The Pineapple Room | Honolulu, Hawaii

I have been going to the KCC Farmers' Market religiously for the past several months. In fact, I'm the mayor on Foursquare. Yesterday, however, Julie and I were feeling like we needed a change of pace. We decided to take it easy in the morning then leisurely head over to the Pineapple Room for breakfast. As luck would have it, our server was Twitter friend Meg (@megspeaks). As always, the food was amazing and the service, outstanding. 

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard (located inside Macy's)
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 945-6573
Website

To start, Meg hooked us up with one of the specials of the day: Yogurt Panna Cotta with granola, honey, strawberries and banana. The flavors of this dish melded nicely. It was neither overly tart nor excessively sweet. Julie said that if she had the recipe, she's make this every day.


We were surprised to find so many vegetarian options on the menu. Julie, being in the mood for somewhat lighter fare, opted for the Berries and Cream.


Craving something a little heartier, I went with the House Made Corned Beef Hash and Eggs. The hash was nice and crispy on the outside, which contrasted nicely with the tender meat on the inside.


I chose the fried rice as my starch. I'm fairly certain it was made with Kalua Pork, which added a nice, subtle smokiness to the rice.

Farewell, My Friend...

This morning, I learned of the untimely death of Ryan Suenaga (@rsuenaga). I remember shaking his hand for the first time at the Kapiolani Eat the Street. Because of our connection through Twitter, it was like we were old friends. He was one of the most generous, helpful people I have ever met. And now he's gone.

Ryan impacted countless others and his departure left a void none will ever fill. Ryan Ozawa (@hawaii) posted Aloha, Ryan, followed by Catherine Toth's (@thedailydish) #nowplaying C&K ‘Goodbye’. This morning, Burt Lum (@bytemarks) put together a very fitting tribute, Remembering Ryan Suenaga.

In honor of Ryan's memory, I ask that you do good today. If we all lived just one day the way Ryan lived his entire life, this world would be a much better place.

Why Twitter?

The conversation usually goes something like this…
Non-Twitter person: “You twit? tweeter? Whatever you call it?”
Me: “I’m on Twitter, yes.”
Non-Twitter person: “What's the point? I don’t get it.”

Despite being listed as a Hawaii Power User by Melissa Chang (@Melissa808), I do not consider myself a super user. I do, however, believe that Twitter is starting to reshape the way we communicate with each other and I would venture to say it has changed the world. Personally, I've found that the real value of Twitter is its ability to connect people. For the average person, that translates to complete and unfettered access to people, places, and events we normally wouldn't have. Case in point, I received a reply from Daniel Dae Kim (@danieldaekim) yesterday. Now, I don’t know about you, but it isn’t everyday that I interact with a celebrity. In fact, the last one I can remember was Steven Spielberg back when he was filming Jurassic Park on Kauai. Yeah, the first one! I digress…

Still not feelin’ it? Well, let me break down some of my personal experiences from 2010. We rang in the year from one of the Penthouse Suites at the Waikiki Resort Hotel (@Waikiki_Resort) because of Twitter. A few months later, I purchased Adobe's Creative Suite 4, a week shy of their CS5 announcement. I had heard that Adobe sometimes offers post-announce upgrades and called to inquire. After getting the runaround for weeks, I tweeted my frustration. Adobe Customer Care on Twitter (@Adobe_Care) responded and within 2 business days, I had my copy of CS5. In December, I won $150 worth of gift cards from Ala Moana Center (@AlaMoanaCenter), a 10-piece meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken (@KFChawaii), a CD autographed by Jack Johnson (@jackjohnson) from Kanu Hawaii (@kanuhawaii), and free music from recording artist Mike Peralta (@mikeperalta). Ricky Li (@rickyli99) of HI I Shoot Stuff (@hiishootstuff) cut us a great deal on an awesome family Christmas portrait. Lastly, I got to attend an advance screening of Little Fockers.

So that's my story. If you are already on Twitter, connect with me! If not, understand this: opportunities are out there and being on Twitter is the only way you're going to capitalize on them. I'd love to see you chronicle your own journey... in 140 character bursts.

