Thursday, December 26, 2019

First Class Cabin Meals

Hawaiian Airlines First-Class Seats
If you work hard, if you fly a lot, if you like a certain airline company, then you owe it to yourself to accept what you deserve — an upgrade to first class.

There are a few ways to do this:

If you are an upper-level premium club member, they sometimes offer you an upgrade at no extra cost. This has happened to me, but it’s very rare.

You can use your air miles to upgrade an economy class seat at the airport when you check in to your flight. But your chances are slim to none. I’ve done this.

Book a first-class upgrade when you make a reservation, using your accumulated miles. Your chances are improved. I’ve done this as well.

Book a full-fare first-class seat when you make your flight reservations. This is what I do now.

But this post is not about planning your flight in first-class, or the psychological benefits you derive.

It’s just about the meals I had on a recent Hawaiian Airlines round trip between Honolulu and Oakland. As usual, I photographed the meals and posted the pix on Facebook.

Lunch: Honolulu (HNL) to Oakland (OAK)


  • (Appetizer) Macadamia nuts and sparkling water with lime wedge.
  • (First Course) Chicken Kabocha (pumpkin) Cake with Togarashi (spice blend) Mayonnaise.
  • (Main Entree) Corn Polenta Cake, Balsamic Vinaigrette and Roasted Vegetables.
  • (Dessert) Mango Pie by Hawaiian Pie Company, and green tea.

Brunch: Oakland (OAK) to Honolulu (HNL)


  • (Appetizer) Macadamia nuts, club soda with a twist of lime. 
  • (First Course) Seasonal Fresh Fruits, warm Croissant with butter and jam. 
  • (Main Course) Yuki Ricotta Pancakes, Maple Syrup Whipped Crème, with Chicken Apple Sausage Links. 
  • (Dessert) Pineapple Vanilla Shortcake.
Next time you book a long flight, just do it.


Tuesday, November 19, 2019

A Cub Reporter’s Brush with Snow White

Original 1937 Movie Poster

One thing good about posting what I’ve been doing on Facebook is that the writing brings back memories, memories long filed in the recesses of my mind.

In brain barrels. Someone once told me that our brains are full of barrels, and that everything we hear, see, taste, feel or smell is stored in them, there to age and ripen, and to meld into what we call memories.

Then, as we age, the barrels fill up, and the memories on the top slowly slop over the edges of the barrels. The older stuff hangs around on the bottoms, aging and waiting for the barrels to be stirred.

A few weeks ago, I subscribed to Disney+ and began watching classic animated features (e.g, Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo, Cinderella). One day, I inadvertently stirred the contents of one barrel.

Maestro Guido Caselotti
Back in the late ‘60s, when I was a Copley Newspapers trainee for the Alhambra Post-Advocate in the west San Gabriel Valley near LA, I was assigned to write a story about long-time voice and piano teacher Maestro Guido Caselotti (1884-1978).

Among the interesting things I learned about him in a fascinating two-hour interview with the maestro was that he had done some work for Walt Disney. “Done some work”—what an understatement!

One of his tasks was to cast dialogue and singing voices for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937), considered to be Disney’s greatest cinematic achievement.

Adriana Caselotti
Mr. Caselotti told me his 19-year-old daughter, Adriana, was a student of his and was quite a talented singer. He ended up casting her as the title character, Snow White.

Doing some research for this blog article, I found out that she made $20 a day for her work as Snow White, a total of $970, rather a tidy sum in the day.

When I got back to the newsroom, I sat at my manual Royal typewriter, rolled in some paper, and began writing. After I submitted the story, our editor did a bunch of changes, transforming the prose from an amateur’s attempt into a polished story.

The actual clipping, as it appeared in the Post-Advocate, is attached at the bottom. It pictures Maestro Guido and his wife, Ana. Unfortunately, a few lines are missing. Blame my scanner, which could not accommodate the entire article. One of my first and better works, it was picked up by the Associated Press. In the next year or so, I met several news people who remembered the article and my name.

A week or so after the retirement feature ran, I got a call from Mr. Caselotti, telling me so many people read it and called him, wanting him to teach their children. He said he was forced to come out of retirement and thanked me profusely. I wrote an update about his status and was so touched and honored that I had enabled others to benefit from his knowledge.

See? Sitting in front of a TV screen does have its benefits.


Maestro Guido and Ana Caselotti

Friday, November 8, 2019

Origins of Familiar English Customs and Phrases


I posted this on my Facebook page recently, some interesting facts about England in the 1500s. I do not know the origin or the author of this piece. Hope you enjoy.

A Pot to Piss In

People used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot. Then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive, you were "piss poor."

