JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PURGATORY

People ask me how can I prove I'm in Purgatory.  More people than not actually believe that there is a Heaven, and it is said you will enjoy an Afterlife if you're good in this current world.  My illusion is no more fanciful that that.  Better yet, I'm actually enjoying my fantasy, while most are anticipating what might never happen.

While retirement is probably the main reason, a flexible lifestyle is one of the joys of Purgatory.  Here were my three latest meals in my Paradise.

I decided to have lunch in downtown Honolulu, so my day began with a walk past egrets:

No, they were not on the menu, but I did wonder if this ultimate Heaven for the faithful will have gravestones, or egrets.  

I walked into Chinatown Liquor to purchase a can of $1 beer:

Further into Chinatown Cultural Plaza is a site to honor your ancestors:

Leading to 

Of course, you can't eat the koi, and I was not into their special, pig feet:

I ordered the Shanghai Soup Dumplings with Custard Tarts:

It doesn't show above, but I also had a miniature bottle of Courvoisier Cognac, which I poured into the dumpling (you first need to make a tiny hole at the top), and topped it with vinegared ginger and hot sauce.  These are not as good as at Fook Lam, also located in this Plaza.  Also lacking was the traditional layering at the bottom of choy sum or won bok (these are Chinese vegetables).

My second meal in my Purgatory had to do with fresh Matsutake Mushrooms:

Some of you have seen this item in oriental markets and wondered who could afford it.  Note the price:  $80/pound.  Matsutake is one of those ultimates in cuisine, where the highest grade can go up to $400/pound.  This is a mycorrhizal mushroom that grows throughout the world in harmony with tree roots.  It supposedly has a spicy-aromatic odor.  I detected none in the above, so mine must have been a low grade variety.  At one time Japan grew their own, but a pine-killing nematode largely ruined that privilege.

I once worked for University of Hawaii Chancellor Doug Yamamura (who was remotely related to me), and he spent weeks every summer on vacation in the State of Washington, mostly to find this fungi, but certainly as an escape from people.  He never shared even a piece with me.

Frankly, I was doubly disappointed with this mushroom, because not only was the aroma missing, but it had no particular distinction.  Added to the teriyaki beef shank, which above shows a price of $4/pound, it could have been any mushroom.  Of course, only in desperation will anyone enjoy the meat from this cut.  It is the marrow that is prized, and I wanted to combine this with Matsutake.

I have the larger Matsutake in my refrigerator, so will match it with a piece of $100/pound Japanese wagyu beef.  Will this combination magically transform this pricey vegetable into a delectable accomplice?  Find out on Saturday.

I normally have a simple breakfast of cereal and fruits.  However, on those days I walk 18 holes on a golf course, I have a huge meal, with only an apple for lunch:

These were mostly leftovers from dinner last night:  yellow-fin tuna poke (a Hawaiian marinated fish dish), corned beef/cabbage, to which I added more chopped cabbage and onions, covering an egg over easy, natto (a Japanese probiotic bean concoction)  and rice, with tsukemono (Japanese pickles, which I make), and accompanying cold green tea and spot of hot sake.

I did go golfing, walked 18 holes and saw a rainbow at the Ala Wai Golf Course.  We have a lot of these color bands in Purgatory.

The Dow Jones Industrial average.....again...broke it's all time high, up 6 to 23,563.

