• Goodbye Blossoming Lotus • Ceremonial deism • Documentary was educational • Chuan honor deserved • Educational justification? Goodbye Blossoming Lotus Here at Steelgrass Farm, we are very sad to see the end of the Blossoming Lotus, which has announced
• Goodbye Blossoming Lotus
• Ceremonial deism
• Documentary was educational
• Chuan honor deserved
• Educational justification?
Goodbye Blossoming Lotus
Here at Steelgrass Farm, we are very sad to see the end of the Blossoming Lotus, which has announced it will close at the end of the year, barring a miracle.
BloLo, as we affectionately called it, provided a center of community for island residents and an excellent venue for showcasing local musicians. Also, most important from our perspective, it provided a crucial source of creatively prepared, high-quality, locally sourced food.
We recognize it will be difficult to fill the Blossoming Lotus-sized hole that will open in Kaua‘i, but feel strongly that the need could not be more pressing, or timely, for restaurants, like Blossoming Lotus, that showcase locally grown food.
As an educational farm, we interact with a large cross-section of island visitors. We have seen that the interest in local agriculture, and willingness to pay for it, is definitely there.
If a restaurant were dedicated to “locavore” Kaua‘i foods, it would also be an excellent resource for residents, supporting local agriculture, and keeping more money in the Kaua‘i economy.
We strongly suspect that people would go nuts for a restaurant that serves all we have to offer on the menu. Wild boar, venison, Kaua‘i beef, Lau Lau, poi, Okinawan sweet potatoes, Japanese eggplants, ginger, edible hibiscus, fruits and more and more and more. Yum!
So here’s to a Kaua‘i locavore restaurant, and to more existing restaurants using “locally grown” as a selling point on their menus.
• Emily Lydgate, Kapa‘a
Ceremonial deism
While we can find some technical violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment per a passing reference to “Jesus Christ” in a few songs on a given CD rotated by a local public airport, or a nativity scene on county property which really should not be there, the wise legal firewall between religious and governmental institutions does not seem imminently threatened (“Censoring Christmas carols,” Letters, Dec. 21).
Such things are probably the result of innocent human error, genuine expressions of goodwill, or some other largely benign item.
Still, one would hope in such venues that an elegant Jewish menorah and a few beautiful Islamic sitar-based songs would just as easily be displayed and played, respectively, if offered.
Otherwise, and momentarily interesting albeit inaccurate statements on government-religion history recently noted elsewhere aside, obviously when it comes to belief systems, people can get emotional and sometimes irrational. It can get complicated.
On Kaua‘i specifically or in Hawai‘i generally, in lieu of attention to public space displays and the like, one would be reasonable in firstly ensuring public school science textbooks are strong as to biology, chemistry, etc.
Objective and thorough reviews of U.S. history and comparative international studies are also always a good idea as well.
Encouraging “Thinking 101” and arming young people with the most current and accurate information possible is an intelligent long-term investment which will pay handsome dividends.
In short, pure ceremonial deism and stretching it a bit here and there is arguably a pretty minor issue, relative to best educational practices.
• Ben Montgomery, Koloa/Po‘ipu
Documentary was educational
I want to send a big mahalo to filmmaker Anne Keala Kelly, who brought her documentary movie “Noho Hewa” to Kaua‘i this past Saturday evening at KCC.
She is an exceptional filmmaker and journalist. Congratulations for winning the 2008 Hawai‘i Film Festival Award!
I found the experience was very educational. I encourage everyone to see it and to educate themselves and get involved on issues that are taking place on our islands.
• Gina Lee, Kapa‘å
Chuan honor deserved
What a great tribute the Kaua‘i County Council paid to the brilliant Dr. Ray Chuan at their Dec. 17 meeting.
And a particular note of thanks to Nathan Eagle for the outstanding article he wrote about Dr. Chuan (“Chuan ‘a role model for citizen activism,’” The Garden Island, Dec. 18) and also to our award-winning Happy Camper, Dennis Fujimoto, for his great pictures.
Thank you too to all the many friends of Ray who filled the council chambers on a rainy day to honor this wonderful, dedicated man. And thank you, Barbara Robeson for “kidnaping” Ray and getting him to the big event without his being aware of what was going on.
No one person on Kaua‘i has ever done more for the betterment of this island than Dr. Ray Chuan, and all of us await the day when he will be back as the No. 1 nitpicker and watchdog for the people — all the people.
• Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
Educational justification?
I was amazed reading the letter of the Superferry’s front-line advocate James “Kimo” Rosen giving us another reason to bring back the Superferry (“On airport incidents,” Letters, Dec. 21).
Three human behavior-related airline incidents were linked to the lack of alternate transportation between the islands.
Let me conclude from his suggestion that if we allow back the Superferry, the rowdy 55-year-old would have a chance to assault the Superferry board crew instead of the flight attendants.
Then the Superferry would be an alternative place for the ten rascals to do mischief, to bother ferry passengers who already might be fighting with seasickness, or they may just fall overboard in their uncontrolled activity.
And of course the 22-year-old kiosk-fighting strongman would have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take out his aggression on the Surf Break Lanai in the aft of the vessel instead of the kiosk at Lihu‘e airport.
I think that this method should be brought to the attention of the American Institute of Psychology, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security to request a million dollar grant for researching the joint benefit of the suggestion.
Hey, Linda Lingle has already guaranteed credit from the taxpayers’ money and exceptions to the Superferry. This will be just the next drop in the bucket.
Until then, please try harder. We are not yet convinced.
• János Samu, Kalaheo
