Remembering Diamond, Head Remembering Hawai'i provides a fine example of how a cookbook doesn't have to be gimmicky or particularly flashy to be excellent. Likewise, it sets a smart standard in particular for cookbooks from restaurants. All too often, restaurants fall into the trap of thinking that existence alone justifies publication of a cookbook. This book shows how important it is for there to be a theme and substance that provides an underpinning concept to a restaurant cookbook: in this case, the many ways in which Diamond Head Cafe and the family behind it, though thousands of miles away from their native islands, celebrated and preserved the cooking traditions of Hawai'i.
Particularly impressive is the down-to-earth, friendly tone, which makes the experience of reading and cooking from it feel as warm-hearted as a face-to-face chat over a cup of Kona coffee. I particularly enjoyed and was fascinated by the introductory discussion of “pidgin” and of “Race Matters,” both examples of explaining a culture from the inside out rather than the all-too-often phenomenon of writers sounding like outsiders looking in. The text is generous with the depth of information it provides in both full-page and sidebar explanations of key ingredients and preparations. The recipes not only sound delicious but also explain themselves in admirable detail. The layout is clean and easy to follow, and the book’s large dimensions make it possible for even long recipes to be used without the need for flipping pages.
I did find myself wishing for a wider range of color images of the food than the hardly representative sampling that appears on the cover. Perhaps the book’s likely success will lead to a budget that allows a signature of good photography to be inserted on a subsequent printing, celebrating the vivid variety of this cuisine. Also, although it was undeniably a clever idea to use green ink to capture a tropical feeling throughout this book, I found my eyes growing tired after awhile. Perhaps my eye strain would be alleviated if you used a slightly darker shade of green in future printings!
This memoir with recipes brings some wonderful flavors and aromas to life; the recipes are easy to follow and you can almost feel the tradewinds wafting through.....kalua pork,soy glazes, coconut pudding.....
Shirley Tong Parola and her daughter Lisa Parola Gaynier recall a simpler time and a beautiful harmony between peoples of different ethnic backgrounds, living out their dreams on the paradise that is Hawaii...their ability to bring a taste of the islands to the mainland resulted in opening successful restaurants in Indiana and then later in Michigan---tasting the foods of this heady ethnic mix, Mainlanders never had it so good and you, too, can recreate the special culinary magic that was theirs.....
Guide Rating: 5 Stars
This book does an excellent job of answering the question: "What is Hawaiian food?" As anyone who has visited the Aloha state knows, Hawaii is truly a melting pot, and Hawaiian cuisine is a harmonious blending of all these diverse influences.
Shirley Tong Parola first introduced mainlanders to the Hawaiian food she grew up with when she set up a hibachi stand outside a Nashville theatre where her husband was working. Later, she teamed up with daughter Lisa Parola Gaynier to open the Diamond Head Cafe in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This book is a way of both thanking loyal customers and sharing their love of Hawaiian food with other readers.
One tip: don't skip the introductory sections. The book is spiced with interesting tidbits, such as the ethnic makeup of the state to a quick lesson in speaking Hawaiian (a is "ah" and i is "ee"). One of the more interesting pieces of trivia I learned was that Waikiki actually means "dirty water" --- hard to believe if you've ever had the pleasure of taking a barefoot stroll along its soft white sandy beaches. In addition, the authors answer common questions about Hawaiian food, such as what do native Hawaiians eat, and why SPAM is so popular.
Of course, compelling as the narratives are, ultimately the most important feature of any cookbook is the recipes. Appropriately, the authors begin with breakfast. One of my favorite memories of Hawaii is enjoying a leisurely breakfast in our hotel restaurant, filling up on macadamia nut muffins, fresh pineapple, congee and eggs, all washed down with copious amounts of strong Kona coffee. Just pouring over the book's recipes started my tastebuds watering --- there are a varied assortment of recipes for muffins, hotcakes and congee, all featuring traditional Hawaiian ingredients such as poi, pineapple or coconut. There's even a recipe for Malasadas (Portuguese Doughnuts). The same variety is found throughout the remaining sections covering everything from salads to main dishes and desserts. An added bonus is the menu and recipes for a traditional Hawaiian luau, complete with instructions on roasting a pig --- all that's missing is the imu (lava rock)! The sidebars accompanying the recipes are loaded with extra tidbits of information --- from choosing a mango to the history of tempura.
One of the aspects of Hawaiian cuisine that I find intriguing is how pure the traditional ethnic recipes have remained. For example, the Chinese recipes for MaPo Dofu and Hot and Sour Soup found in this book could have come straight from a chef working at any Szechuan restaurant. Then again, other recipes demonstrate the fusion of traditional Polynesian and multicultural cuisines that also make up modern day Hawaiian cooking. Who would have thought of using sweet and spicy hoisinsauce in a salad dressing for example, or making a pie with a tofu filling? And I was surprised to learn that Haupia, Hawaiian Wedding Cake, is actually a Chinese steamed sponge cake topped with coconut rice pudding.
"Some of the best narrative writing I've ever read in a cookbook... highly interesting, entertaining and educational.'
"...a cookbook called Remembering Diamond Head, Remembering Hawaii, with recipes for the cafe's muffins, somen salad, mochi chicken and 248 other wonderful dishes, interspersed with family stories and entertaining history of Hawaii's multicultural cuisine."
"In her part of the narrative, Parola takes pains to explain what Hawaiian cuisine is, and what it is not. It's notjust the traditional dishes of ethnic Hawaiians--the roast pig, coconut pudding and poi...it's the original Pacific Rim cuisine reflecting all the ethinc groups and races that have settled there."
"...goes to great lengths to explain the peculiarities of a cuisine that mixes American and Asian cooking styles...
Long before Hawaii Regional Cuisine, there was Shirley Tong Parola, who taught Midwesterners to love crispy won tons and teriyaki sticks. Later they were on the menu at her Diamond Head Cafe in Ann Arbor, MI. Parola has co-authored a cookbook with her daughter Lisa Parola Gaynier. Remembering Diamond Head, Remembering Hawai'i, is part culinary history, part nostalgia, part community cookbook. Born in Canton, China, raised in Hawaii, Parola focuses on Chinese dishes, but her tastes encompass all of the ethnic variety Hawaii has to offer. Her father was a Chinese paniolo on Molokai, and her mother Chinese-Hawaiian. Parola moved her family to Indiana for graduate school and then to Flint, MI., where she chaired the Flint International Institute's Summer Ethnic Festivals. Her booth, where she sold two won tons for a quarter and teriyaki sticks for 25 cents each, was among the biggest moneymakers. Lisa left grad school to open the Diamond Head Cafe. The book began as an outgrowth of customer requests for recipes
Remembering Diamond Head,
Remembering Hawai'i