PARIS, FRANCE — One of the best meals I have ever eaten was in Paris, France.  And it wasn’t escargot, frog’s legs or some exotic French dish only three people in the world know how to make.  It was good old fashioned Chinese food, and the best place for that is Chez Vong.  Here you’ll appreciate dozens of meals from Cantonese and Vietnamese gastronomic traditions, classics but executed with talent.

The minute I stepped through the doors I felt like I was transported to China, with accompanying music and décor perfect to fit the scene.  It must be a family run restaurant, because there was a real homey feel.  I actually felt totally and completely welcome and ready for some dumplings.  The lady started us off with an array of different pot stickers, one was a baked puff with curry chicken fillings, another had steamed stuffed zucchini with shrimps, and then there were your normal delicious pot stickers as well.  The sauces were just divine for dipping, and I forgot there for a second I was even in Paris, France.

I could have eaten 100 of those wonderful little dumplings; those alone are worth flying to Europe and eating at this lovely restaurant.  Next however was our main course and I chose the chive & sesame seed shrimp, which could have been made in heaven as well as the kitchen in the back.  The sauce and the perfect amount of cooking make it supremely wonderful.  As you know, it is easy to overcook shrimp, but that does not happen at Chez Vong.  They must have formally trained in the art of prawn procedure, because this was done right.

My lady ordered the beef fillet Sichuan style, and I was totally amazed at the flavors coming from this dish.  It was the perfect temperature and texture, and was a joy to eat with chopsticks.  Between the beef and the shrimp, the pot stickers and the ambiance, I was totally experiencing a little slice of China.  So in all this happiness and flavor fullness, it dawned on us we were not eating any fish.  So we ordered the Seabass with lotus roots salad, and that was awesome.

The chef must have spent decades in the kitchen, because every single dish he prepared was absolutely great.  As we enjoyed ourselves and the dinner, I noticed there were a lot of Parisians in the restaurant, along with their families.  It seems if you are just visiting, or you live in Paris, and you want great Chinese food, Chez Vong is the place to be.

We finished off with a fruit and ice cream dish for desert.  It really is a nice final addition to a most excellent meal.  The whole time I just wanted to eat slow, and take it all in.  There is a waterfall, and something like four or five levels.  The building is old and full of character, and very close to the center of Paris.  There are several Metro stops close to Chez Vong, and it cannot be missed the next time you are in the “City Of Lights.”  Come also admire the monumental butter Buddha, a 100 kilos statue sculpted by the chef Vai Kaun Vong during a gala at the festival of Cannes in 2001. (For more information, please visit www.chez-vong.com)

George Thomas

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The 8th Annual Tahoe City Wine Walk returns to historic North Lake Tahoe Saturday, June 22. The event last year hosted more than 800 attendees and 30 regional wineries.

This summer’s alfresco event, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., will again focus on varietals from regional California wine producers and will also feature gourmet bites from North Lake Tahoe’s top restaurants and catering companies.

What has stayed the same is the ideal event location. The Tahoe City Wine Walk runs along scenic North Lake Tahoe Boulevard and provides some of the best views of Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in the country. Many take the opportunity to sip while shopping at Tahoe City’s unique establishments for signature wares and wrap up the day with dinner at one of Tahoe City’s many restaurants – all within walking distance of the event.

Tickets are now on sale and run $35/person in advance and $45/person at the event (cash only). Ticket price includes admittance, wine tasting, commemorative wine glass, delicious bite-sized offerings, live music and free on-site parking. Attendees must be 21 years or older and show valid ID when purchasing tickets and registering the day of the event.

The Tahoe City Wine Walk is a fundraiser for the Tahoe City Downtown Association. This non-profit organization consists of local merchants, property owners, community associations, residents, professionals and contributors whose goal it is to enhance and promote a vibrant and prosperous commercial and social center for the residents and visitors to Tahoe City.

For more information about the event, lodging specials, public transportation options, parking map and to purchase tickets online, click to the official website at www.TahoeCityWineWalk.com. The site is also home to social media channels, volunteer opportunities, as well as subscription to the Tahoe City Wine Walk mailing list. Day-of-event registration booths will be located at Boatworks Mall, Heritage Plaza and the North Tahoe Art Center in Tahoe City. Event sponsorship opportunities are available.