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot. They "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.

The Wedding Bouquet

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Throwing the Baby Out

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children.

Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.

Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!"

“Raining Cats and Dogs”

Houses had thatched roofs—thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (e.g., mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.

Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

Canopy Beds

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed.

Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

“Dirt Poor” and “Threshold”

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "dirt poor."

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way.

Hence, a “threshold.”

“Peas Porridge Hot, Peas Porridge Cold”

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat.

They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while.

Hence the rhyme: “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”

"Bring Home the Bacon”

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Tomatoes Considered Poisonous

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

“Upper Crust”

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.

”Holding a Wake”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.

They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up.

Hence the custom of holding a “wake.”

“Graveyard Shift,” “Saved by the Bell” and “Dead Ringer”

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive.

So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the “graveyard shift”) to listen for the bell.

Thus, someone could be “saved by the bell” or was considered a “dead ringer.”

Who said history was boring?

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Incredible Orchids


A while back, I came across a very unusual orchid picture in my Facebook news feed. It was a picture of an orchid called the “Hanging Naked Man.” Amazing, and genuinely laughter-evoking.

So I saved it, but not before reposting it on my home page. One of my friends commented with a picture of her own—that of a monkey face.

Which got me to wondering how many orchids have been bred, or found in the wild, that emulated insects, animals, or humans. I did a Google search and found a bunch. Too lazy to research and write up what I found, I decided instead to just post the pictures here.

Enjoy! Hope at least a few are new to you.

Flying Duck (Caleana major)

White Egret (Pecteilis radiata)

Bee (Ophrys apifera)

Monkey Face (Dracula simia)

Tiger Face (Anguloa uniflora)

Ballerina (Caladenia melanema)

Hanging Naked Man (Orchis italica)

Swaddled Baby (Anguloa uniflora)

Darth Vader (Aristolochia Salvadorensis)
And that ... is that!

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Hilo Days: Humor in My Own Mind


The Japanese phrases we used when we were kids in Hilo have stuck with me all these years. I wrote about them in my old Hilo Days website. Even today, when I hear people use them, I have flashes of memories of my youth. 

I Kill the Language

Arigato Gozaimasu
"Itadaki-masu." Please excuse me while I eat. As long as I can remember, we always used to preface our meal with this phrase.

Mom was a stickler on Japanese good manners (I guess she picked it up from her Mom) and made us say that before we ate. Didn't bother me at all.

Every time I said it, I would pretend I was saying "Eat a duck if you must."

"Ogochiso-sama." The food was delicious. We had to say this when we were done eating. Good manners again. I didn't mind. It always sounded like "Oh good, she's sewing some."

"Arigato-gozai-masu." Thanks a lot. "Never forget to say please and thank you," Mom used to say. Impeccable manners. I didn't mind. I used to think I was saying "Alligator goes high in March."

"Oyasumi-na-sai." I'm going to sleep now. Guess this was to let everyone know you were going nightie-night and not worry about you if they looked up and you were gone. Manners again. I didn't mind. It sounded like "Oh yeah, sue me outside."

With this wonderful insight into the Japanese language, is it any wonder that I just squeaked by when I entered Japanese School in the second grade.

To this day, this language game has continued to provide me with hours of fun. Sometimes a phrase would strike me as funny and I would start to chuckle out loud. People around me probably would chuckle to themselves as they watched me chuckle to myself. And they probably still do.

But I didn't care, and I still don't. They don't know what they're missing.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

A Tribute to a Lost One



Mending My Broken Heart

It’s been a year since you got wings,
And rose into the cotton sky.
I know you saw me every day,
In lonely solitude, I’d cry.

The diner meals we used to split,
The warming hugs we often shared,
The silly jokes that made you laugh,
You scratched my back to show you cared.

The empty couch where you once sat,
The dining table has your place.
I see you everywhere I gaze,
The lovely smile upon your face.

You’re always present, ever there,
To help me cope throughout the day.
It’s getting better, not too bad,
The days are blue, no longer grey.

Now I sing the radio songs
No salty tears to blur my sight.
No longer do I reach to touch
You in the early morning light.

I must be healing in my heart,
I’m moving forward with my life.
A better man I am today,
Because I loved you as my wife.

(A 1-year anniversary of passing)




Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Here We Go Again!



Did you enjoy the musical play and/or 2008 film, Mamma Mia!? Then you will enjoy the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. I discovered it accidentally while scrolling ahead on the HBO schedule.

A prettier and more mature Sophie is now in charge of her mother Donna’s hotel, planning a grand re-opening after her mother’s passing a year earlier. That’s basically the story setting, but of course, it gets complicated. We know what happened in the original movie, and now we find out what preceded and followed it.

