4TH OF JULY
On being American
By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer
Mom, baseball and apple pie this trio symbolizes America's reverence for family, sports and good cooking. To celebrate the Fourth of July, we went looking for examples that personify these American icons Island style.
We discovered a Makaha woman whose soldier son will deploy next week to Afghanistan, a dentist from Waipi'o Gentry who has devoted nearly half his life to coaching youth baseball, and a pastry chef instructor from Upcountry Maui who bakes a version of her grandma's apple pie that's so delicious it's said to bring tears to people's eyes.
On this most American of holidays, the three Hawai'i residents share their own stories and reflect the heart of these national symbols.
IT'S ABOUT MOM ...
As the mother of an Army soldier being deployed to Afghanistan for a second time, Janelle Kanuha Marshall, 54, knows very well the meaning of sacrifice.
Her eldest son, Staff Sgt. William Kawika Marshall, 24, is a Green Beret medic with the 7th Special Forces Group based at Fort Bragg, N.C. On Wednesday, he will deploy to Afghanistan for eight months, for his second tour of duty.
William Marshall recently got married, and he and his wife had a baby girl last month, said Janelle Marshall, who traveled to visit the young family and say goodbye to her son before he leaves.
"The dangers faced by my son and all armed services personnel in the war zone is difficult to bear," said Marshall, a Makaha resident who is a personnel officer for Marine Corps Community Services. "However, knowing that (they) have volunteered to fight for something greater than themselves is what makes me most proud."
Marshall remembers the moment six years ago when her son announced that he wanted to join the Army after graduating from high school. The family's initial reaction of shock quickly turned to pride, Marshall recalled. "We were especially proud of his maturity and his choices," she said.
Being a mom does involve hardship, and so "motherhood" is an appropriate national symbol, said Marshall, who is also the volunteer coordinator for the BayFest celebration this weekend at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kane'ohe.
"Motherhood reflects how society strives to be raising children to be respectful and resourceful, to be kind and joyful, and to bring goodness to those who are less fortunate," she said.
Marshall tells other mothers with children in the military: "There is no battle that I would not take on for the best interest of my children. And as our nation's children battle to keep terrorism from our shores, I will give them my unconditional love and support."
BASEBALL ...
At 50 years old, Lance I. Te-ramoto has spent nearly half his life as a volunteer youth baseball coach.
A busy Kahala dentist by day, Teramoto enjoys devoting his free time to coaching. He understands why this summer pastime has become so significant to American culture.
"The strategies involved; the fact that people of every nationality, size, color and gender can play it; and the different skills that are required to be successful in it there are lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork and other applications that can be related to life, in general," said Te-ramoto, of Waipi'o Gentry.
Teramoto, who played baseball growing up, has been coaching for 22 years, since 1986, after coming home from dental school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Today he coaches for the Wai-Kahala Cardinals Bronco Division, which is part of an independent league called the Wai-Kahala Athletic Club made up of more than 500 youths. Te-ramoto's team consists of 13 10- and 11-year-old boys.
Teramoto, who has been with the Cardinals for eight years, doesn't plan to give up coaching anytime soon mainly thanks to the support of his wife, Liane, a bank vice president, and his son, Landon, who will be in the eighth grade.
"There's no way I'd be able to coach without them and their support," he said.
And that's a great thing for this baseball fanatic. "I love everything about the game," Teramoto said.
AND APPLE PIE
Teresa "Cheech" Shurilla has fond childhood memories of her grandmother whipping up incredible baked goods especially her to-cry-for apple pie.
A pastry chef instructor at Maui Community College, Shurilla teaches her students how to bake "Grandma Bogue's Apple Pie" every semester and throws in some of her favorite memories, too.
"I tell the whole story of how Grandma and I used to make this pie," said Shurilla, 48, of Upcountry Maui. "My grandmother had these really big, fat, chubby arms and she wore this really teeny, small watch. It was kind of a funny sight."
Shurilla, who lost her mother at a young age, was raised by her father, Joe Gannon, and stepmother Bev Gannon, the renowned Maui chef. With the influences of her maternal grandmother and stepmother, it's no wonder Shurilla developed a love for being in the kitchen.
