Nisei Ski Club

by Sandy Kiyomura

Would you like to learn something new? Dancing has been shown to improve one’s physical, mental and social well-being. This is something you can do for the rest of your life (even if you can’t ski anymore).  If you already know how to dance, please come and share your skills.

On Sunday, May 19, Nisei ski club will be hosting it’s first Tea Dance and Social at the Cupertino Senior Center from 2-5 PM. We call it a Tea Dance because it’s in the afternoon. “But what if I can’t dance? I have two left feet.” Not to worry, there is someone with two right feet. I will teach you in three easy lessons. Want to learn the swing, cha cha, Rumba, night club two step? Put in your requests.  

No Nisei event would be complete without food. Come and share your culinary talents. Feel free to bring “finger food” to share. The club will provide serving plates and utensils. If you can’t cook, non-alcoholic drinks are welcome. 

You and your guests can make requests to me at skiyomura@gmail.com

See you on the dance floor!

The first Japantown Immersive, held last May, supported businesses, artists, and residents of our iconic neighborhood and provided a rollicking good time for the 1000+ people who attended.

You won’t want to miss the return of this interactive street event. Japantown Immersive 2019 will take place from 4:30-8:30 PM on April 6. Just like last year, it will be FREE. For more about this event, visit the website at Japantown Immersive 2019.

Another event of note is the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, held April 27-28, 2019. This wonderful community event, featuring artists, food vendors and performances honors one of Cupertino’s oldest sister city relationships with Toyokawa, Japan. It is held from 10 am-5 pm and admission is free.

contributed by Dan Lew

Looking for a very unique ski lodging experience? Dan Lew found this interesting, albeit expensive (330 €uros / night), ski lodging at La Plagne, France. La Plagne is a huge ski resort  that is part of the Paradiski area that includes La Plagne, Les Arcs and Peissy Vallandry. La Plagne alone has 95 lifts! Talk about an interesting time!

Inside the snow cat:

Here is the monthly news for March. You will find the articles below by scrolling down or by clicking on the links:

President’s Message, by Armand Gutierrez

End of Season Social, by Tina Woo

Best Skiing Experience Ever!, by Margaret Wong

Year of the Boar

Skiing at 70

by Armand Gutierrez

Mother Nature sure has been busy this winter with record rainfall north of the Bay Area and snowfall in the Tahoe region. Is there such a thing as too much snow? Well, yes. Too much snow can affect lift operations and I-80, the main artery to Tahoe, has suffered numerous closures for days at a time and thus curtailing any ski trips to the Tahoe area. During the ski season, and when I’m not up at Tahoe, I view the webcams on I-80 (http://dot.ca.gov/d3/cameras.html) to see the current road conditions. Sometimes the roads are clear and traffic is moving smoothly, sometimes the roads are open with chain control and long lines of slow-moving vehicles, and other times the roads are full of snow and void of any traffic. Given all the snowfall you can bet that Squaw Valley will offer skiing on the 4^thof July (usually a traditional event). 

2019 FWSA Ski Week to Hakuba Valley, Japan

There are a number of ski places that are on my “bucket list”, and skiing Japan is one of them. This year FWSA is going to Hakuba Valley, Japan, the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Hakuba Valley consists of 10 resorts at the base of Japan’s Northern Alps. The Northern Alps reach an elevation of 3000 meters and the resorts consistently receive a heavy snowfall with deep powder. The photo shows the Hakuba Cortina ski resort. I’ll be joining several fellow NSCers, including Sandy Kiyomura, on the FWSA Hakuba Valley ski week from 8-16 March and a second week in Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Tokyo from 16-23 March. As members of NSC you are eligible to take any BAC and FWSA ski trips that are offered during the ski season. And here’s something to think about – FWSA will be going to Davos, Switzerland in 2020. Details haven’t been released yet so stay tuned, and if you have an interest in going then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org.

March NSC Weekend Ski Trip

Karen Soo, our trip director, has organized a car-pool effort for a weekend of skiing at Tahoe on 9-10 March. If you’re interested in going then contact Karen at tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org. 

