1. Come on, look at this thing. It’s a Scotch Tape dispenser in the shape of a record player. How can you not like the kitschiness of an essential office supply such as this? As a fan of music and vinyl records, it was one of the happiest impulse buys I’ve ever made. I found it while scrounging around the internet one night.
It’s perfect — it’s small, fits the standard Scotch Magic Tape refills, and you can act like a giant DJ scratching on some breakbeats. But instead of dispensing beats, it’s tape! Oh, man. I need to calm down. You can find it at Office Max or Office Depot stores for $10.99. Check the store availability.
Don’t miss out on an item that’s sure to cause some office chatter.
— Joe Guinto, Star-Advertiser
2. Scooby-Doo, namesake star of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon franchise, has been entertaining children and the young-at-heart ever since “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” premiered as a Saturday morning cartoon show in 1969.
The beloved anthropomorphic Great Dane, easily scared but steadfast and courageous when his friends need him, is being honored with a limited-edition U.S. Postal Service Scooby-Doo! postage stamp ($6 for a sheet of 12; usps.com or at your neighborhood post office). The design showing Scooby watering a plant is part of the 2018 DOO GOOD campaign that encourages kids to help enrich the environment, fight hunger and be advocates for animal welfare.
Learn about the campaign at scoobydoogood.com.
As with all Postal Service “forever” stamps, Scooby’s stamps can be used for 1 ounce of first-class postage no matter how much postal rates rise in the future.
— John Berger, Star-Advertiser
3. In this hot weather, a hot bikini is a cool antidote — but don’t reveal too much, advises Nadia Ribeiro, owner of Brazilian Show Room, who has rounded out her Haleiwa and Kailua stores with a brand-new shop at 3054 Monsarrat Ave.
“People think that we Brazilians go naked, but most of us are quite modest,” she said. “The true Brazilian bikini is not a thong.” I loved a sleek, halter-tie top ($69) and cheeky bottom ($59) in a soft, flowing watercolor print, made in Brazil, as are 80 percent of Ribeiro’s suits. Equally sweet are an elegant, supportive top ($98) and full-cover bottom ($72) from Australia, in solid navy with flirty lattice trim and gilded coins. Lightweight, breezy cover-ups and pants offer more ways to chill.
Call the shop at 732-1777.
— Mindy Pennybacker, Star-Advertiser
4. When you have a seafood allergy, you get used to not being able to enjoy half of any restaurant buffet or eat nine out of 10 appetizers on a fine-dining menu.
With so many of Hawaii’s ethnic cuisines amalgamating some kind of seafood-based ingredient for that umami flavor, you can miss out on a lot of simple things, like saimin made with bonito broth, or maki sushi with a bit of tuna in the center of the rice roll.
I hadn’t had maki sushi in years for this reason, so when I saw slices of Ala Hawaii Kitchen’s maki sushi with no seafood (!) laid out on a cellophane-wrapped tray in the supermarket, I snatched them up. The rice had just the right vinegary/sugar balance and wasn’t too mushy. The ingredients listed egg, ginger, cucumber, gourd and seaweed as the filling. For $4.59, there were several thick slices. (And their inari sushi is good, too!)
They also had a whole array of different bento boxes averaging $5, which are available at most Times Supermarkets and Foodland stores. Ala Hawaii Kitchen also does catering from a tiny outlet at the Old Stadium Mall, 2334 S. King St.; call 941-7949 to order.
— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser
Please keep in mind that featured products may be in short supply and may not be available at all store locations; prices may vary. The information presented represents the authors’ opinions and experiences; your results may vary. Tell us what you are loving this week by emailing features@staradvertiser.com.
