I recently attended a wine party… no actually, a going away party. Not necessarily for a person
but more for the location. A house to be exact. Hale o’ Saunter had been a major gathering
point for countless theme parties, wine and food pairing parties, holiday parties, celebratory
parties and no-occasion parties with a common element. Lots of family and friends and great
food and wine. However this would be the last party since the owner was entering the latest
chapter of her life after earlier chapters of adolescence, high school, college, marriage, family
and offspring growth were completed. She decided to pack in the memories of the sleepy
Windward town made famous by the sitting President and opt for the cooler slopes of Haleakala
where Protea, lavender and the best Maui onions are grown. Of course, that’s how the party was
announced, as the LAST party at Aulima Loop. However we knew that though Maui was only a
20 minute flight away and that we could virtually “visit” her over the internet at any time, this
might be the last time we saw Keola for quite a while. And whenever a friend makes a major
move, you also lose a little part of yourself that also goes with them.
Past Parties at Aulima Loop
I still vividly remember parties of old – which grew more nostalgic as time progressed especially
since I left my previous employer a year or so ago and previous co-workers that I saw regularly
are now “long lost” friends of old. An annual event was the Fourth of July party since Kailua
regularly has a parade followed by evening fireworks which are visible from Aulima Loop. I
remember bringing my Truffled Gnocchi with Roasted Cremini and Sugar Peas with Sage Brown
Butter Sauce paired with a Costa de Oro Riserva Oro Rojo Pinot Noir and Roasted Veggie
Panzanella with Balsamico Dressing paired with Cavallotto Bricco Boschis Barolo.
Then there was the annual Halloween party in which all invitees were required to don some type
of costume (I did the reggae vibe with potentially flammable fake Rastafarian dreadlocks, Rasta
top and matching Rasta cap) and brought a Seared Kim Chi Steak with Grilled Tokyo White
Negi (my Regional Hawaii take on Spanish Steak and Calcots) paired with Alvaro Palacios
Priorat served directly from a porron and an Curried Endive and Stilton Tart paired with Vau
Vintage Port.
And in between, there were those parties that were held “just because”… as if getting together
with family and friends isn’t a good enough reason in itself. Once it was my Truffled Grilled
Cheese Snackers paired with a Gevrey Chambertin or a Crab and Artichoke Dip paired with a
Hirsch Gruner Veltliner or maybe it was a Parmesan Gelato with Chianti Poached Pears, Toasted
Walnuts and Vintage Honey on Bruschetta paired with a Banfi Brunello di Montalcino or a
Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Soup garnished with Feta, Chives, Red Pepper and Pumpkin
Seed Oil paired with a Scholium “Prince in his Caves” Sauvignon Blanc
And of course since this last party was held right before the Lunar New Year, I had to follow a
Chinese theme with Snowball in Four Seasons (rice covered pork meatballs paired with 4
different sauces each representing one of the four seasons) paired with a Marquis Philips “9”
Shiraz and Spicy Black Bean Shrimp paired with a Risata Moscato.
Not Just for Food & Wine
Though it seems that the main objective or the main focus of these parties are the food and
wine, and I’ll readily admit that I love food and wine as much as the next foodie, the main
“dish” is family and friends. While food (and wine) also feeds the physical body, camaraderie
feeds the soul. When amongst family and friends – especially after a long work week – frozen
pizza, Cheese Whiz and crackers and box wine make mighty fine faire with the right company.
Partaking in great food and wine just adds frosting to the cake. In fact the daily ritual of sit-
down family dinners seems to be a rarity these days with jobs – sometimes multiple jobs –
children’s sport activities, social obligations, etc which make a sit-down family meal the
exception rather than the rule. Nowadays, simply unwinding with the family at dinner seems
just as easy as making same day reservations at a four star restaurant.
Though it seems like what was an eon ago, I still vividly remember the occasional Sunday dinner
at Ojiichan and Obaachan’s house in Waimanalo with the family. After the long trek (it
actually only took about 20 minutes from Kaneohe to Waimanalo), the aroma of roast beef as
you exited the car immediately hit you. Then as you entered the house, the smell of Obaachan’s
kitchen and Ojiichan’s vinyl recliner took over and you knew you were home again. Mind you, a
pot roast was a luxury back then (as was Mom’s teriyaki Spencer steak) since a lot of the daily
protein came from cans which was a direct carryover from the plantation days. And though I
disliked raw cabbage, I always had a second helping of Obaachan’s shredded cabbage and carrots
with French dressing simply because Ojiichan liked it and if it was good enough for him, it was
good enough for me.
While living with Obaachan during my college years, the house once again was the site where
food memories were born. There were several of us who developed a fledgling taste for wine (the
other common denominator was jazz) so I hosted occasional wine/pupu (appetizers)/jazz
parties at the house between midterms. Since I was a poor college student at the time, I could
only afford the wines of that distinguished Frenchman, Paul Masson. On occasion, I’d also
splurge on Blue Nun Liebfraumilch. These wines would invariably be paired with Hickory Farms
summer sausage, cheese, crackers and maybe the occasional quiche Lorraine along with good
friends, stimulating conversation and the voice of Heidi Chang spinning jazz standards on the
radio. In fact it came as a complete surprise when I was contacted by one of these long lost
friends last year. After the untimely death of vocalist Kenny Rankin, he recalled sipping wine
with cheese and salami listening to Kenny Rankin in Waimanalo way back in the day then did a
web search to see what I was up to and came across my website and blog site. Needless to say,
not “long lost friend’ anymore.
Host Your Own
It doesn’t have to be a formal wine and food dinner, it can be as simple as any food and
beverage because the main goal is to connect or reconnect with acquaintances, old and new. It’s
breaking bread with family and friends and discussing the day’s events or simply catching up
that’s the point. As primal as when that first group of Neanderthals or Cro-Magnons sat around
a fire rehashing that monster coelacanth that got away or just barely escaping the claws of that
saber tooth while partaking in fire charred woolly mammoth and pond water. If that family
meal hardly occurs anymore, simply “schedule” a family dinner every now and then to “catch
up” on the latest events.
While making our annual trek to the Golden State, I always appreciate my Bay Area family
hosting wine and pupu parties (see Pigs & Pinot November 2009) in our honor. And I don’t
simply consider my brother and sister-in-law as family but rather their extended network of Bay
Area friends also as part of my family. So Keola, while we bid Aulima aloha and that we
probably won’t see you as often as we’d like to, the get-together memories will remain as fresh
as if they just occurred. And of course, we’ll always come calling whenever visiting the Valley
Isle… have corkscrew, will travel.