But it was her grandma, Hazel Bogue, who was especially an inspiration for her career, Shurilla said. Shurilla continues to make her grandma's apple pie for her family every year.
Shurilla has given the iconic dessert some local flavor, sprinkling some Maui Brand Raw Sugar over the top and serving it with Roselani Tropics Hawaiian Vanilla Bean ice cream.
The apple pie, first brought to the country by colonists, is an appropriate icon of Americana, Shurilla noted.
"I think because of its deep roots, it lends itself to the struggles of early life here in the United States, therefore becoming a symbol of hard work and perseverance that personifies our image of what it is to be an American.
"So much pressure for one pie," she quipped.
YOUTH BASEBALL
For more information about some of the youth baseball opportunities in Hawai'i, go to: www.leaguelineup.com/findyoursite.asp?s=1.
19TH ANNUAL BAYFEST 2008
noon-1 a.m. today, tomorrow; noon-midnight Sunday
Marine Corp Base Hawaii, Kane'ohe Bay
Tickets: For BayFest admission and concert, purchase tickets via www.ticketmaster.com $24 today; $29 tomorrow and Sunday or purchase tickets at the gate $35 today; $40 tomorrow and Sunday. All ages are required to purchase concert tickets. For Bayfest admission only, purchase tickets at the gate $5 general, free for children 5 and younger.
Details: www.bayfesthawaii.com
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Grandma Bogue's Apple Pie Makes one 9-inch pie, which serves 6 to 8. For flaky pie dough 4 cups all-purpose flour 1A teaspoons salt 11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces 6 tablespoons shortening, chilled, cut into small pieces 7 tablespoons ice water (with the ice cubes removed) For apple filling 5 to 6 medium Granny Smith apples (3fl cups when sliced) 1 3/4 cups sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 tablespoons butter, cut into "pats" To prepare the pastry Put the flour, salt, cold butter and shortening in a mixing bowl. Gently cut the fat into the flour with a pastry cutter, or mix the fat and flour by rubbing it together between your fingers. Mix until the fat pieces are the size of baby lima beans. Leaving the fat in larger pieces results in a flakier crust. Pour the cold water into the bowl and mix the ingredients until they form a dough that sticks together. Do not overwork the dough or it will be tough. If there is time, refrigerate the dough for about 15 to 20 minutes; it is easier to roll the dough when it is cold. If there isn't time for this step, you can roll it out immediately. Cut the dough in half. Place it on a smooth surface — your clean counter, a pastry mat, a marble or granite pastry slab if you have one — dusted with flour. With a rolling pin, flatten each half into a circle (a disc) of even thickness. You'll need a circle approximately 10 inches in diameter for the bottom crust and an 11- to 12-inch circle for the top. You may need to sprinkle some flour on the dough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Lift the dough for the bottom crust into the pie pan; be sure it's centered in the pan. You can lift the dough without tearing it if you roll it around the rolling pin, then unroll the dough into the pan. To prepare the filling Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, core and slice the apples. Toss the sliced apples in a mixing bowl with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Put the filling in the unbaked pie shell and dot the top of the filling with the pats of butter. Cover the pie with the larger upper crust and crimp the edges of the two crusts together. Cut slashes or steam vents in the top. I like to brush the top crust with a little water and sprinkle Maui Brand Raw Sugar on top; this gives the crust some extra texture. To bake the pie Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the filling begins to bubble from the top of the pie where the steam vents were cut. To serve I love to serve this pie warm with Roselani Tropics Hawaiian Vanilla Bean ice cream. Yum! — Teresa Shurilla, pastry chef instructor at Maui Community College Note: Shurilla's "Grandma Bogue's Apple Pie" will be among the recipes featured in "Taste of Maui: Favorite Recipes From the Maui Culinary Academy" edited by Chris Speere with Bonnie Friedman (Mutual Publishing, $18.95). The cookbook, out this fall, will benefit the Maui Culinary Academy. To order, contact Speere at 808-984-3690 or speere@hawaii.edu. |
Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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