Island Pantry
Cheap eats: Making your food dollars s-t-r-e-t-c-h
By Kaui Philpotts
Advertiser Staff Writer
The threat of global war and terrorism has caused many of us to pull in and think back to what our families endured, and how they cooked, during previous hard times. While we aren't ready to go back to planting victory gardens, visitor and retail industry layoffs are making many keep a vigilant eye on food dollars and habits.
Kaui Ah Sing, who runs a program called "Spend Less, Eat Well, Feel Better" for the Salvation Army, has been teaching people in crisis how to do just that. Her tips could help us all.
One of the first things people watching their pennies seem to do is give up fresh fruits and vegetables in the mistaken notion that they cost too much. "People think they're expensive. I really try to work at that. I tell them to look at their grocery carts and cut out the sodas and fruit drinks first," said Ah Sing. The nutrients and fiber in fruits and vegetables are necessary for everyone, and especially for people under a lot of stress.
She suggests using frozen vegetables if fresh are not convenient or affordable. Canned goods, with additives and often a lot of salt, are her last choice. Look for specials on large bags of green beans, mixed vegetables, leaf spinach and broccoli. That way they can always be added to meals at the last minute.
"Mothers feel guilty about not cooking dinners from scratch," said Ah Sing. "I try to tell them that it's OK, don't be so hard on yourself."
Many children whose parents are either out of work or on busy, overlapping schedules, find that dinner is often dry, packaged saimin. Knowing that, she urges families to at least top the saimin with eggs and vegetables rather than salty, fatty Spam.
One of the most important things to do before you begin shopping, said Ah Sing, is to take an inventory of what your family likes to eat. Once a week, she recommends, make a shopping list before you head to the market. "Take care of your needs before your wants," she suggests. "Make sure you have whole grains, rice, vegetables and calcium-rich foods that are not necessarily canned meats."
But eating on the cheap is a concern for more than those out of work. Many young single people, couples without children, single parents and the elderly find that they waste too much food when they try to cook everything from scratch at home. Some have stopped cooking, preferring to use deli counters and takeout to avoid waste.
Back during the Depression and World War II, the lack of fresh meat, dairy products and vegetables caused many Islanders with access to military commissaries and other stashes of canned goods, to develop a taste for canned corned beef, Spam, Vienna sausage, pork and beans, and other foods that are now considered "local."
Dishes such as canned corned beef stir-fried with cabbage, Vienna sausage with eggs and rice, Spam and green beans with rice, became family favorites that were both cheap and considered 'ono.
A cheery group of women working for Alu Like's children's program shared their experiences with cooking inexpensive meals for large families over morning coffee. Costco and Sam's Club have changed how local people eat cheap, they said. You can now buy a frozen lasagna, good for 10 to 12 servings, for a little more than $9 (difficult to do from scratch). Add a fresh salad from a bag and you have a quick dinner.
Another woman said she has fed her young children in the car on the way to school by buying a plate of fried rice, two eggs and bacon from a local takeout place for as little as $1.99, dividing it up among the children, who don't eat much at a sitting. She finds that it's almost cheaper to feed them like this, especially when they are in a rush to leave the house in the morning.
"People who need to feed their families cheaply know where these deals are," said one woman. They all thought it was much easier to find fast-food bargains in Honolulu than on the Neighbor Islands, and are always on the look out for coupons and two-for-one specials.
Some working people find that it's cheaper and simpler to eat at places such as Burger King, where you can sometimes get lunch for $1.09, than it is to make something. One couple picks up mochiko chicken or barbecued ribs from a takeout place for $3.99 at dinner time, goes home and makes a pot of rice and adds frozen vegetables.
Joni Paahao and Joyce Matsumoto, both of whom often work long hours in the visitor industry, shared their favorite places to eat inexpensively and quickly. Because they often eat out for business, simple local foods are what they look for when they are on their own time.
Paahao's favorite takeouts, that are open until 9 p.m. and have great prices and good quality, are Kent's Drive Inn in the Chinese Cultural Plaza for sweet-sour spareribs; On On Chinese Restaurant in Kapahulu for crispy gau gee mein, walnut shrimp, and salt and pepper shrimp; I Love Country Cafe for sesame chicken, mochiko chicken with nori ahi and brown rice, or stir-fried vegetables with tofu.
Paahao said the food court at 99 Ranch Market is another favorite when she is in the Mapunapuna area. There, she likes the concessions for the ginger chicken and char siu plate, and honeydew or coconut-flavored pearl tea. The food and salad bar at Down to Earth in Mo'ili'ili is another great place to get healthy takeout; try potatoes au gratin. Other favorites are the white pizza (no tomato sauce) at Boston Pizza on Wai'alae Avenue and gado gado (a salad) and satay sticks at Bali Indonesia on Kapi'olani Boulevard.
Matsumoto said her busy and erratic schedule — meaning she's unable to predict when she'll be home to cook and when she'll be eating out — has meant that fresh fruits and vegetables often spoil before she can get to them. When she's not entertaining for business, she picks up takeout at Shirokiya in Ala Moana Center. The third-level location makes for easy drive-up parking. Other favorites are Tokkuri-Tei in Kapahulu and Asia Manoa (for pork with green beans, Chinese fish, and shrimp with honey walnuts).
Here are two simple dishes you can make at home from canned or frozen goods, and serve with steamed rice.
Green Beans and Tuna Curry
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup water
2 cups frozen green beans
1 6-ounce can tuna packed in water
Salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until translucent. Add the curry powder and cook, being careful mixture doesn't burn. Add the flour and brown. Mix in the water slowly, stirring to thicken, and then the green beans. Now add the coarsely flaked tuna and stir. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve over hot rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings. (Chicken broth can be used instead of water).
