LIHU‘E — Chinese New Year is gone but not forgotten. Leave that up to the quacky quadruplets who always manage to come up with a way to celebrate something on any given day. The green outfits, including wigs, the blonde
LIHU‘E — Chinese New Year is gone but not forgotten.
Leave that up to the quacky quadruplets who always manage to come up with a way to celebrate something on any given day.
The green outfits, including wigs, the blonde wigs and garish party outfits, were replaced by some perspiration and authentic items from Chinatown as the rains outside were overpowered by the aroma of Chinese and Asian cuisine and the laughter generated by the tokens.
Bernie Sakoda, Wanda Shibata, Sharon Sahara and Kathy Miyake came up with a novel way to raise funds for the American Cancer Society when they capitalized on Miyake’s birthday and the Chinese New Year that somehow passed them by.
Rolling up their sleeves, the quadruplets from the Aflek team in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life fund-raiser invited several businessmen from the community to a luncheon for a contribution. “She (Sahara) worked for three hours to get the Chinese steak done,” Sakoda explained.
Segoo is a type of potato that is available only during the Chinese New Year, so Shibata has been carefully watching her supply so they could enjoy pork with segoo.
Ground chicken with won bok, pig’s feet, roast pork with kai choy, Chinese chicken salad, a house cake noodle from a local restaurant, and duck rounded out the luncheon offering that was topped with dessert of green-tea mochi, black-sesame mochi, or kinako mochi, gracefully garnished with a Vietnamese fruit.
But, the four didn’t stop there, as they “leaked” the news of Miyake’s birthday.
The result was a gathering unlike any seen, as Dennis Nakahara, Joshua Hew, Alan Smith, Stanley Doi, Mike Murakoshi, and Wayne Katayama were treated to a luncheon that went beyond the everyday offerings at any Kaua‘i restaurant.
Each of the guests was presented with a token of a Chinese hat complete with a pigtail, and to complete the ensemble, a string of jade firecrackers.
The result was a resounding success, as the guests brought in funds for the ACS, the birthday girl was afforded her celebratory dues, Shibata noting, “We did all this during one lunch hour!” The measure of success was evident as the guests left to resume their daily duties, but wondering what the next culinary adventure was going to take place.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.