Feeling overwhelmed? Don't know where to start? I recommend you connect with Neenz Faleafine (@NEENZ) and ask her about being A.L.I.V.E. in Social Media. She's a great resource and will definitely get you headed in the right direction.

Melt | Honolulu, Hawaii

Food trucks seem to be quite the rage these days in Honolulu. Melt is one that specializes in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and has been getting a lot of attention from the Twitter community. They were recently in Kaimuki, so I took my family by to see what all the buzz was about. The food was good and I definitely see myself going back the next time they're in my 'hood.

Melt
*Various locations around Oahu
Website
@melthnl on Twitter

The owners typically don't reveal where they'll be more than a day or two in advance. Follow them on Twitter for their current location.


$2 buys you a small cup of their homemade tomato soup. It had just enough acidity to balance out the richness of the cheese.


I had to order the "Melt of Shame." It's a quarter-pound Kuahiwi beef patty with caramelized onions, served between two grilled cheese sandwiches. At $11, it's an indulgence, but so worth it. I left satisfied, without feeling overly full or weighed down.

Hello, my name is @MikeSumida

I did it. I broke one of the cardinal rules of Twitter. I changed my name. Yup, I am no longer @L3379LAD180R. I am now just @MikeSumida.
One of the main motivators for doing this was to avoid the awkward (and somewhat embarrassing) experience of introducing myself at tweetups. The conversation usually went something like this:
Me: "Hi, I'm Mike."
New Person: "What's your Twitter name/handle?"
Me: "Leet Gladiator."
"What?!"
"L-3-3-7-9..."
"Oh, you're THAT guy!"
"Yup, that's me..." :\
All kidding aside, the more I learn about Social Media, the more I realize how important it is to have a personal brand, an identity. I must admit, I'm still getting used to it, but so far the response has all be positive. Here's to new beginnings :D

Kapiolani Community College Farmers' Market | Honolulu, Hawaii

This past Friday at the Phởriday tweetup, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting chef Leslie Ashburn (@macrohawaii). We started talking about buying local versus organic. Despite living in Hawaii, it is difficult to find locally grown organic produce in any of the grocery stores. There are places like Whole Foods Kahala (@wfmkahala) that sometimes stock locally grown organic, but generally speaking we, as consumers, must often choose one or the other. Leslie's advice to me: go for what looks freshest and remember that variety is important. Our conversation, coupled with my personal goal to go out and do more with my family, motivated me to get everyone up on Saturday morning and head over to the farmers' market at KCC.

Kapiolani Community College Farmers' Market
4303 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 947-3804
Website

We got there around 10:00 and, as you can see, it was crowded. In fact, some of the vendors were already running out of stuff and packing up when we walked by.


Ma`o Organic Farms (@maoorganicfarms) is one of the few places where you can actually find locally grown organic produce. Look for their signature green tent right smack in the middle of all the action. You need to get there quick, though, because they sometimes sell out.


It was quite warm that day, so the three of us each got a strawberry lemonade. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop, but while I was waiting in line, Grace Lee (@gracelee9)came by and chatted with the owner! So naturally, I tweet about the experience, which apparently garnered me some stalker points according to @ryankanno.


Overall, it was a great experience. We didn't buy very much to take home because we spent most of our cash on lunch and lemonade. Next time, we'll know what to expect so we can plan out schedules a little better (and bring more money!).

It is my personal opinion that we should support local businesses by shopping at farmers' markets whenever possible. Where do you buy your produce? Do you usually buy local or organic?

In search of the elusive magic number...

So I've been a member of the Xbox Live community on and off since I first signed up as a beta tester; I have had a Facebook account for a couple of years; in March, I posted my first tweet; yesterday, I became a member of the LinkedIn community; and now I'm writing my first blog. All this has got me thinking...what's the magic number? Although I feel like I'm on social networking overload, I know I've only scratched the surface. Digg, Youtube, Delicious are all out there, waiting to be tapped. I mean, I understand that the whole point of social media is to connect with as many people as possible, using whatever channels are available, but surely there's a point where you start to get diminishing returns or find yourself spread too thin. Where is the balance - that magic number? How many different communities must you join to maximize your reach, while still keeping things manageable?