Mahalo to our restaurants
October 12th, 2009 by Wanda AdamsI normally write my blog days in advance but I''m filing it late Sunday night because today, Monday, is The Honolulu Advertiser's Ilima Awards presentation, a benefit for Diamond Head Theatre, and I haven't been able to pay attention to anything else.
Ilimas always get me thinking about how I feel about "grazing" events. I'm not a fan. I like to sit down and be served. On china. No disposables. Have what I want, not what's on offer, or what's brought to me.
But as grazing events go, this one is pretty special. Kapi'iolani Community College culinary students help us serve and you can actually sit down and food arrives. Even though it's on disposables, they do an efficient job of making sure you get a taste of everything.
This year, we are having an abundance of riches, with so many of winning restaurants generously agreeing to cook for us. I can't express how grateful I am.
How it works is, we have a show in the Diamond Head Theatre, parodies of show tunes that incorporate the names of the winning restaurants – always hilarious, I always laugh out loud. Then we all go back into the parking lot, where a beautiful tent has been erected and booths all around for the restaurants, and Starbucks, our offiicial coffee supplier, serving coffee, and there's food and music and talk and companionship and people making martinis and pouring wine. It's really a fun event.
For me, it's always a mixed blessing. I am so grateful to the restaurants the work with us and I am so tired and stressed and my feet hurt (wearing high heels, which I do about a two times a year) and all I want to do is lie down and have someone feed me soup. But I walk around, I say my thank yous, I try the food, which is always wonderful.
So, I don't have much to share tonight. No tips or recipes. Just a wish that you do everything you can to support the restaurants that you like because they're having a hard time in this economy and they work so hard.