-

THE FLORIDA PROJECT and VICTORIA AND ABDUL

The top movies this weekend were:

• #1  Thor                     $122.7 million   I avoid comic-based themes
• #2  Bad Moms               16.8 million   Not another one of these
• #3  Jigsaw                        6.6 million   Not again
• #4  Tyler P....                    4.5 million   I refuse to see TP films
• #5   Geostorm                  3.1 million   I saw this on my recent 
•                                                                     Orient trip
•  
• #11 The Foreigner           1.6 million   On my shortlist (RT: 59/76)
• #12 Victoria and Abdul    1.2 million    One of two I saw this 
•                                                                     weekend (RT: 66/72)
•  
• #19  The Florida Project  0.6 million    My second this weekend 
•                                                                      (95/75)
•  
• #30   Jane                         0.2 million   On my shortlist (100/90)

The Florida Project and Victoria and Abdul were about as contrasting as you can find in any theater.  TFP was very highly rated, but mostly boring.  Yet, there was something about this film that represented my life.  I grew up in a tough Kakaako neighborhood, and in youth mostly played, with occasional missteps.  The setting and story for TFP was something similar, but took place in the environment of those seedy Florida motels.  The Florida Project was the early project name for the Walt Disney World Resort, and the ending of this film captured the essence of wished for life of children in this milieu:  stressed happiness with dreams of the Magic Kingdom.  The final scene in Disney World was shot with an iPhone without permission.  Of course, the write-director, Sean Baker, gained fame with Tangerine, using only an iPhone.  Willem Dafoe did well, and you will again see Brooklynn Prince, for she stole the show.  That's her to the right, and note the rainbow.

Victoria and Abdul was a mostly true fantasy, a story suppressed by King Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria.  The movie was based on a book based on Abdul's diary, learned of only recently by the author of the book from which the movie was made.  Judy Dench plays the then 80-year old Queen, reprising her role of Mrs Brown, produced twenty years ago, which also had to do with a commoner-monarch friendship, touched by reality.  There are links that make me want to someday see this film (THIS IS THE ENTIRE MOVIE!).  Eddie Izzard portrayed the Prince of Wales who would become king, and King Edward VII actually became a popular monarch.  Loved this production.

In any case, while TFP is dysfunctional, desperate and the worst case scenario envisioning anything remotely related to the Magic Kingdom, VaA is all pomp and circumstance, a life that can only be lived by a Queen.  Victoria was born in 1819 to Prince Edward and a German mother, and became Queen at the age of 18 only because all the male heirs had passed away, including her father and then King George III.  She reigned for 63 years.  Queen Elizabeth II is into her 66th year.  Victoria had nine children, and all married into royal and nobel families across the continent.  She was known as the Grandmother of Europe, and it was during her "rule" that the British Empire became great.  She was the inspiration behind Victorian Morality, which valued sexual restraint, low tolerance of crime and a strict social code of conduct.  She survived at least six assassination attempts. Victoria was devastated by the death of her husband Albert in 1861, and wore black the rest of her life.  Then came manservants Mr. Brown and Abdul Karim...and those two films.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, again, broke its all-time high, up 9 to 23,557.  By the way, President Donald Trump gave his best speech ever as the leader of the USA, in addressing the South Korean National Assembly.

-

ON DEMENTIA, MIGRAINES, BLOOD PRESSURE AND LONGEVITY

The latest medical info to alarm and/or help you:

• It is more and more appearing that losing your sense of smell leads to dementia.  Whew, I'm good here.  All your senses link directly to some brain function.  Is it possible to improve your olfactory ability?  Well, here are twenty ways, but....

• In the USA, 12% (about a billion people worldwide) are affected by migraines, which are triggered by emotional stress, missing a meal and lack of sleep.  Of course, see your personal physician before considering any of the following:
• At one time doctors thought migraines were caused by widening of blood vessels in the brain, leading to ergots and  triptans to narrow the vessel.  However, these remedies can lead to heart disease.
• Some take melatonin to sleep better.  Not sure if more sleep or melatonin reduced the incidence of migraines.
• The co-enzyme CoQ10 appears to reduce migraines.  A daily dose of 400 milligrams resulted in more than a 50% reduction of this ailment.

• Three months dose of 400 mg B vitamin riboflavin also aids more than half of those affected.
• Some have tried the root of the butterbur plant (right, Petasites hybrids), but the plant can be toxic to the liver, and also might lead to cancer.
• Another herbal remedy is feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), but there is uncertainty on effectiveness, daily dose amount and side effects.
• There must a hundred, or more, pills you can take. 

