Tragic Sandwich

…are finally getting cool, after the disastrously hot weather we had a few weeks ago. Finally, it feels like Los Angeles.

Although it’s August. Hmm…I wonder what September will be like. And winter. Well, there’s one way to find out.

In the meantime, I’m delighted.

Kayaking, snorkeling, hiking on lava, eating, shopping, brother’s wedding. All fantastic. Oh, did I forget to say that I spent a week in Hawaii? We were on the Big Island–truly magnificent.

Also, I read:
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Waiting by Ha Jin
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

I started Personal Memoirs by Ulysses S. Grant, and (as I had heard) it is highly readable. But it was a bit heavy to carry on the plane, so I’m still working on it. I’ll bet that was the least-predictable book being read at the resort pool that day.

Actually, I don’t think I ate any cheeseburgers there. And in a week on the Big Island of Hawaii, we never went to Starbucks and only ate one meal at McDonald’s. Hey, we were late to the airport. So sue me.

At any rate, for a romantic sunset dinner, I highly recommend Huggo’s. I know, the name sounds like there should be clowns and balloons, and maybe a giant Sasquatch mascot. But it’s not like that at all.

Or maybe you’re looking for something more casual. For that, you might try L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.

Both of those establishments are in Kailua Kona, on the west side of the island. Perhaps you’re staying in Hilo.

Hilo Bay Cafe is a fantastic place for lunch. The crab cake sandwich is tasty and enormous, and stays crisp for a surprising amount of time, considering that it’s a crab cake inside a sandwich. The french dip is excellent as well. Hilo Bay Cafe is nowhere near downtown; clearly it’s designed for people who actuallly live in Hilo, rather than tourists, but they were perfectly happy to provide us with food in spite of our out-of-state driver’s licenses.

And that’s just a few places on only one island. Be adventurous. Enjoy.

Instead of Ford’s Filling Station, try Tender Greens next door. The prices are better and the food is just as good. You have to stand in line to order, and that can take a while, but once you’ve ordered, the food is prepared very quickly. The flatiron steak is good and the Yukon Gold mashed potatoes are excellent. Only two soups, but lots of salads (hence the name). But carnivores shouldn’t fear: while there are a couple of entirely vegetarian dishes, there’s plenty of meat to go around.

Ah. There’s the change in the weather they’ve been predicting. Much better.

Still reading:
Banker
Ghost in the Little House

Also, I’ve finished (except for the book list in the back) Tim Cahill’s Lost in My Own Backyard. While I appreciate Cahill’s love of Yellowstone, I think this is the weakest of his books. I’ve really enjoyed his others, and not just for the titles. (Who can resist A Wolverine is Eating My Leg and Jaquars Ripped My Flesh? Fantastic.)

As for Ghost in the Little House, it’s also disappointing. Rose Wilder Lane seems to have lived a fascinating life full of ideas, travel, and experiences that were quite radical for her day, but I don’t have the slightest idea what she was like to spend time with. Would I have liked her? Found her frustrating to be around? I’m halfway into the book and I still don’t know. The author emphasizes Lane’s affinity for Albania, but I don’t quite get it. I want to know how it affected her, and how it touched her soul. If it was so important to her, the book should make me want to go there as well. But the author hasn’t really made me care about Lane, so I don’t care about what she cared about.

Up next:

Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Mother and Daughter in the Gilded Age, by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart
Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow
Personal Memoirs, by Ulysses S. Grant

That’s a lot of biographies and autobiographies. No doubt there will be more; we’ve been watching The History Channel’s series on the American Revolution. It’s quite good, although they seem to be trying really hard to serve as apologists for Benedict Arnold. Still, it’s reminding me of all of the Early American biographies I want to read.