Sueoko Tanigawa, the ‘Ele‘ele School cafeteria manager, was at a gathering in Koke‘e and tasted a toasted hamburger sandwich, which was made in an iron over the fire. That was years ago, and the saga was relayed from Sakiko Okihara,
Sueoko Tanigawa, the ‘Ele‘ele School cafeteria manager, was at a gathering in Koke‘e and tasted a toasted hamburger sandwich, which was made in an iron over the fire.
That was years ago, and the saga was relayed from Sakiko Okihara, Tanigawa’s friend, to her daughter, Donna Fuji, a staff member of ‘Ele‘ele School.
“Mrs. Tanigawa wanted us to try to duplicate what she had tasted in Koke‘e,” Okihara’s saga continued. “We came up with a recipe and made it for the first time in quantity for a carnival, which was held at the Hanapepe Town Park. It was then, we started calling them ‘flying saucer’ because of its shape.”
Okihara said following that debut, Waimea High School was planning for its 75th Anniversary Carnival and folks were apprehensive about making flying saucers to sell for the first time.
“No one knew if they would sell,” Okihara recalls. “We borrowed the kerosene stoves from the school’s Home Economics Department and borrowed the toasting irons from whomever we knew had them.”
During that event, Okihara said they tried the hamburger filling and also offered apple filling, the hamburger being the overwhelming favorite.
“Following that, they started to make flying saucers at the bon dances and it took off from there,” Okihara said. “Every trip to Honolulu, we went looking for the irons to bring home.”
Although that saga of how the flying saucers came to Kaua‘i is not in “Ono Ono Grinds No. 3,” the recipe, submitted by Fuji’s “Auntie Katie,” is among the pages of the Donna Fuji-produced cookbook, which will be on sale for the first time on Saturday at the ‘Ele‘ele School Craft and Book Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the school’s cafeteria.
Fuji started producing cookbooks containing family and local favorites when her children graduated school.
“The cookbook has been a tradition as a gift to our family and friends when one of our sons graduates school,” she said in a release. “I wanted to stop, but there were so many requests, it was hard to just send a ‘thank you’ card to everyone.”
The first printing happened in 2002 for supporting one of her sons through high school and college. This was followed by the second edition in 2006, printed as a gift for another son’s graduation from high school. Third edition “Ono Ono Grinds No. 3” celebrates his graduation from college.
Fuji said the money raised from the sales of the cookbooks would pay for the sons’ books, not their college education.
In addition to the flying saucer recipes, there are new recipes from the Fuji and Ebata ‘ohana and friends, Fuji said.
“I have ‘Fuji’s Famous Haupia Mud Pie,’ which has been a winner for many parties and school refreshment time,” Fuji said, noting there are many interesting histories affiliated with the recipes within the book.
Take two cups of common sense, one-half cup of justice, two and one-quarter cup of love sifted with one and one-half teaspoon of mutual confidence; add two large portions of sense of humor, beaten separately; spice to taste with wit and nonsense and bake in the warm oven of warm approval, icing with generous appreciation for a serving of “Home Happiness Cake.”
Fuji said for those who cannot make the ‘Ele‘ele School fair this Saturday, she will be at the St. Michael’s and All Angels Church fair on Nov. 12 and at the Kaua‘i Handworks fair on Nov. 26.
“My mom’s advice was always to make the (flying saucer) filling a little sweet and people will want another one,” she said. “If you make it salty, they will eat only one.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