• The latest approach, which will soon lead to more effective medication, has to do with a rise in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) during the migraine, so drugs are being developed to block these peptides from increasing.

• A Finnish study showed that regular sauna visits can reduce blood pressure.  This option improves blood vessel flexibility and the total process relaxes the body.  Sweating, too, is like taking a diuretic.  I could have told them that, for my hot bath after golf usually drops my blood pressure to 110/65.  My average blood pressure is closer to 140/85.

• Do skinny or fat roundworms live longer?  Pudgy roundworms storing a particular type of fat live longer than their more svelte counterparts, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.  Turns out that a particular type of monounsaturated fatty acid, like those found in olive oil, makes a difference.  Again, this could well be related to my posting on:  OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE LIVE LONGER THAN NORMAL PEOPLE!!!

-

IS RELIGION GOOD OR BAD?

On Sundays, I tend to explore an aspect of religion.  But, before delving into Sabbath matters, I want to mention two things.

At 2AM this morning, most of the USA changed the time to 1AM, giving you one more hour of sleep.  Think FALL BACK (go from 2AM to 1AM) IN THE FALL, and SPRING FORWARD IN THE SPRING.  This screws up Hawaii, for we don't bother with this dubious change.  We suffer, for take TV guides. SPECTRUM (my cable company) messed up, and the NFL football game on KGMB between the Titans and the Ravens, was listed to begin at 7AM, but did not start until 8AM.  I wonder when they will make this FALL BACK adjustment?

Shalane Flanagan became the first American female to win the New York City Marathon in 40 years.  She defeated three-time defending champion Mary Keitany (won the past 3 years--and blew away the competition this year in London, with a women's world record of 2:17:01, where #2 arrived more than 3 minutes and 34 seconds later) of Kenya by more than a minute, finishing in 2 hours, 26 minutes and 53 seconds.  Ms. Flanagan of Massachusetts is 36 years old.  Ms. Keitany, 35.  

The male victor was Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya in 2:10:53.  He is 24.  The last U.S. born American to win this marathon was Bill Rodgers in 1979.  Marcel Hug of Switzerland, in a wheelchair, won in 1:37:17.  Not sure if this race broke the all-time largest marathon of 51,394 set last year here (New York City).  Early estimates at this time indicate that more than 50,000 participated.

Returning to the topic of the day,

Last month, Ipsos Group, a French global market research and consulting firm, surveying 23 countries, announced:

• 49% believe that religion does more harm than good
• European countries are in the 60+% category
• USA  39%
• Japan  26%
•   38% say their religion defines them as a person
• India  70%
• USA  49%
• Japan  14%
•   74% are comfortable being around people of different religions
• South Africa  90%
• USA  88%
• Japan  58%
•   16% lose respect for non-religious people
• India  46%
• USA  19%
• Japan  10%
• Hungary  6%
• 32% think that religious people make better citizens
• India  62%
• USA  45%
• Japan 11%
• 50% feel religious practices are an important factor in the moral life of the country
• India  78%
• USA 66%
• Japan 15%

You can click on the survey for details.  I should note that:

• 17,401 interviews were made
• Aside from Turkey, there was no Middle East country involved, nor China

For further clarification:

David Elliott
Director, Ipsos Public Affairs AUS
david.elliott@ipsos.com +61 (02) 9900 5159

Lucy Hedt
Project manager, Ipsos Public Affairs AUS
Lucy.hedt@ipsos.com +61 (03) 9946 0832 

Ipsos was founded in France in 1975 and employs more than 16,000 people.

So what does this report mean?  It has been said that geography determines your religion:

I would be more specific and indicate that your religious beliefs are heavily influenced by your upbringing.  Later logic is almost irrelevant.  Yet, within these distinctions, something else is at play.  But what?

