When September rolls around, I reminisce about the good old days in high school.

Although it was many moons ago, I still remember what we used to eat after school when we were hungry. We couldn't wait to get off the bus and go to Aotani Fountain in Kaimuki.

It was always fun to point to the food and have mama-san pick our choices with her tongs.

Such anticipation, like watching Heinz ketchup ooze out of the bottle.

My favorite snacks were cone sushi, manapua and rice cake. On rainy afternoons, I loved slurping the 'ono crinkly noodle saimin.

Today I rarely eat saimin, because of the carbohydrates.

It is good to think about the past, but it is also great to be able to eat new products that have been created to fit our needs.

I was delighted to find a great product that allows me to eat saimin like the good old days — without worrying about the carbs.

Kale's in Hawai'i Kai now carries tofu shirataki, a noodle-shaped tofu. It has only 3 grams of carbohydrates, no cholesterol and 10 percent calcium — plus, it's easy to cook.

Shirataki is made from yam flour (polysaccharide glucomannan). The gelatinous strings made from this product forms the noodle. Konnyaku root (yam flour) has few calories and is easy to digest. This product can be used in soups, sukiyaki and pasta dishes. (It tasted so good, I used it in place of spaghetti noodles the next week.)

LOW-CARB SAIMIN