese oak which does wonders for whiskey and cognac, plus a Japanese vodka and Junmai Daiginju sake.
Here are the ingredients:
Artichoke, ikura (salmon roe), giant white asparagus (not shown here), Castello Blue Cheese (also not shown here) and various tidbits for the caviar and cheese.
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As damaging as Hurricane Dorian has been, with 48 deaths (and this number should significantly increase in the Bahamas), 70,000 homeless and millions without power, in these cooler waters, it actually increased back into a Category 2, but should in time weaken and make landfall over Nova Scotia. Other ocean storms in the Atlantic do not at this time appear to be particularly of concern.
In the Orient, Typhoon Lingling made landfall over North Korea, while Typhoon Faixi has unexpectedly become a monster storm, now at 132 MPH, and is still headed straight for the Tokyo area. It is still possible that the eye will turn northeastward a bit and only graze Japan. Then again, a bit to the west and there will be a direct hit over Tokyo very early Monday morning. Remember, if you're flying into Haneda or Narita, noon Hawaii time on Sunday is already 7AM Monday in Japan:
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