Lahaina Jodo Mission

This morning before taking a dip in the ocean, I swung into the Lahaina Jodo Mission. The Jodo Mission is an authentic Buddhist temple located a mile away from my house.

The temple is a small building set on the ocean. Its roof is covered with real copper shingles. The 90 foot pagoda across from the temple is covered in copper shingles as well.

I had never been to the Mission before, but I can see coming here more often. It is beautiful and completely peaceful. There is a small gazebo at the entrance where I could see myself holing up with a book.

The main attraction at the Jodo Mission is the 12 foot Amida Buddha statue. It is the largest Buddha statue outside of Japan. It is made from bronze and copper, and it weighs 3.5 tons.

I missed it last year, but the Jodo Mission celebrates a widely visited lantern festival. I hope to make the next one.

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Moving On

Yesterday was my last day at the beachside casual restaurant that I have been working at since I first arrived in Maui.

I have already begun my training at my new restaurant, and I am excited for the opportunity. This new establishment is more upscale, slightly slower paced and runs very smoothly. It's hard to leave what you know, but I think I made the right decision.

This was the exact thought I had in my head when I snapped the above photo of Lanai during my last preshift meeting at my former restaurant.

Luckily, I am going to have a similar view at the new oceanfront restaurant.

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Ahoy!

The lovely lady outside of Lahaina Grill.

I keep hearing how delicious this place is. I can't wait to go sometime!

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Hanging Out

My friend T hanging out at Baby Beach

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They're Here!

The cruise ships are starting to arrive in Lahaina.

T. and I went walking through town, and the streets are crawling with tourists. Business is going to be booming through the weekend.

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Beach Day

Back at Baby Beach for some reading, swimming and tanning.

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Paint Job

I love the paint job on this house!

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Dan's Greenhouse

I need to stop visiting this store or I am going to end up with a parrot or a pig!

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Best Day Trip Ever

My friend A. and I took an epic day trip through Maui's Upcountry.  We began our day at the Surfing Goat Dairy Farm, followed by a tasting at the Maui Winery at Ulupalakua Ranch, lunch at Polli's Mexican Restaurant in Makawao and then some major shopping at Walmart and Ross in Kahului.

At ten in the morning, I hopped in "Big Red," A.'s monstrous red truck and we thundered up north to the lower slopes of Mount Haleakala.  The Surfing Goat Dairy Farm was practically empty when we rolled into the parking lot. 

The Dairy Farm has a covered picnic table protected by recycled sails from kiteboards.  A line of beat up surfboards are used as an impromptu bar for more snacking.

Since we were the only visitors at the farm, A. and I got a private tour of the farm.  Our first stop was to feed the kids.

The kids line up, thrusting their heads and horns through the fence to get in on some alfalfa.

The tour included a stop at the milking station.  I was charmed by information on goat milk production handwritten with chalk on the barn wall.

After our tour A. and I treated ourselves to a flight of 6 soft cheeses.

The Mandalay was a blend of apple bananas and curry.  It was winner of Best US Goat Cheese Spread in 2004.  Purple Rain is a mix of dried lavenders.  Mango Supreme is made from fresh mangoes and mango chutney.  I loved, loved, loved the Mandalay and Mango Supreme.

O Sole Mio, a blend of sun-dried tomatoes, was my least favorite of the batch.  It won Best US Goat Cheese Spread in 2005.  The Garden Fantasia, fresh garden herbs and the winner of Best US Goat Cheese Spread in 2006 was fresh, but nowhere near as awesome as the Rolling Green, fresh garlic chives and 2nd place National Award Winner in 2005.

We weren't the only fans.  Ramses, a resident farm cat, also really liked the samples we gave him.

Yup, we ate EVERYTHING.

We left the goat farm and headed to the Ulupalakua Ranch to the winery.  The heart of the ranch is located on the leeward slopes of Haleakala.

A. and I were bad tourists and didn't learn a lot about this place.  We skipped the tour and just started tasting the wine.

A farmhouse on the winery grounds.  I assume they do something wine-related inside.  We don't know because we skipped the tour.

We took photos by this huge tree instead...

...and with this drunken wooden man.

Then we crossed the street to the Ulupalakua General Store where we posed with other wooden men.

After our impromptu photo shoot we got back into Big Red and began driving to Makawao for lunch.  The views and terrain are amazing higher up, so I stuck my arm out of the truck to snap some photos as we drove along.

A. and I fell in love with this hand built lava stone wall.  It crawled along the rolling hills for miles.  We had to pull over to get a few photos.

Trusty Big Red with the Lava Stone Wall:

The day was long, the adventures plentiful and the bounty was rich (a bottle of wine from the winery, many, many household goods from Ross and Walmart).

I came home at sunset with my arms full, but my house sure looks good with its new additions.  Will post photos soon.

Until next time...

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A little Aloha at work

One of the Luau Aunties brought over this beautiful lei. We draped it over our register. It helped brighten up my workday!