The original characters reprise their roles in present day, and younger actors in flashbacks. And (wild cheers) ... Cher’s in it.

Oh, and those ABBA songs you love and missed in the original movie? Quite a few are performed in this sequel. And that’s good, because let’s face it, ABBA’s music makes the Mamma Mia! play and movie(s) sparkle. I bet you, like me, will be singing along.

For the record, Here We Go Again was a big box office success, bringing in neatly $400 million against a $75 million budget.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is great entertainment with excellent production values, well worth your time, unless you don’t like ABBA.

Three notes: (1) The christening scene is an emotional tear-jerker, (2) thankfully, Pierce Brosnan doesn’t sing any solos, and (3) there is an Easter egg at the end of the closing credits, so listen to the music until you get there, or alternatively fast forward.


Sunday, July 21, 2019

Cracker Jack Re-Experience


Cracker Jack was a favorite snack when I was younger. Who can forget the caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts in a box featuring a cartoon Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo on the front?

And the toy prize inside. When I was really young, like in elementary school, the toys consisted of metal cars, rings, and other trinkets. By the time I got to middle school, they had turned to plastic. When I checked into college, they were chiefly soak-and-apply “tattoos.”

Cracker Jack was, and still is, famous. Its name is sung at practically every Major League Baseball game during the seventh-inning stretch, in the iconic baseball anthem, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back”).

Anyway, I recently had a hankering for some of these treats and sought them out at the local supermarket.

Instead of the one-ounce boxes I remember fondly, they were being sold in 8-1/2 ounce bags. So I bought one, because ... well, why not.

I have since come to a few conclusions from my first Cracker Jack experience in at least a dozen years:

(1) It’s too sweet. As I’ve aged, my taste buds have evolved. What the vast majority of people consider “normal sweet” now registers in my mouth as “too sweet.” “Too salty,” for me is “just right.”

(2) There aren’t enough peanuts. In that whole bag, I came across only 11 peanuts, not even a dozen, and yes, I counted them.

(3) The prize inside isn’t even worth mentioning on the box front. It was a peel-off sticker, that I stuck on the side of a tissue box, soon to be relegated to the wastebasket.

I don’t think I’ll be buying Cracker Jack any more. Personally, I like kettle corn these days—crisp, salty, and slightly sweet. Freshly made if possible, or in a small bag.

So root, root, root for the home team, and get me a hotdog and beer while you’re at it.

Saturday, July 6, 2019

California Summer Break Breakfasts


A couple of times a year, I make a 2 to 3 week visit to see family in Fremont, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

One of the major highlights of my California trip is to enjoy breakfasts at cafes, diners and restaurants that offer selections not usually found in Hawai’i.

You can get Tex-Mex, ethnic omelets (e.g. Greek, Italian, other European), “California” omelets, various versions of “homemade” hash, and lots and lots of different Benedicts any day of the week.

Unfortunately, one of my favorites (Wake Up America) closed since my last visit in November 2018. It happens. And, I just learned that the owners of Mil’s Diner (Milpitas) will be retiring at the end of the year. Since I’ve started visiting Fremont, about a half-dozen that I often frequented are no longer in operation.

Be that as it may, every now and then I discover a new one.

Here we go, my most recent mouth-watering, drool-inducing California breakfasts (in Fremont, unless otherwise noted):

Bill’s Cafe

California Benedict (bacon, avocado, tomatoes,
green peppers)

Black Bear Diner

Prime Rib Scramble Special (red and green bell peppers,
purple onions, Monterey Jack cheese)

Cabrillo Park Cafe

Carnitas Omelet with Tortillas, plus side of fruit

Classic 50’s Diner

Huevos Rancheros with potatoes and chili beans

Country Way, The

Eggs Benedict Special with Avocado

Denny's Mission Boulevard

Supreme Sizzlin’ Skillet (eggs, sausage, spinach, bell peppers,
onions, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, red-skinned potatoes,
cheddar cheese)

Dina’s Family Restaurant

Greek Omelet (bell peppers, onions, tomato, olives,
oregano, garlic, feta cheese)

iHOP, Milpitas

Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity Pancakes (peaches),
plus side of 4 link sausages

Jack’s Restaurant and Bar, Newark

Elena’s Omelette (spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onions,
tomato, feta cheese), plus side of sausages
Spinach Artichoke Benedict

Mil’s Diner, Milpitas

Country Fried Steak and Eggs

Panera Bread

Ham, Over-Easy Egg, Cheese & Roasted Tomato
Breakfast Sandwich, plus bear claw (missing two toes)

Scrambl’z Almaden, San Jose

Sicilian Frittata Special (pepperoni, spinach, bell peppers,
marinara sauce, shaved parmesan), side of grits


Monday, June 17, 2019

Funny Pregnancy Q & A


I saw these on Facebook a while back and nearly fell down laughing. You may already have seen them there (or even elsewhere).

