Customer Reviews

Remembering Diamond Head, Remembering Hawai'i

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I'm a Hawaii native now living in Bloomington Indiana. I was not able to see Shirley in person when she was here earlier this month for a book signing / cooking demonstration. I did buy her book anyway and it is really great. Why? I'm not exactly the best cook by any means, but through Shirley and Lisa's honest, open, and interesting commentaries, one can actually learn about the history, culture, and uses of the many flavorful dishes of the islands. Plus, the book does a great job explaining what certain food terms mean such as "saimin", "poke", "mochiko" or "aburage" since they are not common words used here on the mainland. I have many cookbooks from Hawaii written for locals, but I honestly believe that Shirley and Lisa's book is a great way to share Hawaiian food dishes and recipes with our mainland friends. In fact, I have recommended this book to several of my new friends here in Southern Indiana. If any of you want to try out Hawaiian food without having fly to Hawaii to sample it, this book is the easiest and cheapest way to do so. On a final note, try the Mochi Chicken. This dish is typcial party food in Hawaii. You'll like it!

Say aloha, grab a Kona coffee, a chunky macadamia nut cookie, and a cozy chair. Remembering Diamond Head, Remembering Hawaii is a scrumptious roll of brilliant family memories, exploding in taste sensations that you can prepare with confidence and excitement at home. Shirley and Lisa are cooks from the heart, who leave no detail untold. Mother and daughter, both accomplished cooks and restauranteurs, re-unite and re-create kitchen culinary, with shitake, stirfry and sukiyaki. This delicious book is your trip to Hawaii, no frequent flyer miles needed !

This was more than a cookbook it was an experience. The recipes were just great, from fried rice to banana cream pie, my husband and I have savored the flavors. As a collector of cookbooks I have been more successful with these recipes than any cookbook I have tried in many years. However, the surprise bonus was that the delightful history of the food and the family caused me to actually read the entire cookbook before I tried the first recipe. What fun!

What a mind-stretching experience...I am one of the peopoe who's never been t Hawaii and this book opened a new world for me. The stories about people and recipes are fun, humorous and insightful. The recipes are to die for! I am capable of making many of them and they light up my taste buds! This mother/daaughter team are down-to-earth and creative simultaneously!

During the last years of my undergraduate education, I worked at Diamond Head Cafe in Ann Arbor with both Lisa and Shirley (the authors). During this time I had the opportunity to experience the food, the stories, and the "favor" of what I came to think of as Hawai'i.

After I left Ann Arbor I began to long for Malasadas, Mochi Chicken, Mango Cream Cheese Pie, Somien Salad and Pineapple Macadamia Nut Muffins. Although this was only a sampling of the many items on the menu at Diamond Head, they had become my favorites, as well as, the favorites of 100's of Ann Arborites that ate there religiously. However, I didn't have a single recipe for a single item that I had helped prepare and serve at Diamond Head for two years. Then, out of the blue, this book arrives from Lisa recounting not only all my favorite food recipes but also the humor and heritage that made Diamond Head such a fantastic experience for me and a staple to so many others.

Do I like the book, I've had it for 3 months and its dog-eared all ready and everyone on my block thinks the only real use of the mango is in cream cheese pie.

Shirley and Lisa, Thanks for the food...and the memories.

I collect and read "cookbooks" like some people devour paperback novels. When I find one that provides personel anechdotes, insight into another culture and great recipe's to boot, I'm hooked! I can't put it down until I read it cover to cover. Remembering Diamond Head, Remembering Hawaii is a great collection of recipes from Hawaii and adaptations of those traditions tested by the authors in their mainland restaurant. More than that, there's the stories. Family history, recipe origins and well written prose that makes this an exceptional book for anyone who likes to cook.

The collaboration of Shirley Tong Parola and Lisa Parola Gaynier, Remembering Diamond Heat, Remembering Hawai'i: A Cookbook Memoir Of Hawai'i And Its Food won first place in the cookbook category of the Writer's Digest International's Self-Published Book Awards. Packed from cover to cover with 250 delicious recipes and regional culinary favorites of the Hawaiian islands, of special note are the sidebars on every page providing advice and instruction on everything from locating and selecting ingredients, to their preparation and preservation. From Coconut Cardamom Coffee Cake; Papaya and Chinese Greens Salad; Mahimahi Chowder; and Mango Chutney Dip; to Pacific Rim Barbecue; Sauteed Salmon Filet with Avocado Sauce; Luau Chicken; and Hawaiian Style German Chocolate Cake, Remembering Diamond Heat, Remembering Hawai'i is an ideal and highly recommended addition to any adventurous collection of ethnic and regional cookbooks.

As a bachelor and a basic non-cook but one who loves good food and interesting cuisine, I found "Remembering Diamond Head,Remembering Hawai'i" to be an epicurean delight. The recipes are interesting and easy to follow and the glossary most helpful. I like the personal vignettes and feel they add a human touch to the recipes and suggestions. The illustrations and cover photography are outstanding making this cookbook a visual delight that encourages even a neophyte cook like me to try Hawaiian cooking! I especially enjoyed making the Hawaiian Style Chili on p.73. Auntie Florence's Mochi Chicken will be my next attempt.And I am anxious for BBQ season to begin to try some outdoor grilling recipes. As a book lover, I am pleased to add this wonderful cookbook to my personal collection. Kudos to the authors, Lisa and Shirley!

This memoir with recipes brings some wonderful flavors and aromas to life; the recipes are easy to follow and you can almost feel the tradewinds wafting through.....kalua pork,soy glazes, coconut pudding.....
Shirley Tong Parola and her daughter Lisa Parola Gaynier recall a simpler time and a beautiful harmony between peoples of different ethnic backgrounds, living out their dreams on the paradise that is Hawaii......their ability to bring a taste of the islands to the mainland resulted in opening successful restaurants in Indiana and then later in Michigan---tasting the foods of this heady ethnic mix, Mainlanders never had it so good and you, too, can recreate the special culinary magic that was theirs.....

A cookbook scribed from the heart with elegance and humor. Simple to follow recipes and dishes easy to make, even for a bachelor like me. I recommend this cookbook memoir book to everyone that likes to cook who has been fortunate enough to taste the multicultural cuisine of the Hawaiian Islands and those who wish they could.