Board Nominations

Now that it’s March it’s time to think about Board Nominations for the 2019-20 season. If anyone has an interest in joining the board for the next season and has questions about what it entails then just drop a note to any of the current board members, or perhaps you have someone in mind to nominate for the board. Please keep in mind that the Nisei Ski Club relies on volunteers to be on the board and undertake the running of the club. It’s not all work and no play. Board meetings are fairly informal and afterwards we usually go out for lunch and talk about skiing or upcoming club events. 

by Margaret Wong

Lucky me that I went to both the 2002 and the 2019 NSC Big Sky Ski Trips. I will say this year was my best skiing experience and surpassed my expectations. It was even better than the 2002 trip, when our 14 NSC attendees enjoyed accommodations at the Moonlight Cabins. This time, we had 41 members attending and huge amounts of fresh snow.

Big Sky is advertised as the “biggest skiing in America, a winter wonderland with 5800 acres of skiable downhill terrain!” This year at the Bozeman Airport, there were comments that our club must have brought the snow because the area was pretty brown the weeks before. Yes, it snowed everyday except for Tuesday when the sun came out. That meant lots and lots of new fresh, silky powder.

Being a California girl, I really “suck” at skiing powder, so I had to learn quickly so that I would not be left behind by my fellow skiers. Because the snow is so light, skis just slice right through the snow even if there are already tracks. It felt so wonderful and I love flying over those silky hills and bumps. On top of that, I had a wonderful time with all the many Nisei people I skied with. There were large groups nearly every day, and we managed to stay together most of the time. Besides the great skiing, there was lots of great food and socializing to be had almost every day. I thank all the people who skied with me…and all those who skied by and waved to me.

contributed by Sandy Kiyomura

The Chinese New Year in 2019 was February fifth: this corresponds with the beginning of both the sexegenary year of jǐ hài and also the zodiac year of the Earth Pig. The Pig is the twelfth of all the Zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided in the order in which they arrived to his party. Pig was late because he overslept. Another story says he had to rebuild his house after the wolf destroyed it (sounds like the story of the Three Little Pigs!). When he arrived, he was late and could only take twelfth place.

The pig is also associated with the Earthly Branch and the hours 9 to 11 in the night. In terms of yin and yang, the Pig is yin. In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. Their chubby faces and big ears are sign of fortune as well.

Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life.

contributed by Dan Lew

Below is a link to an interesting article about skiing when you are in your 70s. There is an interesting discussion on lift pricing, mostly due to the changes in lift equipment over the decades. For example, it used to cost $16 to ski at Aspen in 1979, which equates to only $56 in today’s money with inflation figured in, while the actual cost today is almost $200 at Aspen.

I particularly like this statement about “senior” discounts. Sugarbush in Vermont uses 90 years as its free skiing starting age. We do not know if we should consider this as “humorous or optimistic!“

by Judy Bracken

Hello skiers and other fans! Fresh off the high from a great Big Sky ski week, the newsletter is here for your pleasure. You can read all about it and more as follows:

President’s Message, by Armand Gutierrez https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/presidents-message-february-2019/

Big Sky in Limericks, by Judy Bracken https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/big-sky-in-limericks/

Where Were You in 1974? by Sandy Kiyomura https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/where-were-you-in-1974/

Preseason Potluck Dinner, by Wendy and Sheldon Sam https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/nisei-ski-club-preseason-pot-luck-dinner/

Restaurant Ramblings, by Hoyt Nelson https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/restaurant-ramblings-another-institution-gone/

Soy and Tofu Festival, by Angela Fong https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/sf-9th-annual-soy-and-tofu-festival-volunteers-needed

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig! Yes, the Chinese New Year starts on Tuesday, February 5^th. The pig is the twelfth of all zodiac animals, which means the yearly cycle is complete. Most people think of pigs as sloppy and dirty animals as they cavort in the mud-laden sty. But pigs do have a beautiful personality, are blessed with good fortune, and let themselves enjoy life. If you were born under the sign of the Earth Pig then you carry the attributes of an energetic and enthusiastic worker, and strive to find happiness in life. Do you know anyone in the club that fits the characteristics of the Earth Pig?