Clearly, if you live in India, be religious.  If in Japan, religion is not all that important.  I was very much surprised to learn that just about half of those surveyed felt that religion did more harm than good.  However, looking closer at the parameters, that determination could well have been because European countries were over-represented, and they have recently had serious immigration problems.

-

NANZAN GIRO GIRO

Nanzan Giro Giro is a non-traditional Japanese multi-course kaiseki restaurant.  Fodor has described the cuisine as "punk Kaiseki ryori," experimental, and non-traditional.  Who could have guessed that the name comes from Nanzan Ito, a ceramic artist (left), and Giro Giro Hitoshima, a restaurant, both from Kyoto.

Original founder of this concept is Eiichi Edakuni, who personally runs Giro Giro Paris, in that French city.  Haven't yet figured out why Hitoshima.  Also, in Paris, the restaurant is called Guilo Guilo.  All very mysterious, as Guilo is Julius in Italian.  You could say Giro Giro influenced Guilo Guilo.  But why Giro Giro?  Giro means a kind of stare in Japanese.

In any case, we have a special spot in 15 Craigside, where the four doors on the 12th floor conjoin.  The occupants of these four residencies, for almost a year now, have dabbled in epicurean adventures:

• Noboru
• Miyako
• Chengdu Taste
• La Mer
• Vintage Cave

Last night we went to Nanzan Giro Giro:

There are seats around the kitchen, plus a second living room-type area, where the five of us sat.  At first, three of us shared a large bottle of Asahi beer.   I ordered the wine pairing, which turned out to be a curious combination of two German whites, a rose' and champagne:

We started with a tiny amount of raw tuna in soy milk and cauliflower soup, topped with greens, melon and bubu (rice cracker balls).

The soup was good, of grilled barracuda, tofu, etc:

Next, oshinogi, and here is what was written on the menu:  Salmon roe, Salmon and Heart of Palms tartar, Kaiware radish sprout, Quinoa, Wasabi, Myoga Ginger root, Shiso, Tomato vinegar soup--

The main entre, and, again, I'm repeating the menu:  Roast Duck breath, Sesame tofu tempura, Sweet potato puree, Kyoto miso soup with Yuzukosho pepper, Spinach:

What is roast duck breath?  The menu was dotted with what must have been language conversion bemusements.

Next came the most disappointing item of the night:  Mahimahi, Foie grass (must have meant gras) sauce, Mizuna, Shimeji, Sesame seed--

First, the dish was lukewarm, and worse, there was no presence of foie gras in any form.  I guess the key point was that "real" foie gras would have cost too much for this one-price meal, which was $58.

The final course was worthy and the best of the lot:  Anago fly, Sweet soy sauce, Eggplant, Egg ankake soup, Gobo Burdock root Rice, Wasabi, Nori seaweed--

The small plate had Nappa cabbage, Cucumber, Sesame seed, Ume puree...which totally lacked in character, and the portion was microscopic.

There were five of us, and I was the only one who did not order the $12 dessert, which was symbolic of the entire meal, a concoction of disparate ingredients:  Ginger bread, Brie cheese Ice cream, Pumpkin seed Almond meringue, Raspberry sauce, Pear, Kyoto Tsujiri--

Incidentally here we are:

This all ended with matcha:

Was this worth it?  Yes, for we neighbors had a good chance to talk.  The quality of the cuisine was somewhat above average.  Admirably creative, but the effort did not quite deliver.  They could not use Japanese Wagyu Beef nor a chunk of foie gras, for either one alone could well have been worth  $58.  The menu changes monthly, so might be worth a second try.

Next month?  On to Senia, only nine months old, located in downtown Honolulu and led by former Vintage Cave chef, Chris Kajioka, and Anthony Rush.  They have already been nominated for a James Beard award.  To the left, Rush, his wife Katherine Nomura and Chris.  I had lunch at Senia several months ago, and, like Nanzan Giro Giro, featured is fine cuisine at moderate cost.

-