QUICK BITES
Sake competition set for September
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
Kampai! The only officially recognized sake competition outside of Japan will again take place in Honolulu, at the Honolulu Sake Festival Sept. 21-26. The competition, which last year drew 125 sakes in three divisions, will be the focal event of the festival, which also will include a kikizake (sake tasting) fund-raiser
Sept. 24 at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i. Other events include a moon-viewing party and a brewer's dinner. Planning is still under way.
The event is a joint project of the International Sake Association, based in Honolulu, and Japan's National Research Institute of Brewing, which operates under the Ministry of Finance and which has been conducting sake tastings since 1911. The International Sake Association has played host to more than 70 events in the past 15 years to introduce Americans to sake and its cultural traditions. Information: 739-1000; info@sakefestival.com.
Soup on the menu
It's back to school. No, not for children but for folks who enjoy the low-cost, high-fun classes at Lyon Arboretum, which includes a group of cooking courses. Among those being offered: Vietnamese soups, June 1; Chili Rellenos, June 15; Mochi Madness! July 27; Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Ph™, Aug. 3; More Mochi! Aug. 10; and Terrific Tomatoes, Aug. 17. Fee is $22.
Classes, which begin at 9 a.m. and take up most of the morning, are taught at Lyon Arboretum. Advance registration is required. Classes fill up quickly, so register early. Call 988-0456 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays; fax 988-0462; or visit Lyon Arboretum, 3860 Manoa Road, Cottage H main office, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays. Make checks payable to Lyon Arboretum Association. (By the way, you food gardeners out there, the Lyon Arboretum Summer Plant Sale is 9 a.m.-2 p.m. July 13.)
Global recipes
Hawai'i Pacific University's Students in Free Enterprise, a collaborative project between the college and area businesses that promotes hands-on learning, has produced a mini-cookbook, "A World of Flavor," with the help of its international student body, as well as faculty and area restaurateurs. Chai Chaowasaree wrote the foreword and you'll find everything from French guava pastries to a Brazilian barbecue technique. These are home-tested recipes, very doable, plus a few more complex chef contributions.
The photocopied pamphlet-size book is selling through the online campus bookstore, hpu.edu/bookstore, or from project chairman Laura Windell at aural144@hotmail.com; cost is $6.50. A portion of the proceeds is being donated to a shelter for homeless women and children for a dinner sponsored by the student group.
View of a vegan
Bruce Friedrich, director of Vegan Outreach for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, will discuss his view that a vegan diet is the only diet that takes seriously the health and environmental implications of animal agriculture at 6:45 p.m. June 12 in a free event sponsored by the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii. Friedrich was active in a successful effort to persuade McDonald's to adopt animal welfare guidelines. His talk will take place at the Ala Wai Golf Club club house, 404 Kapahulu Ave. Information: 944-8344.
Spotlight on Bali
Glen Chu and guest chef Ketut Mariani will present a special "Night in Bali" menu May 29 and 30 at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine, including Pesan Bepasih (grilled fish in banana leaf), Siap Base Kelas (Chicken in Spiced Coconut Milk), Gado Gado (mixed vegetables in peanut sauce) and other dishes. Mariani is chef of Warung Blanjong, Sanur, Bali. Native Balinese dances will be performed by Agung Dewi, too.
Reservations suggested: 6-9:30 p.m. each night, 521-2900. (Regular menu also available.)
Cookbook contest
Did your nonprofit group produce a fund-raising cookbook this year? If so, you may want to enter it in the 2001-2002 Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards. Established in 1989 by the McIlhenny Co. of Avery Island, La., this is the only program dedicated solely to recognizing these types of cookbooks.
Entries are judged on layout and design, title, theme, storyline, incorporation of regional culinary traditions, recipe contest and the organization's supporting fund-raising events. There is an additional award, the Walter S. McIlhenny Hall of Fame Award, for cookbooks that have sold more than 100,000 copies; so far, 59 such classics have been honored. To get an entry form, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: McIlhenny Co., Sheryl Dartez, General Delivery, Avery Island, LA 70513. Entry deadline is Oct. 1.
By the way, if your nonprofit is considering doing a cookbook, the competition has published a compilation of judges' tips on cookbook creation and design that you can get free from the above address. It's called Compiling Culinary History: A Creative Guide to Crafting a Community Cookbook.
Information: www.tabasco.com