Best Resorts for Snow Making?There weren’t any winners in the “Name the Best Resorts for Snow Making” quiz. Of course, it’s hard to have any winners when there weren’t any responses. For the curious, here are the top ten resorts that offer the most snow making acreage:

1. Heavenly – 3379
2. Northstar – 1500
3. Panorama – 1140
4. Squaw/Alpine – 1000
5. Nakiska – 960 (west of Calgary)
6. Deer Valley – 700
7. Mammoth – 680
8. Lake Louise – 662
9. Keystone – 660
10. Aspen – 658

Big Sky Ski Week 2019

It would be hard to find the words that best describe our recent ski week trip to Big Sky, but let me submit to you the following: “lots of powder every day”, “great skiing, great powder”, “wish we had this powder in Tahoe”, and the best accolade would be “best ski trip ever!” Mother Nature gave us an amazing trip with fresh powder almost everyday and low temps to keep it light and dry. It would be safe to say that everyone on this trip became powder skiers.

Editor’s Note: see photos by Bill Lee in articles below or at this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmfLqcsFYikAHtNT8

by Judy Bracken

41 folks embarked on their flights

For a week of Montana skiing and sights.

We arrived at our places,

Settled down in our spaces,

Then cheese and wine at Huntley’s that night.

Sunday started out cloudy and cold,

To high country geared up feeling bold.

Mountain tours helped us see

All Big Sky territory.

On this resort we were already sold!

More delicious powder was in store.

We formed several groups to explore

Lifts named Ramcharger, Six Shooter,

Swift Current and Challenger,

Thunder Wolf, Southern Comfort and more.

Tuesday morning was sunny and bright.

It had snowed several inches that night.

We had views of Lone Peak,

The tram some did seek,

Everything that day just seemed so right.

Next day some set out on a tour

To Yellowstone Park to see more.

We saw geysers and mud holes,

Bison, coyotes, and a lone wolf.

Resting helped us to not feel so sore!

Fluffy, light snow everywhere,

Folks to meet and find runs for to dare,

We shared good food and smiles.

After skiing many miles,

We knew this week was a treat quite rare.

And now we had come to day seven,

Silky powder felt like floating in heaven.

Though windy and chilly

We skied ourselves silly

For the best of Big Sky we’d been given.

Friday night we gathered to eat

Bowls of salad, good veggies and meats,

Plates filled to the brim,

Hungry skiers, big grins,

Then our good byes till next years’ ski week.

Thanks to Bill Lee for most of these photos. More can be found at this website: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmfLqcsFYikAHtNT8

by Sandy Kiyomura, aka Sandy Chinn

There are days when I can’t remember what I did the day before. But thanks to Ed Levin, he showed me where I was in 1974. I was with Nisei ski club! Ed sent me a copy of the 1974 roster. I see over 200 names on it. And not surprising, most of the names were Japanese. JimTanaka, Jim and April Shiro, as well as Haruko Nagaishi were also members. They probably wouldn’t remember me from then because I only joined for one year…to ski at Aspen.There are days when I get tired from skiing and now I know why…I’m getting old!

Editor’s Note: I beg to differ with Sandy about her being old…in spirit she is still 26, like she was in 1974!

by Hoyt Nelson

Tuesday, January 8 was the last day for Harry’s Hofbrau on Saratoga Ave, San Jose after 42 years at that location.  There had been rumors last year, but nothing more till a sign announcing the closure was posted at the beginning of the line with only a few days to spare. The news spread fast.  We learned of this Monday afternoon and decided to go about 7 PM that night.  However the line was about 230 ft.  long with people who had the same idea, so we decided to wait and go REALLY early at 4 PM the last day.  Before going on Tuesday, however, we checked on Facebook and discovered the line at that time was more than 120 additional feet out the door and had been long since opening at 10 AM.  On to plan B, Sic transit gloria.  There was a long segment about it on the TV news that night and a big article with pictures in the SJ Mercury the next day.  Who Knew?  Other locations in Mtn. View and Foster City have been closed for a few years.   If you must, there are still 2 remaining Harry’s location: one in Redwood City and another in San Leandro, but who knows for how long?

This type of cafeteria-style restaurant (as we know it) was popular in Germany for many, many years and was even common in ancient Roman towns where only the very wealthy had their own personal kitchens, water sources, baths and even toilets.  The California lumber towns in the 19^thand 20^thcentury were frequently serviced by places like the Samoa Cook House in Euireka (still in business) and 4 large places in the tiny town of Occidental, CA like The Union HotelOccidental(est. 1879) and Negri’s(both still in business).  1000s of us came here after wine tasting in Sonoma, just to eat their massive, cheap and mostly healthy meals.  The Union Hotel seated several hundred people at a time.

