Saturday, February 16, 2008

On Saturday, February 16 the free 6th Annual Hilo Chinese New Year Festival begins at 9 a.m. at the Connections Public Charter School in the landmark Kress Building on Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo.

Lion Dancers offer lively, traditional blessings to open the festival at 10am on Saturday, February 16th.

The Lion Dancers offer lively traditional blessings and dance up a short block to Kalakaua Park to open the Festival with thousands of firecrackers at 10 a.m.  Asian arts, crafts, product and international food purveyors pack tents filled with the sounds, smells and sights celebrating the Year of the Rat. 

Performances by the Phoenix Dance Company, Guang Zhong Chinese Music Ensemble, Kobudo Taiko troupe, Big Island Shaolin Arts, and others, along with displays, and cooking and cultural demonstrations illustrate the Chinese influence on Hawaii’s people.

Phoenix Soaring in the Clouds soup, Danggui chicken steamed with papaya, Chinese chicken salad and a “Hilo manapua” are on the menu at the 6th Annual Hilo Chinese New Year Festival’s Chinese cooking demonstration scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

The demonstration, part of the daylong celebration at Kalakaua Park in downtown Hilo, includes students and instructors of Hawaii Community College’s (HCC) Culinary Arts program.  They will join with special guest, Leon Letoto, an instructor specializing in Chinese herbal cuisine for the White Cloud Chamber (WCC), an affiliate of the Hawaii Foundation for Chinese Culture & Arts. WCC offers programs that integrate practical aspects of Chinese medicine into a daily regimen of exercise and diet.

Special guest, Leon Letoto, will join students & instructors of Hawaii Community College’s (HCC) Culinary Arts Program for the 6th Annual Hilo Chinese New Year Festival’s Chinese cooking demonstration scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

Letoto, also a licensed acupuncturist, plans on making three dishes in one-hour’s time to show how quickly delicious Chinese herbal cuisine can be created. He will whip up Phoenix Soaring in the Clouds soup, Danggui chicken steamed with papaya, and three mushroom and celery stir-fry — all incorporating various Chinese herbs believed to alleviate certain human ailments.

The list of ingredients reads like a magic spell — Lily flower, Silver Ear Fungus, Solomon Seal, Black Fungus and Astragalus — but Letoto maintains that each herb has an important place in the brew and it tastes good too.

“When people come to my demonstrations, they can’t believe how good the dishes are,” says Letoto, who maintains these herbs are easy to cook with and readily available in most places. “Most of the fungus herbs are very earthy, but when they’re added to other ingredients they round out the flavor. Earthy herbs are really good for the blood and boost the immune system. They also act as an anti-carcinogenic.”

In addition to the cooking demonstration, Letoto, who has given presentations statewide, plans on speaking more about the “Chinese medicated diet” and the theories behind it. He’ll also discuss specific cooking techniques, how to maintain a balanced diet and what kinds of foods are best to eat.

The park has lawn seating so bring a mat, blanket or beach chair to sit on.

“To me, good food means it’s fresh, in season, organic and comes from the locale you’re in,” says Letoto, adding that people on the neighbor islands are really open to augmenting their eating habits. “If people incorporate these herbs into a regular diet plan, they likely wouldn’t have to take so much medication.

Chinese believe that herbal nutrition is one of the highest forms of medicine and that it can fix almost anything you have.”

The instructors and students of HCC’s Culinary Arts program will get in the festive spirit, preparing their version of Chinese dishes popular in Hilo, including a Chinese chicken salad and a  “Hilo manapua.”

For more recipes and information on food as medicine, visit the “Health Talk” section of the Hawaii Health Guide website: www.hawaiihealthguide.com