Buenos Aires Luau

Even though we are thousands of miles from Hawaii we have a few friends here from the islands, and like all Hawaii-born transplants we have a hankering for the yummy food we all grew up on (btw, Erin and I were in Barrio Chino a few days ago and found crack seed on the shelves of Casa China, one of our favorite haunts!). Apparently, last year Cat and Maren, who grew up on Maui, got together and had (made?) a luau, so when we all had lunch together way back in July we talked about another one when spring arrived and the weather warmed up.

So once primavera arrived the emails started flying. Cat volunteered the terrace outside her apartment - a quiet potted-plant-filled area open to the sun - and we all decided on food assignments. Erin volunteered to make banana bread and cocoa mochi, and I somehow got assigned to make a salad and lomi lomi salmon (most likely because I'm such a fan of salmon and chopping tomatoes into small pieces with a steak knife...). Maren & Juan Pablo (and Nico) made kalua pig & cabbage and mac salad, and Cat & Bruno made ginger chicken, chicken long rice and white rice.

Needless to say, we had a feast! We couldn't have enjoyed a sunnier (and hotter!) day, and it seemed like all the trees in the city and the plants on the terrace had sprouted bright new flowers just for the special afternoon. The food was delicious, especially the amazing lomi lomi salmon, and the beer (unfortunately there wasn't any Primo beer to be found in the city) tasted great in the hot sun. One of Cat and Bruno's friends, Ben, came to bask in the Aloha Spirit (and eat the food), and we all enjoyed sharing our love of Hawaii with him. The boys ran around Cat and Bruno's apartment until Bruno once again kindly entertained Quinn with another Kung Fu lesson while Jack sat and drew with colored pens and pencils. Juan Pablo told jokes in Spanish that I was surprised I understood, and by the time the sun had passed over the building and left us in the cooler shade we were all stuffed and ready to run to the beach for a refreshing swim (since the river is a distance from San Telmo and not at all as refreshing as the Pacific, we passed on the swim).

As the afternoon turned to early evening we crowded into the kitchen, split the leftovers up, and said our goodbyes. Cat and Bruno will soon be heading to the islands to spend a few months on the other side of the world, and we all hope to see Juan Pablo, Maren and Nico someday soon on Maui or Oahu.

Hana hou!!!

Haircuts

Six months is too long to go without a haircut, so the boys got to experience going to a barber for the first time in their lives. They've always gotten their hair cut by their grandmother, Puna, in Lanikai, and even the offer to sit in the cool kiddie chairs at the barbershop at the top of Waialae Ave. at home has fallen on deaf ears in favor of their familiar Puna haircuts.

But Jack especially needed a cut, so Erin took them to the barber for niños on Av. Scalabrini Ortiz. I've only seen the shop through the window from the street and I stayed home for the haircut outing, so I was pleasantly surprised by the first of the few pictures Erin emailed me from the salon (even at the barbershop there is free wifi in Buenos Aires. Apparently there is a video game station for the lucky brother who isn't in the barber's seat...and a play area with the plastic ball "swimming pool" usually reserved for the play room for kids at a restaurant or Fun Factory back home.

Puna, you may have lost your business from the Maretzki boys unless you can get some entertainment into your salon ASAP.

And even if you get the video game station set up on the lanai, and an area to dive in a swim with the plastic balls just off the potted plants, you'll need to situate the barber's chair near the television so whoever is under the scissors can keep an eye on the television...