Terrariums, Ramen-crusted Chicken Wings, and New Friends

Cruising the library, this book called out to me.

So this was my creative project. Took about 5 minutes plus going to Lowes to get the gravel and tillandsia. But I love it. We had the strands (can't remember its name) in the yard, and I had the vase in a cabinet. Here are my trinkets from Oaxaca enjoying my creation.

I also made this - ramen encrusted chicken wings, which I saw on the Today Show when I was home on Wednesday for Kuhio Day. It was good, but don't know if it's worth the trouble. Dry coat, wet count, fry, drain, wet coat, dredge in crumbled ramen. I'll make it for potluck sometime and see what people think. Mom thought it was soooo good.

All in all, a good day. I also made new friends and supported a cause. Not much writing right now, but recording my attempts helps me to stay on track with my goal of being more creative. 

Centering with a Celtic Heart Knot

Today is a state holiday in Hawaii, celebrating Prince Kuhio, the more famous of the two heirs to the throne, had Hawaii not been overthrown. Histories of native Hawaiian figures seem to have this conflicting tragic aspect to them, caught between two worlds, two eras. 

Today, I felt like I had to make something, so I made a Celtic heart following directions that a friend had posted on Facebook. you may ask, what is creative about following directions to make something, when your intent is to replicate it, and not try to add your your take on it.

My definition of creativity is very broad. It wasn't there, and now it's there. I didn't know how to do something, and now I do. It is a thing of beauty and charm. It makes me proud. I somehow need to make something on a regular basis. Yes, it'd be great to be an artist, and define your identity as well as your profession as that. But, I am exploring creativity on more of an everyday level, following an impulse to make something, to create something, as a way to flourish, to be centered. 

Short Reviews of Kingsolver Novels

I realized that when I read books, though I think they have had a profound effect on me at the time, years later, I only faintly remember that I read these novels. So, I am going to attempt to review every book that I get that feeling about, to secure it in my memory banks. To free my brain up, I wrote the reviews in the form of free verse. What attracted me to Prodigal Summer that day that I discovered the public library in my neighborhood, was that it was set in Appalachia, and I had spent time there with my friend Betsy this past summer. I picked up Lacuna because I wanted to read Kingsolver again, and here was one about Mexico, another of my passions. 

Prodigal Summer

This is what book-reading should be like.

You know it has to end,

 But you don't want it to.

You miss it because you finished it.

You miss the characters,

You know the loose ends,

The foreshadowing,

The plot lines 

Are all tied up 

and if it were to go on, 

it'd probably get redundant 

Or sappy

But you still wish it wasn't over.

Your perspective on life

And nature

And ecology

And the web of life

Is deepened

And your desire is piqued 

To know your own back yard ecology better

Or you hope so.

Amidst so much change

And destruction

And separation from the natural world 

We are fraught with

In the modern world

There is still a thread of hope

That nature will win

That we have a role in that.

The Lacuna

I have an affinity for Mexico. 

Have always loved Frida Kahlo

And Diego Rivera

And history.

Pretty amazing that this work of fiction

Could braid together

All these strands

The Mexican revolution 

Russian politics of the time

The decline of Trotsky and

Rise of Stalin

American history of the time,

Involvement in World War II

And then the Cold War

Not to mention

What it was to be a gay man 

At the time

Not to mention 

What it was to be a victim

Of anti-communist persecution 

About loyalty oaths

And then there's the delicious character trait 

That he was a cook. 

And a writer.

A journal-writer. 

A writer of historical fiction,

Which I love.

Too bad he was not a real author.

I want to read his novels. 

My Quest to Make Chicken Kelaguen

To reiterate, the purpose of this blog is to explore and define the creative impulse. Thus far, I have learned that following through on an idea is part of it. So whenever I have an idea, I go with it without second-guessing myself.  Lately, I've been thinking of foods from Guam, where I grew up. I think it's because my friend has an opportunity to run a food truck with her daughter, and I want to help, maybe as hired help or maybe collaborator. It is their food truck, but talking to her about it made me think about what I would do if I had an opportunity like that. 

Which brings me to chicken kelaguen. It is one of my all-time favorite foods. Maybe because it brings back memories of Guam, or maybe because it's just so dad-gum good. (That's just the word that came to mind). I have never in my life made it. It always looked so complicated, and I just left it for brother Kevin to make when he visited (which is not very often). Since we moved to Hawaii, the only time we've served it at family gatherings is when Kevin was visiting. The Aoki family in Kona knows this dish well. 

But now I have crossed that threshold. I found fresh coconut at the Produce Stand across from Choice Mart at the old Kona Theatre. This is a great place to get local, organic, GMO-free produce, by the way. The coconuts were already husked, the helper saved me the juice in a ziplock bag, and she cracked it open for me. And so, the plan is now set in stone. Have coconut, will kelaguen. 

We have this coconut grater (kamyo) that we brought with us from Guam when we moved back here in 1989. 

After all these years, it looks the same as when we bought it, and works beautifully. It is made of the Guam wood, ifit, and has this incredible metal piece for grating. This kamyo was made by a master craftsman. I grated coconut on it today for the first time!  It was so much fun and I don't know why I have not made it part of my life before this.  

This is slow food, like the time I made a mole' that I had learned to make in a cooking class in Oaxaca. Because it takes some effort, it is satisfying. There's also something special about getting the lemons, coconut, and just-picked green onion from this country produce stand, and the peppers (donne) from our yard. 

What's creative about this? I created a satisfying dish laden with memories. I created a sense of accomplishment.