 In the 1050s, similar places like the King’s Table chain became popular for their All-You-Can-Eat restaurants.  Many Asian and other places followed suit, but many are now gone.  Five of us who decided not to wait in the cold at Harry’s in January went to Gunther’sat Hamilton and Meridian in San Jose instead and had a delightful meal. It’s a style similar to Harry’s but a bit more expensive and there are (very friendly) waitresses , so tips are involved. The food is good and the menu somewhat longer than Harry’s.  If you are returning from skiing at S Shore, try the similar Sam’s Hofbrauat 2500 Wait Ave. just E of Sacramento.  Another similar place on J St. downtown Sacramento seems to be gone now.  There’s also the popular Poor Red’s BBQin El Dorado, just S of Placerville on Hwy 49/Hwy 50.

Another early “fast food” place that is all but gone is the “Automat”.  As far as I can tell, the automat style of fast food dining in the USA started in Philadelphia by Horn & Hardart.  They started a luncheonette in Philadelphia in 1888, and in 1902, they copied a German “automat” concept where many dishes of healthy, cheap food were displayed behind little glass doors that would open after depositing a nickel in a slot.  About 10 years later, Horn and Hardart opened an automat outlet (by far its most famous) in Times Square in New York City, where it (and eventually about 80 other locations nearby) lasted till 1991.  By that time, modern fast food places like Burger King and McDonalds had replaced the automat (except for a few at train and bus stations, etc.)   One notable exception is Eatsa, two automats with a modern twist at 1 California St. and 121 Spear St. in San Francisco.  After your digital order, they provide one dish meals like Chili con Quinoa, BBQ Chop Salad, Burrito Bowl, Citrus Port Cubano Bowl and Wonton Tofu Salad.  There is no interaction with people.  Check out reviews from past “Check Please” on PBS Ch. 9 or on YELP.

by Wendy and Sheldon Sam

Sheldon and I would to thank the Nisei Ski Club for a wonderful time.   Big thanks to Patt & Rick for graciously opening their home in Union City for this occasion. The house was decorated for the holidays (bathroom too). Pictures from past NSC trips were taped to the wall.

We flew in from Los Angeles for the weekend because we wanted to meet the people on the Big Sky trip. What else is there to say about a NSC Potluck Party? YUMMY! 

NSC has many good cooks and the food was served on time. We brought dessert from Peters’ Bakery from San Jose thanks to Patt, Jeannie & Nancy. Thank you, Karen Soo, for organizing the potluck and the fun games.  We played the Left, Right Center game and I won $60.00. Our trip was practically free!  

We also played a game that you have to draw a couple of things on a paper plate while it is held over your head. I can tell you most of us are not the Michelangelo’s in the group. Again we got the most points and won a Lakers hot mug , our favorite team.

Big Sky tour leader Armand, put together very informative Big Sky booklet.  It answered many questions that we needed to plan our trip.

What a fun way to kick off the season!  We look forward to meeting more members on the trip to Big Sky!

by Angela Fong

Konnichiwa NSC’ers! If you’re not already familiar with “The Joy of Soy”, San Francisco Nichi Bei is hosting their 9^th annual San Francisco Soy and Tofu Festival on June 29, 2019 at The Event Center at St. Mary’s Cathedral from 11am – 5pm. I’m this year’s Volunteer Coordinator and we need volunteers to help set up booths, assist with food prep, info sharing, clean-up, etc. I’m looking for volunteers for 2 different shifts: 8am – 1pm (includes setup/prep) OR 12:30pm – 5:30pm (includes cleanup). In addition to volunteering your time for a worthy fundraising event for the Nichi Bei Foundation, you get free attendance to check out this fun event AND you get a free VERY cute T-Shirt similar to the design on our website below!

I’ve volunteered at the festival for the past 2 years and it’s always a TON of fun!  There is LIVE music and entertainment, tofu competitions, cooking demos, children’s activities, raffle prizes and many Asian Vendors selling everything from cute Asian inspired t-shirts to art and jewelry and more. We also need more Vendors, so if you have Asian inspired Crafts, please check out our Vendor information in the URL below.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at: volunteer@soyandtofufest.org

Hope you can volunteer to help at a booth or just drop in and attend the event! I’ll be working at the event all day and hope to see you there!

