UYE Super Chinese Dinner @ Yee Hong Pavilion

Question: What do the following have in common?
— Chicken feet
— An eclectic Pyrex collection
— A drink that tastes like a cross between kalua pig and prunes
— Comparing scenarios of being raised by FOB/​FOP (Fresh-​Off-​The-​Boat/​Fresh-​Off-​The-​Plane) Asian mothers
— Beach boot camp workouts
— The word «gelatinous»
— Alcohol
— Lynn’s Saimin & Cookie Shop homemade cookies
Answer: Nothing, really!
These were just some of the colorful, off-​kilter and intriguing topics that all 8 of us wala’au’ed (vi. To talk, speak, converse; formerly, to talk loudly, shout) about.
It was an intimate gathering, but served as one of the most fun and memorable UYEs I’ve been to in a long, long time! Mucho mahalos goes out to our co-​hosts, John N. and Catherine T. who will serve as my «Authentic Chinese» consultants as long as I am on Unilocal.My husband is 2% Chinese (all in his pinky toe) and is a horrible, horrible resource as someone who likes to indulge his «Chinese cravings» with late night runs to Panda Express (barf).
Met a whole slew of new Unilocalers that night including: John N., his adorable and sweetheart of a girlfriend, Erica (the «Pyrex Couple»), Dan. O. (thanks for dropping by on such short notice!), and Grant «Chuggy Bear» S (his intimate knowledge, vernacular, and appreciation of foods of all kinds is impressive; coupled with his down-​to-​earth style and humble nature, you can’t help but feel like he’s an old friend).
An additional round of «mahalos» goes out to Grant for bringing the booze (Hoogarden, a Belgian wheat beer) and Paul for the assortment of Lynn’s homemade cookies! Bruddah Paul even brought a box of Ziploc bags from home just so everyone could take home cookies (so very aloha of you!). He’s also the ballsy guy who ordered the «Sour Prune Drink» that became the topic du jour of our table that night.
Hawai’i Unilocalers are some of the most fantastic people on the planet! Emi says it loud and proud in the talk threads and I’ve known it for quite some time, but it always receives further validation with each Unilocal event that I attend.
If you didn’t come, you truly missed out! So, try not to let it happen again and don’t be scared to sign up for ANY of the UYE’s — small or large — and don’t be scared to go alone!
Oh, and the food!!! All 8 of us paid $ 12 + $ 3 tip = $ 15 TOTAL for over 7 – 8 courses! The honey walnut shrimp is some of the best I’ve ever tasted and you get CHOKE portions for such cheap prices. I’ve always walked past this gem en route to the lei shops and produce shopping in Chinatown, but will DEFINITELY be bringing my Panda’s appreciating husband here, so he can be reminded of his roots and what succulent, authentic Chinese food is supposed to taste like. ;)
REVIEW #235

My prediction for 2014 is that the word «GELATINOUS» will become the HOT word of the year!
Song of the year = Gelatinous Woman
Movie of the year = The Day I Became Gelatinous
Book of the year = Racing Towards Gelatinous
I honestly can’t even remember how «gelatinous» became the topic of conversation but I do know that I want more of that jelly filled jiggly wordplay! I’m so ridiculously busy these days that I don’t always have time to attend UYEs, which makes me so sad because they’re my FAVORITE part of Unilocal!Unlike larger parties you really have the chance to talk story and get to know everyone. So when Cathy T told me John N was putting together a Chinese dinner, I literally cleared my calendar which in my world means, I begged my mother to babysit for me.
Three things which I took away from tonight’s event:
1) Sour Plum Drink = One of the most disgusting things on Earth. If you’ve never had it, don’t do it. It’s like Kahlua pig meets socks soaked in sour sweat. Sorry Paul, that’s just nasty.
2) Group Eating Rules = We each payed only $ 12 per person and ate like KINGS! It was seriously amazing!
3) Pyrex Is Addictive = Jon & his girlfriend Erica have mountains of Pyrex. What will happen when you have kids? Will you become addicted to Tupperware?

Back home on a business trip and looked for a Unilocal event to attend. I worked a swing shift (11 am — 8 pm), so my Unilocal options were limited. Lo and behold, there was an UYE on my day off. UYEs are fun, small intimate gatherings to enjoy food, drink, and Unilocal camaraderie– this Super Chinese Dinner was no exception. Only one table of 8, I was about 30 minutes late and thought I would miss most of the event. Turns out that the first course wasn’t even served yet. Co-​hosts John N. and Catherine T. planned an excellent outing. The chicken and corn soup started, quickly followed by 6 other courses and ending with fried rice. Very enjoyable as they ordered a mx of items that my Americanized half-​Chinese self would not order and comfort items. The Crispy Garlic Chicken was a winner! The toasted garlic was a great condiment for the fried rice. The price with tip per head was about $ 15, outstanding value for an 8-​course meal. It was great to meet Grant S., Janice H., and Paul C.- as well as meeting again everyone’s favorite CM Emi. Thanks John N. & Catherine H.

Tonight’s discussion and words: gelatinous, duck web feet, sour plum drink, Kalua pig and chicken feet. But most important — — awesome time with fabulous Yeeps over dinner!
A big Mahalo to co-​hosts John N. and Catherine T. for setting up tonight’s feast at Yee Hong Pavilion. As a 2^nd generation Chinese born and raised in Chinatown, this was my first time dining here and this place did NOT disappoint. Food, drinks and service were all very good.
Met some new Unilocalers tonight (Janice H. and Dan O.) and in addition to our co-​hosts of John N. and Catherine T., we had Grant «Chuggy Bear» S., Miss Emi, Erica (John’s GF) and myself to round our table of 8.
It was cool to have the waitresses acknowledge the paparazzi on our table, especially when the fried rice was brought over to us. They served the fried rice in individual bowls but allowed us to snap away before scooping!
Tonight was my 2^nd time to attend an UYE (1^st one was at Lucky Belly by Chuggy Bear) and it was very entertaining and intimate.
My favorite dish was the deep-​fried flounder, hands-​down. I taught Janice N. how to nibble on the fish head and fins as it was fried to a crisp.
I ordered the sour plum drink which was very COMPLEX. John and Erica had explained the drink as a «smoked plum drink that is also sour and sweet», which got my attention. It was served warm at first and it reminded me of the liquid smoke that you use in homemade Kalua pig. The look on Emi’s face when she tried it: CLASSIC!!! Tried to encourage her to drink more of it by offering Lynn’s cookies but no dice…

Yes I’m writing a review of a UYE that I co-​hosted… because it deserves to have a review written about it!
While I am listed as «co-​host» in reality this UYE was all John N.‘s doing! He talked to the staff at Yee Hong Pavilion to organize a special «set menu» for our UYE guests and it was a wonderful mixture of authentic & «Americanized» chinese foods. All I did was pick the date & time. BUT I suppose you could argue that those are the most important details. lol.
Anyhow what I loved about this small gathering was that because we were able to sit at one large table everyone got to talk and hang out with each other. Which is not always the case with larger UYE’s and even Unilocal events.
We shared sips of sour plum drink, beer, and milk tea. WE ate dishes served family style and everyone was able to have a bite of each dish. We passed our cell phones around to show off pictures of pyrex collections, happy smiling post-​beach boot-​camp faces, and allergy attack pictures. It was a wonderful bonding experience!
The food was delicious and I’ll definitely be back for it but as far as the UYE goes it was all about the AWESOME YEEPS who came out for dinner!