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How Rude!

Dear Diners,

I do understand that my job serving tables entails making sure your needs are met and that you are having an enjoyable dining experience, but please, a few manners and a little common courtesy go a very long way.  

In my year of serving tables in Maui, I am continued to be shocked by how many people lose their manners when entering a restaurant.

Or maybe they didn't have any manners to begin with.

I'm flabbergasted by how many people don't say "please" or "thank you" when I am waiting on them.  I'm also surprised by how many people will try to grab me by the elbow and ask me for something when I'm in the middle of talking to a table right next to them.  This strikes me as unbelievably rude--to myself as well as to your fellow diners.  Wait your turn, and I will take care of you when I am done speaking with the people directly in front of me.

I know that that as the paying customer you feel that you are in control, but this is merely a well-constructed illusion.

The one who really controls your dining experience is me.  I control how quickly you receive your food and drinks.  I control what modifications and substitutions can be made to your meal.  I also control when you get your check so you can leave.

If you're being surly, rude or arrogant, I'm going to be less inclined to tell you how far I can modify your meal to make it just the way you want.  If you say "please" and "thank you" and come across as a pleasant person, I'll bend over backwards to modify your meal to the point where it no longer resembles anything stated on the menu.  If you're not going to play nice, then there is no way I'm going to battle it out with our cooks on your behalf to change your food.

Last night, I had a customer whistle at me to get my attention.  I have been snapped at before as well as frantically waved at.  I'm not a fan of a customer snapping at me, but I'm okay if you feel you have to give me a little wave to catch my eye.  Hopefully I'll be on my game enough that I can cruise by every table every few minutes to make sure you have everything you need, but being whistled at was a new experience, and it was definitely not okay.  I'm not your dog.  There is really no good reason to stoop so low as to whistle.  It's demeaning to me as well as disruptive to the other guests enjoying their food.

The guest that whistled at me was the same table that asked me, "Approximately what time will our food arrive?" a mere five minutes after I had taken their order.

I told them, "This isn't a fast food restaurant.  We cook most everything on our menu fresh, so it takes about fifteen to twenty minutes for food to reach your table.  I ordered your food a little over five minutes ago, and it should be on the grill as we speak.  When your food is ready, I'll make sure it gets here as fast as it can."

I had another table grab my elbow to get my attention.  This is always a bad idea.  Please don't ever touch your waiter.  Especially when they have a stack of dirty plates in their hands.  I didn't drop anything in this case, but this guy almost had a steak knife tumble onto the top of his head.  Dangerous.

If I ask for you ID when you order an alcoholic beverage, please do not be offended that you possibly look underaged.  Be flattered.  Then fish your ID out of your wallet.  I'm not trying to offend you or inconvenience you, I am trying not to lose my job and pay thousands of dollars in fines to the Maui Liquor Commission.  If you don't have your ID when I ask you for one, please be ready to order something else to drink.  I'm not ready to empty my savings account so you can drink a $3 Mai Tai.

Thank you so much for understanding.

Sincerely,

Your Waiter

PS: This letter to the dining public was written by someone who received a review of excellence on her service by customers and published online.  Thank you so very much.

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Molokai

It's such a clear day. Look at my view of Molokai from work. Not too shabby.

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You know you live in Maui when...

...they garnish your burger with an orchid.

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Boogie Shoes

My feet have been aching after every shift at the restaurant.  The shoes that I have been wearing are the same pair of street sneakers that I brought over from Portland.  I've been wearing this very same pair of Nikes since I first began work at the restaurant since last October.  The tread has been worn down to nothing, and the white part of my sneakers will never, ever be white again no matter how often they are scrubbed.

I decided a few days ago to check out the Footlocker store at the Lahaina Gateway Mall, and I told myself that I was not allowed to leave until I bought a new pair of shoes.

Well...I bought two:



The black Saucony's are for work and the New Balance 480's are for running.



The Saucony's are made from Grid Flex technology.  They are incredibly cushiony and are a joy to work in.  I actually took them up my crazy hill run/walk the other night, and they were perfect.  They will make a great backup workout shoe since I probably won't be getting a lot of wear out of them at work (I'm dropping down to two shifts a week at my current restaurant and hopefully starting work at a new place).



I was finally able to break in my new New Balance running shoes this afternoon after work.  I took them around the block for about a 2 mile run.  I'm not sure if I'm loving them quite yet, but I really liked the pair of New Balance shoes I owned back in Portland, so I'm sure that once I break these babies in, they will be fantastic.

I got a great deal on the New Balance shoes and the Saucony's were still under $100.  I did a little dance in the store in my new shoes--I actually had a different shoe on each foot for a while to determine which one I liked better.  I eventually decided on taking both pairs home with me.  And I'm glad I did.

And in honor of new kicks, I just had to post one of my favorite songs.  It's an oldie, but a goodie.  "Boogie Shoes!"

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