Hello, happy skiers! You can start your new year by reading the articles below:

President’s Message, by Armand Gutierrez

Tina and Sandy Go to Thailand, by Sandy Kiyomura

Whistler Trip Tips, by Karen Soo

Recipe Corner

Statistical Swimming, by Judy Bracken

by Armand Gutierrez

Welcome to the Chinese Year of the White Rat! Yes, the Chinese New Year starts January 25^th and Rat Years are believed to be the unluckiest for people born in previous Rat years (1924, 1936, 1948…). Are you one of them?

A Bear Encounter

Just before Christmas I was skiing up in Tahoe with my friends Teresa and Warren Miller (no, not the famous Warren Miller). After dinner, Warren and I took his spirited dog, Lucy, for her usual walk around the neighborhood.  As we went around the block and up the next street, Lucy started barking and became very excited. As we proceeded up the block Lucy continued barking and we soon saw why. There in front of us, about 20 yards, was a black bear roaming the neighborhood in search of food. This was not a cub, nor was it full grown, but nevertheless we decided to turn around and walk back to the house, leaving the bear to do what he does best. A bear in the woods? Not exactly, we were only a few blocks from Spindelshanks in the heart of Kings Beach. Bear sightings in this area are not uncommon; several cars have been broken into in search of food.

Whistler Ski Week 2020

The Whistler trip is almost here and hopefully you’ve been able to get some ski days in before the trip. If not, there are still a few more weeks available. The Whistler Orientation meeting will be held on Saturday, January 18^th (a change from the 11^th, see Karen’s article below.). This will be an opportunity to meet other members on the trip, socialize a bit, and pick-up the souvenir gift. The Whistler pamphlet will be distributed by email since the Orientation meeting and our trip departure are very close. An Evite has been sent out that provides all the details. If you didn’t receive an Evite then let me know at president@niseiskiclub.org. Also, Karen Soo is coordinating the potluck dinner and has sent out an email listing your condo mates so you can get a head start on putting together your potluck menu.

by Sandy Kiyomura

In December, Tina Woo and I spent two and a half weeks touring Thailand. Sandy’s cousin, Randy Chinn, met us in Bangkok and provided a “local” tour of shopping centers, Chinatown  and introduction to Thai massage parlors. The Terminal 21 shopping center had a “San Francisco” themed floor which included a cable car and Golden Gate bridge. We toured Chinatown and had Dim Sum “Thai style.”  We then spent the next 16 days touring Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Sukothai and Ayuttaya and Phuket. Here are some of the photo highlights:

At the Elephant Sanctuary, we fed and bathed the elephants. As big as they were, they were loving and affectionate.  We found the Thai people to be friendly and humble, perhaps due to their Buddhist beliefs. One morning we rose early and accompanied our tour guide to present some food to the monks.  When you donate food they chant and pray for you. 

Although it was a long trip, it provided a wonderful introduction to the country and history of Thailand, its people, culture, and delicious cuisine. It was great to spend time with a local, Sandy’s cousin Randy, who has lived in Phuket for the past 20 years. 

Note: This was a GATE 1 tour. If anyone would like to travel by GATE 1, please say that Tina or Sandy referred you and you will get $50 credit towards travel. 

by Karen Soo

We have another month before we leave for our trip to Whistler and I am helping out Armand with coordinating our potluck dinner that will take place on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020. Delta Whistler Marriott does not have a big room for our pot luck party so we will having a potluck crawl. Four to five condos on the same floor will be hosting this event. I will assign rooms after we know where the rooms are located.

The theme of this year’s potluck is International Cuisine. This is an opportunity for you to show off your culinary skills with American, Mexican, Persian, Hawaiian, Chinese, or Alien. It’s all up to you.   (Main Entree, Veggies or Appetizer and/or Dessert for 6 to 8 people). We have 48 people on this trip. Each condo leader should let me know what’s on the menu so we do not end up with five different fried rice dishes. Do plan ahead and bring spices with you for your recipes.

