Every so often, I go to lunch with Shawn Nakamoto of Kamehameha Schools, and sometimes we stumble on something new. Our recent wandering took us to Menchies, a new do-it-yourself yogurt place in Ward Warehouse.

These yogurt places have become all the rage recently. At a time when people are focused on "it's all about me," why wouldn't they love to eat at a place where they can customize a dessert to their specific desires?

From what I understand, we were very lucky to come at an off time with no line. Very clean and bright!

They have almost a dozen choices of yogurt, which you can opt to mix in your bowl. You can even take a taste (within reason) of flavors you are considering. They have tart, creamy, nonfat, and light, to name a few. Shawn chose tart flavors, whereas I stayed with creamy.

Now remember: they charge 43 cents an ounce. So don't go to town loading up on the heaviest toppings! They have brownies, cookies, candy, nuts, fruits, syrups, mochi, and breakfast cereal. (Did I miss anything?) When Shawn's son visited Menchie's earlier, his order came up to about $8!

We were a little more prudent. Shawn's order, right, came up to $4.08, and mine was $4.35. This was really a dessert for us, but we agreed this was probably a good lunch substitute as well! Provided we don't load up like her son, of course.

I really enjoyed the taro, vanilla, and orange flavors. So what flavor should I try when I go back? And is there a topping that goes really well with yogurt?

Menchies
Ward Warehouse (808) 592- 9292
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday
11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Today is the beginning of The Year of the Ox, also Year 4706 by the Chinese lunar calendar. Did any of you take in the festivities in Chinatown this past weekend?

I got back in touch with my cultural roots all weekend long. On Friday, I volunteered to be support staff for the Hawaii Lion Dance Association, as they did a massive lion dance parade/visitation throughout Chinatown. Brothers Kelfred & Gifford Chang spearhead this effort, and they are my very-distant relatives from the Sam Heong (Three Villages) dialect in ancient China.

I forgot to get a good photo of the Chang brothers, but I did catch former KITV Weather Guy Ben Gutierrez! Did you know that he's a lion dancer? Here he is, sporting the famous "call me" signal that President Obama flashed at the Inaugural Parade.

The next day, I went back to Chinatown to check out the parade and the food. As you can see, it was wall-to-wall people...this photo of the parade crowd doesn't even capture the true insanity down there!

There were many traditional cultural icons in the parade, such as lions and dragons....

...and some not-so-traditional Chinese icons, such as Ronald McDonald. If you look close, you can see that Ronald looks Chinese!

It was also really important to check out the new incarnation of Sing Cheong Yuan, the bakery/candy shop on Maunakea. Although I'm not a big fan of the candied fruits & veggies, I did need to get some banana rolls. (See my gallery in Metromix.com for the banana rolls and more.)

I'm featuring a gratuitous photo of gau because people expect it! But no one makes gau like my Popo did, so it's really hard to eat the mass produced stuff that's out there.

Despite the madhouse down there, I always, always brave the crowds for just one thing: Fresh gin dui. It's always made in a booth in the Chinese Cultural Plaza, and there's no fast way to make it.

....But then I saw the line! Holy smokes, it was worse than the Punahou Carnival malasada line, and slower!
"I'm not standing in that," I said when I saw the people snaking through the smoky Cultural Plaza.
"Oh, but it's so worth it!" my pushy Chinese broad friend Geri Tom proclaimed. "Look at that! The people making it are ancient. Once they're gone, the gin dui art will be gone!"

Indeed. Standing right behind Geri was Garrett Hiromoto, whose wife (another of my pushy Chinese broad friends) Audrey Chun Hiromoto had made him wait in line while she herded her family through the crowd. From left: Audrey, Garrett, Geri.

I hate to admit it, but Geri is right. The gin dui they make on Chinese New Year is exceptional--that delicate crunch, a thin layer of chewy mochi and air encircling fillings of coconut, black sugar, or pork. You can't get this in a restaurant, and it stays hot and fabulous for up to an hour if you're lucky.

Those photos were just the tip of the iceberg. Want to see more food pictures? Check out my gallery in today's Metromix.com!

Kung Hee Fat Choy...wishing you all a very prosperous new year!

January 26 will mark the Year of the Ox on the Chinese lunar calendar, so it seemed appropriate to hold the latest Metromix tasting panel in Chinatown to prep our taste buds! Congratulations to our three winners this month: Mei Jeanne Wagner, Bruce Watson, and Neenz Faleafine.

We went to Legend Seafood Restaurant in the Chinese Cultural Plaza and had a nine-course meal. Most of you know Legend for its dim sum; I think this was my first time eating there for a regular dinner. For the most part, we stuck to old favorites, like the above Peking duck or the eternally favorite honey walnut shrimp, below.

But being a true Pake, I just had to order something that wasn't on the menu--Wat dan ha chow fun. This is chow fun with an egg gravy, usually with crab. The waitress suggested chicken instead. Was that a good decision? Click here to find out!

Make sure you scroll through the whole gallery to see what we ate, and be sure to leave comments! What's your favorite Chinese food? And the all important question, what's your favorite Chinese restaurant?

Before you log off to check out the festivities in Chinatown this weekend, I just wanted to send a shout out to Joy Li of Imperial Gallery in the Aloha Tower Marketplace for my wardrobe styling. She even made the necklace that you see in the Metromix gallery. Also mahalo to Joyce at the Styling Crew for getting my hair to stand up.

Happy New Year, everyone! See you in Chinatown.

Like most people around the state yesterday, I was riveted to my TV at the crack of dawn to watch Barack Obama take oath of office as the 44th president of the United States. In fact, my cousin Celia Chu Lines was emailing my iPhone from her Blackberry in Singapore, as we both were able to watch it live and literally share the moment together.

(Thanks to advances in technology, this momentous event was enjoyed live around the world. Click here to see a video of the international viewing parties.)

Everything that had to be said about the event, has already been said, but there were two surprises for me yesterday. One was how I started crying as he was sworn in as president. I had once done a project on Harriet Tubman--a historic abolitionist and humanitarian--and it really hit me how far the country has come in providing equal opportunities for minorities. It's only been a few generations, but this symbol of change is so dramatic that people alive today seriously didn't think such a thing would happen in their lifetime. I cried for the slaves who had to risk their lives along the Underground Railroad just to get freedom. I cried for the civil rights activists, who just wanted everyone to have an equal shot at life in America. I cried for the families of the slain activists, who could witness the fruition of their dreams. And when you looked out at the faces in the inauguration crowd, you could see they were crying with the same tears.

But on a happier note, I was completely caught off guard when President Obama suddenly flashed a shaka during the parade!

The same international audience watching the festivities saw him shout out to his home town. With one quick gesture, Hawaii became a bigger part of the inaugural festivities, and expats around the world re-bonded with their Hawaii boy. Moreover, for at least the next eight years, people will (hopefully) be coming to Hawaii to discover the magic behind his shaka, and return home to re-share it.

How about you? Did you go to any of the viewing or post-inauguration parties yesterday? What was your highlight of the day?

It wasn't so long ago that if you were going to an event at the Blaisdell, you only had a handful of places to choose from for pre- and post-concert meals. Lo and behold, there are a gazillion places within walking distance now.

The Honolulu Advertiser recently asked me to compile a list of places to go, since Gloria Estefan is in town. And then I had to narrow it down to fit the space! Click here to see some of my suggestions. And photos!

What about you? Where do you like to go to eat before or after a concert and why? What do you look for in nearby restaurants?