But just in case you haven’t, here are some often-asked pregnancy questions with appropriate (albeit irreverent) responses.

Should I have a baby after 35?
No … 35 children is enough.

I’m two months pregnant. When will my baby move?
With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Our baby was born last week. When will my wife feel and act normal again?
When the kids are in college.

What’s the most reliable method to determine a baby’s sex?
Childbirth.

I was told it’s not pain I’ll feel during labor, but pressure. Is this right?
Yes. Just like a tornado might be called an “air current.”

Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
Not unless the word “alimony” means anything to you.

Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
Yes. Pregnancy.

Do I have to have a baby shower?
Not if you change the baby’s diaper very quickly.

My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that she’s sometimes borderline irrational.
So … what’s your question?

Monday, May 20, 2019

Where Hawaii Ranks 50


It may be expensive to live in Hawaii, and our driving situation sucks, but all in all, people who live here still fare well.

Highest Overall Well-Being (Gallup, 2019)
  1. HAWAII (64.6 well-being index score)
  2. Wyoming (64.2)
  3. Alaska (63.9)
  4. Montana (63.5)
  5. (Tie) Utah and Colorado (63.4 each)

Worst States with Failing Infrastructure (24/7 Wall St., 2017) 
  1. HAWAII
  2. Rhode Island
  3. West Virginia 
  4. Connecticut
  5. Pennsylvania 
Angriest Drivers in the Nation (insuranceQuotes, 2017) 
  1. HAWAII (5,872 Instagram posts about road rage)
  2. California (3,506)
  3. New York (2,200)
  4. New Jersey (2,129)
  5. Nevada (2,004)
States with Least Miserable Winters (Thrillist Travel, 2017)

  1. HAWAII
  2. Arizona
  3. California
  4. Colorado
  5. Florida
Healthiest States in the Nation (United Health Foundation, 2017)

  1. Massachusetts
  2. HAWAII
  3. Vermont
  4. Utah
  5. Connecticut

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Helpful Adjective Order

I don’t remember where I saw this, probably on Facebook, but it was interesting—something about a young J.R.R. Tolkien being taught a valuable grammatical lesson by his mother, Mabel Tolkien.

To wit: Adjectives in English modifying a noun absolutely must abide by a certain order: 
  1. Opinion
  2. Size
  3. Age
  4. Shape
  5. Color
  6. Origin
  7. Material
  8. Purpose
  9. NOUN

Example: “Cute little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife.” Mess with the word order and you sound ridiculous.

All of us English speakers use that list, but usually can’t write it out off the top of our heads.

Back to young Tolkien. When he was 7, he wrote “green great dragon.” But because size comes before color, he was incorrect. According to mother Mabel, it should have been “great green dragon.”

You know who JRR Tolkien was, don’t you? He wrote the iconic fantasy geeks, “The Hobbit,” and “Lord of the Rings,” on which the Blockbuster movies were based.

Mother knows best. Yes she does. Now go back to what you were doing before I rudely interrupted.


Friday, March 22, 2019

Hilo Days: Was the Gangster’s Car Real?


A memory imprinted indelibly in my mind is when I paid a dime to see notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone’s car. I wrote about it in my long-gone blog, Hilo Days. But I did keep the post on file. Enjoy!

Al Capone’s Car

At least once a year, the E.K. Fernandez Carnival would come to town for a couple of weeks.

It situated all over the place, but generally near the present Hilo Civic Auditorium, or at St. Joseph's School, about a half-mile away from Obachan's house.

Invariably, it rained. One of Dad's favorite saying was that whenever E.K. Fernandez comes to town, it was going to rain. Come to think of it, I heard that a lot in those days. I believed it too, until I realized that no matter who came to town, it was going to rain. Hilo simply was the rain capital of the world.

One year, Obachan told me that Al Capone's (she pronounced it "Capo-nay's") gangster car was going to be displayed at the carnival. I think it was Walter J. and I who walked to St. Joseph's, and paid our dime to see the historic car.

It was an old '30s sedan, with bullet-proof windows. The man showed us where the bullets had bounced off the windows, leaving little marks.

We gasped at the bullet holes in the fenders. We gasped at the little holes where Al Capone's tommy guns stuck out. We gasped at everything.

The car was probably fake.