There are 2 markets  5 – 10 minute walking distance from our condos. 
The northern Marketplace + Liquor store is larger with more grocery choices and variety. The southern Marketplace + Liquor store is smaller with limited items. Bring your shopping sacks for easy carrying.
If you are driving to the north market, parking is free for the 1st hour. 
There is a great bakery on your walk to the North Market place called Purebread; make sure to check it out.

February 2, the first day of skiing, is Superbowl Sunday. Kick off is 3:30 pm. We will have our Welcome Party and Superbowl Party in two NSC condos TBA. NSC will provide wine, beer and snacks. We will also have a superbowl pool. Please stop by to say hello to your fellow members.

One more tip: bring hand warmers and toe warmers. It will be cold in February at Whistler. Stay tune for more information.

It’s live and ready to read. Articles include:

President’s Message, by Armand Gutierrez

NSC 60th Anniversary Celebration, by Karen Soo

Some Like it Hot, by Hoyt Nelson

…And a few more tidbits you will see as you scroll down the page. Thanks for reading!

by Armand Gutierrez

The New Year typically starts with people making New Year’s Resolutions. And what is the purpose of the New Year’s Resolution? Well, for most it’s a commitment to do something that will be an improvement over last year. Typical resolutions include the ever-popular “I’m going to lose ten pounds”, or “time to hit the gym and get in shape”. Sadly, most resolutions go unfulfilled, but perhaps it’s the thought that counts. I don’t make resolutions for the New Year, but rather subscribe to one ski-related mantra – and that is to improve some aspect of my skiing over last year. It doesn’t have to be a big improvement, but at least some sort of improvement. If you strive for an improvement every year then you will become a better skier. One other hint, if you want to see improvement and become a better skier then you need to ski at least 10 days a season. 

Best Resorts for Snow Making?

Any resort that wants to draw early birds for the ski season under less-than-ideal snow conditions must invest heavily into snow making equipment. We’ve all seen the big, noisy fans on the beginner runs at the Tahoe resorts spewing into the air that crystalline mist that provides an early snow cover for our enjoyment.  But what resort does the best job? Here’s your challenge: name the top five North American resorts that offer the most snowmaking acreage. As a bonus, name them in order. There will be a prize for correct entries. 

Big Sky Ski Week 2019

The Big Sky trip is in a few weeks and there is still time to get in some skiing up at Tahoe before the trip. Big Sky has all 36 lifts open and over 265 trails for you to explore. The Big Sky Orientation  was held on Saturday, January 5^th.    This was an opportunity to meet other members on the trip, socialize a bit, and pick-up the souvenir gift. If you missed it, contact Armand to pick up your souvenir gift. Also, for those who purchased ski passes through Sports America, refunds were issued by our treasurer, Frank Chang. The Big Sky pamphlet was distributed by email since the Orientation meeting and our trip departure are very close. Big Sky has received quite a bit of snowfall and the expected temps are in the teens and low 20’s, so start packing your warm ski outfits. For ski trip packing tips, you might want to check out this article!

by Karen Soo

With the blink of an eye, Nisei Ski Club celebrated 60 years as a ski club. A dinner celebrating this milestone took place on September 8, 2018. 

The celebration event was held in a private room at China Stix in Santa Clara. Eighty people arrived promptly for cocktails and found their seats at one of the eight beautifully decorated tables. There was even a table for the younger generation of future NSC members. The evening started with wine, beer and soda. Curtis Otaguro, the MC for the evening, welcomed everyone to the celebration dinner.

The delicious and plentiful meal included a barbeque platter, seafood bean soup, Kabocha squash with spicy pork spareribs, fried rice wrapped in lotus leaf, Peking duck, honey pecan prawns, braised beef short ribs, seafood combo with vegetables, mixed mushrooms with Chinese greens and Hong Kong style chow mein. As the dishes were coming out of the kitchen, we had a raffle drawing and gave away about 30 prizes. Thanks to Corona and David Muira for providing the gifts. 

We welcomed 11 past presidents at the dinner: Jim and April Shiro, Jeanne Katsuro, Curtis Otaguro, Randy Hirai, David Tom, Ida Koo, Doug Higashi, Judy Hom, Joel Hayashida and our long reigning current president, Armand Gutierrez. Armand gave a nice speech after the dinner.

