aspir(al)ing

Ramen Wars.

Posted by terri | Filed under tabemono

With all the indulgence of this Thanksgiving not too far from our memory, it seems inappropriate to make a post about ramen, of all things. Let’s just say that this is what happens when you don’t blog right away when you mean to. So here goes…

I have a rather unique thing with ramen compared to any other dish out there. When I lived in Japan, going to an authentic ramen shop was always a treat because of the pride that I knew the restaurant put in their dishes. Coming back to Hawaii, I held very low expectations for ramen as it seemed that all the restaurants get their noodles from the same supplier (that being Sun Noodle) and they ended up tasting the same and very less than ordinary. Ramen has to be really good for me to like it; I wouldn’t settle for subpar ramen as I do for other things. I think just to please others or to be part of the group, I would “endure” a bowl of ramen from places like Ezogiku or Daiichi.

These past several weeks, I had the opportunity to go to not just one but two ramen establishments on the island that have a reputation for being authentic. That being said, I went in with the expectation that some extraordinary ramen was out there to be had. The first one I tried out was ごまいち (Gomaichi) on Keeaumoku Street across from Wal-Mart upon the recommendation of many of my co-workers. I felt that my co-workers could appreciate a really good bowl of ramen, and so I decided to give it a shot with my friend Kent. I ordered the Char Siu Tan Tan Men which is apparently one of their best selling items. I have to say that it was quite magnificent. There was a kick to that broth and richness unlike anything I had before. The noodles were also quite different and well prepared. And where usually I find ramen overfilling with its mediocre soup, I managed to down almost every drop of what was in my bowl. Definitely good stuff. I can see that a lot of other people think so too. When they opened up for dinner, the small place quickly filled up; it even appeared that many Japanese speaking residents (or dare I say tourists?) frequent the place. Hey, so it’s got to be REALLY good.

And then a couple of days ago, I went to another ramen restaurant upon the suggestion of my sister. My sister, who had never been to or even heard of ごまいち, had said that Yotteko-ya in the McCully Shopping Center had the best ramen. I ordered their signature dish, the Paitan Chashu Ramen. The noodles were fairly good, but the soup just seemed bland to me despite it looking good with its unique looking texture. Perhaps with my expectations were set a bit too high, I ended up leaving the place a bit disappointed.

So the winner for me was obviously ごまいち (Gomaichi), and upon telling my sister this, she is anxious to try it out. To any readers (or lurkers) I may have that reside on our lovely island, I definitely recommend that you check it out at least once to try their Tan Tan Men. Gomaichi is located on 631 Keeaumoku Street on the other side of Makaloa Street from the old Tower Records store (or new Walgreens, if you actually visit that place.) I think they have parking on Makaloa Street, but otherwise, you can go during a trip to Ala Moana and just walk through Nordstrom’s to get to the Kapiolani Boulevard exit where the restaurant is only a block away. It is a cash-only establishment, and prices start at about $9 up. For some variety, I would definitely recommend ordering vegetables in addition to ordering the ramen because you otherwise just get meat and noodles in soup.

Not sure when is the next chance I’ll get to go to Gomaichi to eat, especially with all this ingestion of turkey and other bad food with lots of leftovers to be had. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and am actually looking forward to the holidays. I hope there will be more entries in the coming weeks, and that the mention of food will be to a minimum.

Working It Out.

Posted by terri | Filed under chub chub, digital life, tunes

It’s been over month since I got my new iPod Nano, and so I guess it’s about time I write about how that’s working out as well as how I have been “working out.” As I mentioned, I got the Nano with the intent of taking it with me when I take a walk around my neighborhood or wherever else my legs take me (while sparing my iPhone.) It has been rather successful as I have been putting some exercise into my day. It was a little scary that a man that got stabbed to death near my house on my walking route, but nonetheless, I’ve been trying to go whenever I have an evening alone. My energy levels have been pretty good lately and I think taking regular walks has mitigated my stress levels a little bit. Unfortunately I just haven’t been entirely motivated to do it everyday, but I guess I can celebrate the baby steps.

And in the spirit of trying to improve my wellness, I recently obtained a Wii Fit. It was actually a gift from a friend who remembers me from a time when I wasn’t so pudgy. I guess you could call it a “Wow, you got fat” gift, which I can definitely appreciate. I think it’s a rather fun motivator for fitness, though it can be useless if you do everything half-assed. I do wish it had better aerobic exercises, but it’s fairly good for the yoga and strength training exercises, not to mention for being a very expensive scale.

The Wii Fit, like with any “fitness program,” helps you set goals. Without much motivation, I really have difficulty achieving goals, but I suppose I should give this one a shot. I think it’s a matter of really taking advantage of the fact that I have a set work schedule, and that I need to stick to a routine. I guess it’s a matter of being motivated and not so easily distracted by the million other things I want to do. (And most of them involve sitting on my ass at the computer.)

Ha, well let’s see how THAT goes.

If anything, I’ve been able to listen to some fun music and some interesting podcasts while taking my Nano out for my walks. I’ve been tweaking with my playlists and I came up with these 10 songs that I think are the best for moving to. (I’m afraid to say that I haven’t used the Genius feature as much as I would have liked.)

“Just Dance” – Lady GaGa
“Little of Your Time” – Maroon 5
“Gotta Get Thru This” – Daniel Bedingfield
“What You Waiting For” – Gwen Stefani
“My Sharona” – The Knack
“Shake It” – Metro Station
“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” – Daft Punk
“Technologic” – Daft Punk
“Step By Step” – New Kids on the Block
“Fascinated” – Company B

And so the question for you is, do you have a favorite song you like to move to?

Aloha!

Hello from the island of O'ahu in the beautiful state of Hawaii. I am terri, a local girl who at 30 is trying to make sure that life doesn't entirely pass her by. I've recently become engaged and am enjoying living a great life in paradise.