George Thomas

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We’ve all walked away from our cart carrying what we think is the right club, only to find our ball, and realize we have the wrong club. Unintentional under clubbing undermines our confidence and sure enough, we leave it short.

The Sidekick lets you take up to four clubs with you along with extra balls – just in case.​ It’s durable construction and patent pending spikes hold the Sidekick upright anywhere on the golf course without harming the turf. You not only have the right clubs right by your side, but they stay dry and plainly in sight. No more short shots, wet grips or lost clubs. The Sidekick slips easily and conveniently over the side of your bag. It features a cigar or towel holder and an alignment guide for practicing on the range.

The Sidekick will improve your game without gimmicks by giving you better, smarter choices around the golf course. Available in black or pink.  (For more information, please visit www.sidekickgolfcaddy.com)

George Thomas

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I have tried many golf aids and the Putting Alley is simple but very effective. I first started with the wider putting line and thought I was not closing the toe of my putter as the ball kept going to the right. As I consciously finished my putt the ball would go to the left. I turned the Putting Alley over and used the small line, I realized that I was lining up my putt to the right of the target. Once I lined up my putt up correctly, the ball went right into the hole.  This immediately corrected my problem. Another thing I liked about the Putting Alley was the easy way I could set up the ball to putt without bending over and how the ball returns quickly to practice again. It is compact and I can practice my putting anywhere with accuracy.

(Putting Alley is a short putt practice device that uses a raised precise putting surface (27 inches long) as the putting “alley”. After putting, you can determine your putting error by seeing where the ball falls off the raised surface. Eliminate the inconsistent feedback of putting greens!)

George Thomas

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The Fruit Of The Coffee Plant

Feel the need for energy and a boost to your immune system and overall health? Hawaii is home to a variety of super foods, all with essential nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants to kick start a healthier lifestyle. Enjoy the “feel good” benefits of these unprocessed natural foods, all found in the Hawaiian Islands. You are what you eat!

KonaRed
The red fruit surrounding the coffee bean is gaining popularity as an antioxidant. KonaRed, based on Hawaii Island, has developed a juice supplement to delay aging, prevent disease, and provide a mood boost. The concoction of antioxidants and acids results in a juice that is immediately absorbed at the cellular level. For more information, visit KonaRed.com.

Noni Juice
This light green fruit has been used to treat a wide range of medical conditions including menstrual cramps, asthma, tumors, broken bones, skin conditions, and inflammation. Its juice contains high levels of phytochemicals, macronutients, and micronutrients to strengthen the immune system and regulate cell functions. Find noni juice at health food stores throughout Hawaii, including Whole Foods Market (WholeFoodsMarket.com), Umeke Market (UmekeMarket.com), and Down to Earth (DownToEarth.org).

Breadfruit
Considered a staple in the diets of ancient Hawaiians, ulu (breadfruit) provides sustained energy from carbohydrates and its low fat content. It is an excellent source essential minerals such as fiber, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, thiamine, and niacin. For more information, visit NTBG.org/breadfruit.

Kukui Nut Oil
Indulge in moisture-rich kukui nut oil, high in Vitamins A, C, and E. This moisture-rich oil is high in Vitamins A, C and E, and provides antioxidants that rejuvenate and protect skin and hair without leaving a greasy residue. Added in creams, lotions, and massage oils, the kukui nut is said to be good to provide relief from burns, eczema, dry skin, psoriasis, acne, scares and lesions. A few retailers that specialize in kukui nut oil include Hawaiian Bath & Body (HawaiianBathBody.com), Oils of Aloha (OilsOfAloha.com), and Island Lotions & Gifts (IslandLotions.com).

George Thomas

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Pamela Boyar, Market Manager

Every day we move forward in this vision. We hope that you will come out to our market soon with the goal of discovering just how unique we are!

As the owners and operators of the Ala Moana, Hawaii Kai & Hale’iwa Farmers’ Markets, we would like to introduce ourselves, and give you a little background on what makes our markets so unique.

It is a priority of ours to create a meeting place for the community- young, old and everyone in between: a place of celebration. Each market has a café where patrons gather with their market-purchased food and beverages, listen to live music, and talk-story. We have festivals to celebrate a seasonal crops or cultural themes, such as Taro Fest in October and Cacao Fest in January. Vendors will go out of their way to create festive recipes and value added products highlighting that crop. We often have special attractions such as chef demos, book signings, or nutritional demos.

