Do not procrastinate: The Taiko Arts Center is flying in fresh mochi from the legendary Two Ladies Kitchen in Hilo for a single day’s sale, and the time to order is now.
The mochi will arrive June 18, the day before Father’s Day (hint), but will go only to those who order and pay in advance.
Choose boxes of strawberry mochi ($11 for three to five, depending on weight), assorted mochi and manju ($9 for six) and mixed-fruit mochi (grape, tangerine and pear; $10 for six). Pick up from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Petrie Community Park in Kaimuki or Waimalu Elementary School in Aiea.
Proceeds benefit local taiko (Japanese drumming) programs.
Order through the website taikoartscenter.org or download a mail-in form. Deadline to order is June 12, but it’s best to order early. The Internet-impaired may call 737-7236.
———
Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser
———
Chinese techniques take stage
Cookbook author and Crave contributor Lynette Lo Tom has an infectious enthusiasm for all things cooking, which led to a cookbook, “A Chinese Kitchen,” published last year, and various opportunities to share her discoveries with the public. She will demonstrate some of her Chinese recipes at two events:
>> National Senior Health & Fitness Day at Kahala Mall (11:30 a.m. to noon today): Lo Tom will make Taiwanese-style pickled cucumbers.
>> “Chinese Cooking With Lynette Lo Tom” (10 a.m. to noon June 4, Lyon Arboretum): Lo Tom’s mother, Lorna Lee Lo, joins her to prepare and serve three dishes from “A Chinese Kitchen”: winter melon soup, crispy skinned roast pork and Dau Lau (mochi rice balls coated in peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut). Fee is $25; reserve a spot at 988-0456. The arboretum is at 3860 Manoa Road.
———
Joleen Oshiro, Star-Advertiser
———
Check out sweet displays before they go
The final day of Bishop Museum’s “Sweet: A Tasty Journey” exhibit is Monday, giving you five days to take in this colorful tribute to all things candy.
“Sweet” explores candy history, trivia and the making of various types, through words, sculpture, pictures, moving pictures and interactive displays.
Among things to learn: The most popular jelly bean color is red (usually cherry); most red food dye is derived from the ground carcasses of an insect called the Dactyloplus. It can take days to make a jelly bean, weeks to make a jawbreaker. The first Pez dispensers, developed in 1948, were shaped like cigarette lighters to encourage adults to give up smoking.
My favorite thing was the stop-motion station, where you can pose candy-themed plastic pieces and photograph them in sequences to create a video, then post it on YouTube. My second favorite was a fascinating video on how candy canes are made. It’s too detailed to explain, so you’ll just have to make it there by Monday.
The museum, at 1525 Bernice St., is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Kamaaina admission is $14.95, $10.95 for children. Call 847-3511 or visit bishopmuseum.org.
———
Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser
