Liliha Bakery LocoMoco

7 oz patty, two over easy eggs, double rice (instead of rice and toast), gravy.  $8.99. Nomx3

Anykine Grill

Umami has a new "go to" spot for brown and white food:  Anykine Grill.  It's located in downtown Honolulu on Bishop Street/Union Mall.  It's a small place with maybe six tables, that writes its specials on the windows.  Be sure to check the specials!

Umami and Ms. D, however, stuck to the basics when they went by the other day:  Chicken Cutlet ($8)  and Roast Pork ($8), gravy on the rice, natch!  Also natch:  Dr. Lois would not approve.

Roast Pork

Chicken Cutlet

Both plates were perfectly executed, the epitome of brown and white cuisine.   Good solid food, properly seasoned, generously sized portions.  Realistically, you get two (three, if you're Elle) meals out of one plate.

Later, Umami was passing by after a checkup with Dr. Lois and saw this on the Specials window:  "Oxtail Laulau."  This, he thought, is proof that the Universe has a sense of humor and, as a child of the Universe, I must go along with the joke.

Oxtail Laulau

Here, then, in all of its fearsome glory, is the Oxtail Laulau ($12).  The oxtail is smoked in texture, but with still a good amount of fat, so not too chewy.  It's beef and beef fat, so it is absurdly rich, much more so than a typical laulau (and that's saying something).  Plenty of leaf to pick up the juices.  It is a crazy dish, but well worth trying.  Realistically, you get three (four, if you're Elle) meals out of it.  Umami wouldn't eat it too often, but he would definitely eat it again. Don't tell Dr. Lois.

It's Not Boneless

Anykine Grill
1148 Bishop St
Honolulu, HI 96813
Neighborhood: Downtown(808) 526-3030
http://www.anykinegrill.com

Umami "Builds" a Guitar - Introduction

Umami's been fooling around with electric guitars and basses recently, spending money that could otherwise be spent on food.  Perhaps if he had to take the time to build one, it might slow the spending spree?  We'll soon find out, since Umami just got a Saga TC-10 Guitar Kit for his birthday!  (Thanks, Elle!)

Saga TC-10 Guitar Kit

For sale on Amazon at $107, it seemed a reasonable purchase for a learning experience that would, hopefully, result in a functional guitar.  The TC-10 is very, very similar to a Fender Telecaster.   (Here's link to Fender site:  http://www.fender.com/guitars/telecaster/).  It's not, of course; if it were, Fender's lawyers would soon be serving cease and desist orders on the offending party.

What's Inside the Box

The parts come mostly assembled.  The headstock and neck (top) come with fretboard, frets and nut already installed.  The body (lower right) is already shaped and has the pickguard held in place by a couple of screws (just for shipping purposes).

Unwrapped

The electronics are connected in sub-assemblies, so connection should be simplified.  That's in theory.  Whether that holds true in practice remains to be seen.  Elle says it's like the Millenium Falcon Lego Kit, but with way fewer parts.

So there are really only two decisions for Umami the Builder:  What shape for the headstock?  And what overall finish to guitar?  It's an interesting set of problems.  The Telecaster is one of the more traditional and classic guitars around.  Conceptually, it did not feel right to Umami to paint it over with, say, an optic yellow Pikachu.  Maybe a Stratocaster, but not a Telecaster.  Wouldn't be right.

So, what finish?  Natural wood?  Stain?  Dye?  Paint?  Satin?  Gloss?  Fade?  Burst?  What design?  None?  Abstract?  Pikachu?  How to deal with the design issues presented by the pick guard (so big!  so white!) and hardware (so cold!  so shiny!).

Can the design issues be handled on the fly?  Or must they be worked out in advance?  In the end, Umami decided on a fairly traditional "burst" finish (light in the middle, darker to the edges), but in green, which is not all that common, but which Umami had seen on a funky old Japanese guitar.  That's the plan anyway, but Umami's not very disciplined when it comes to artistic execution, so whether he follows that remains to be seen.

Next:  Headstock