We are very proud of our efforts in becoming Oahu’s Premiere Green Markets, and have created Zero Waste Stations where our customers learn to divide out their garbage into Food Waste, Bio-Compostables, Recyclables, and trash. It is our goal to have that 4th bin empty at the end of the market day. We ask that all food vendors use only bio-compostable utensils and plates. These products – sugar or wheat- may cost a penny or two more, but the impact on the planet is far less – from production all the way to decomposition. Like many markets, we encourage our customers to bring their own shopping bags. And many vendors are coming up with unique ways to package items that we would usually find in small plastic bags- for instance using banana leaf or palm fronds to wrap up a handful of green beans. This never fails to draw attention to their beautiful display and open up a conversation about sustainability.

We are dedicated to the local grower. We do not allow any produce from the mainland, China or elsewhere to be sold at our market. We are committed to creating and utilizing more sustainable agricultural land, and believe that through supporting local agriculture and the local economy, that more lands will be made available to the small farmer. This is a benefit to our entire island- as the less we have to import the better. We require that all the people selling produce at our market be growers themselves. We visit their farms and see their operations. We want to be of assistance in anyway possible- whether connecting them to available lands, granting opportunities, or other resources. We believe that these men and women are doing us a huge service by growing the food that we eat, and we want to support their efforts in any way possible.

It is the vision and mission of our markets to create a business incubator for small farmers, food manufacturers and artisans, by creating a supportive and nurturing environment, which will cultivate economic growth, community health, and cultural awareness. Every day we move forward in this vision. We hope that you will come out to our market soon with the goal of discovering just how unique we are!

George Thomas

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President Obama’s healthcare reform is about to severely restrict drug treatment options for millions of America’s most vulnerable patients.

This certainly wasn’t the president’s intention. But a new, preliminary regulatory ruling from the Department of Health and Human Services required by the 2010 healthcare reform law applies a one-size-fits-all approach to prescription medicines. And the result could be substantially fewer treatment options for Americans all across the country.

Instead of requiring insurance companies to cover whatever medicine a physician deems appropriate, the HHS would only require them to cover a single drug in each class of pharmaceuticals. So for example, if an HIV patient reacted badly to a particular anticonvulsant, he could be out of luck trying to get another one paid for by his insurance plan.

If HHS’s preliminary guidance becomes law, it’s likely to harm patients and drive up healthcare costs. The proposed HHS approach is particularly problematic for patients living with chronic conditions, including HIV/AIDS, severe mental illness, diabetes, and cancer; covering just one drug is wholly inadequate to meet their complex needs.

There’s a way to do it better, making sure patients have access to the right medicines while keeping costs under control. In fact, we already have a model for how to make it work in Medicare Part D.

Implemented in 2006, Part D is a prescription drug benefit offered under Medicare, our system of government-subsidized health care for seniors. It requires competing insurance plans to cover nearly all drugs in six critical classes: immunosuppressants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals, and antineoplastics.

Ensuring access to a wide range of drugs is particularly important for the HIV community. Every patient suffering from the disease exhibits unique symptoms, and it’s not uncommon for doctors to try a variety of drug regimens before determining the one that will work best. It’s also likely that patients suffering from chronic conditions, including HIV/AIDS, will require a combination of several drugs.

Furthermore, patients can easily develop hypersensitivities or adverse side effects from their first-line drug treatment. This is the case for many HIV antiretrovirals, which are known for their harsh side effects. In fact, it’s not uncommon for patients to take ten or more additional pills just to manage their side effects.

Patients can easily require multiple medications in more than one class of pharmaceuticals throughout their course of treatment. Covering just one drug per class will make it financially impossible for many patients to receive the cocktail of medicines they need, and may force patients to discontinue the most effective treatments.

Research into drug access for Medicaid beneficiaries also starkly illustrates just how dangerous restricted access to medications can be. Medicaid enrollees with problems accessing the drugs they need are far more likely to exhibit suicidal behavior, or experience homelessness and incarceration.

In addition to harming patients’ health, restricting the number of available drugs drags down our health care system. Patients whose conditions are not addressed by the single covered drug in each class are more likely to experience relapses in their illnesses, exacerbating symptoms and requiring more hospitalizations, re-hospitalizations and expensive acute care.

In fact, Medicaid beneficiaries with drug access problems are 74 percent more likely to visit an emergency room for treatment and when they do, tend to require 72 percent more acute inpatient days in the hospital. Annually, these hospital stays end up costing more than twice the annual spending on the prescription drugs that the patients should have been taking in the first place. It makes little sense to implement regulations that will cost more and increase the number of patients in hospital beds.

Part D, on the other hand, has been saving taxpayers and patients alike. The program’s costs have consistently come in below Congressional Budget Office projections. In fact, beneficiaries’ average monthly premiums for 2012 are lower than they were last year.

HHS will soon make its final ruling on what drugs insurers must cover. To protect patients’ health and control costs, it’s critical that officials revise their current, restrictive proposal. Instead, they should take a page from Medicare’s successful Part D.

Frank Oldham is President and CEO of the National Association of People with AIDS.

George Thomas

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Another tough day by the pool in Kona, Hawaii

Containing more than 360,000 gallons of water and with a combined surface area of 14,100 square feet, the upper, lower and children’s pools mean guests of any age find their special place to relax, nap, splash, squeal and enjoy the warm tropical sun and balmy breezes of Hawaii. Two whirlpool spas are tucked along landscaping and lava rock outcroppings. One spa is 128 square feet in size, the other a generous 135 square feet. A river system connects the upper and lower pools, leads to a waterfall and transitions a 200-foot-long lava tube waterslide. With an elevation change of 24 feet from starting deck to the water and a figure-eight pattern leading to the pool, the thrilling waterslide is the center of pool fun and activity. A 900-square-foot sandy-bottomed children’s pool area includes a large, shallow water sandy beach area for play.

The multi-level pool system begins outside the perimeter of the resort, nestled among black lava rock landscaping. It then meanders in to the center, open-air interior atrium. The calming sound of waterfalls and glistening water can be seen and heard from many of the resort’s walkways, restaurants, lounges and guestroom entryways. The interior atrium pool area is dotted with towering coconut trees and tropical landscaping.

“We have brought the beach to the property, we have brought the outside in, and we really brought the feel of Hawaii to this pool,” said Wendell Lee of the pool’s design firm Groark Design. “Rarely are pools part of the interior design but doing so at Sheraton Keauhou has really provided a tropical setting at the resort and created an unparalleled design that attracts attention and is enjoyable for every guest.”

Guests can enjoy numerous island activities and excursions arranged by resort concierge. In addition to the cultural activities available to guests, the hotel’s location at the water’s edge offers the ideal spot for viewing one of nature’s own unique exhibitions – most evenings, manta rays glide along the shoreline to feed in front of the hotel, delighting onlookers with their graceful maneuvers.

George Thomas

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Candy Not To Eat From Taiwan

Recent analysis of this candy by CDPH determined that Gold Plum candy contained as much as 0.29 parts per million (ppm) of lead. California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 ppm to be contaminated.

Gold Plum candy is sold in a 6-ounce package that has black, gold, green and orange stripes at the top and bottom. In the top right corner there is an image of a small girl with a white face and brown hair, wearing an orange outfit.  The name ‘Gold Plum Candy’ appears in the lower left corner. The individually wrapped candy has various Asian characters on the wrapping.

Gold Plum candy is imported and distributed by Roxy Trading Inc., Pomona, CA, which has initiated a voluntary recall after being notified of the test results by CDPH. CDPH is currently working with the distributor to ensure that the contaminated candies are removed from the market place.

Pregnant women and parents of children who may have eaten this candy should consult their physician or health care provider to determine if medical testing is needed.

Consumers who find this candy for sale should call the CDPH Complaint Hotline at 1‑800-495-3232. For more information about lead poisoning, contact your county childhood lead poisoning prevention program or public health department.

George Thomas

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Among the Report’s key findings: – Alcohol/drug-involved crash fatalities decreased by 15.2 percent in 2010 – 195,879 people were arrested for DUI in 2010 – The median age of a DUI arrestee in 2010 was 30 years – 77.2 percent of 2009 DUI arrests resulted in convictions – The greatest number in DUI fatalities in crashes remains alcohol related, but drug involved fatalities rose by 63 percent during the past decade To read the full findings of the DUI-MIS report log onto dmv.ca.gov and look under studies and reports.

daryl

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