Ex-members came as far from Auburn and Roseville. We also had members representing Monterey Ski Club that joined us in the festivities. 

The party ended around 9:30 pm and many people didn’t want to leave! Seeing new and old faces gave everyone a big lift. Thanks to all the board members that helped with the planning, and to Bill Lee for taking photos. I guess we better start planning our 70^thAnniversary Dinner. Before you know, it will be here!

by Hoyt Nelson

“Heat” is an acquired taste. The more you eat, the more you increase your tolerance, and eventual love for it.  “Spicy” is a relative term so it’s difficult to tell a restaurant your “personal” comfort level since there is such a wide range of heat available in restaurants and such a wide range of tolerances between people.   If your server can give you a choice you probably should ask for “mild” (unless you know different) and request their house hot sauce on the side.  Sometimes, they will offer one of the Crystal or McIlhenny variants (which I find too sour for my taste), various small Mexican bottles or none at all.  Such is the case at the otherwise great restaurant “Habana Cuba” on S. First St.  in San Jose.  In this case, I bring my own small bottle of Sambal (I always have a bottle in the fridge).   

Chile peppers are one of a class of foods like salt, sugar and vinegar that we add to improve flavor of our food (and in some cases, aid in its preservation).   Before the late 1800s, when canned foods were developed for the French army, there were few other ways to preserve food except for salting and drying.   We get our word “salary” from a stipend of salt given to Roman soldiers.  If he was a good soldier, he was said to be “worth his salt”.   There is also evidence that the Romans concocted a sauce nearly identical to our Asian fish sauce.

The heat sensation you feel from peppers is caused by capsaicin, which is a colorless, odorless, oily chemical found in peppers. Capsaicin also has some nice medicinal properties to it as an anti fungal and anti-microbial agent, so it can act as a preservative.  Capsaicin is able to kill prostate, lung cancer and some leukemia cells.  

A scale of hotness (as defined by the amount of sugar water required to stop your brain from thinking it is burned) was developed by chemist Wilbur Scoville.  (Plain water or tea usually won’t remove the hotness).   Some examples of hotness levels on the Scoville scale are:

§  Sweet Bell Peppers: 0 Units

§  Jalapeno: 2500-8000 units

§  “Standard” Pepper Spray: 25,000-2,000,000 units

§  Cayenne: 30,000-50,000 units

§  Red Savina Habanero: 350,000-577,000 units

§  Bear Mace: 2,000,000-2,500,000 units

§  Law Enforcement Grade Pepper Spray: 5,000,000-5,300,000 units

§  Pure Capsaicin: 15,000,000-16,000,000 units

Chili peppers were probably cultivated in South or Central America as far back as 7500 BC and at least as far back as 2000 BCin India.  By 40 AD, the Romans gobbled up peppers in 80% of their recipes, but the only pepper they knew was the black and white pepper corns we now sprinkle out of our pepper shakers. 

Back to restaurant talk. One of my favorite restaurants is Back-A-Yard Caribbean grill in San Jose on N Market (conveniently across the street from a big parking garage for which the restaurant will validate your parking). It’s Caribbean, which means they use a really hot homemade jerk sauce, but they make the basic protein fairly mild and then supply you with small container of hot sauce on the side.  The large dinners all have chicken, pork, goat, salmon or tofu, and come with delicious rice (beans and sauce mixed in) and fried plantains.  The protein and plantains have just the right amount of char.  They also serve BBQ, but for me, it’s all about the jerk.   There are interesting fresh fruit drinks, beer and great meat patties – all at quite reasonable prices.  There also locations in Menlo Park and on Capitol Ave. in San Jose, but I think the atmosphere and food is better at N Market.

We went to Thaibodia in Santa Clara a few years ago and found it OK, but not spectacular.  There is a new location at 2200 S Bascom Ave. which we recently decided to check out.  It’s a bit small, but nicely decorated.  The menu is large and we appreciated the addition of Cambodian dishes, which is just now becoming more common in San Jose area.  We usually order Thai food mediumspicy, but for some reason we ordered it mild this time.  Lucky us. It turns out that mildhere was a little hotter than mediumto our taste.   Our choices of Pan Fried Pork Dumplings, Pad Khee Mow (like Pad Thai) and Char Thuk Chhou Aim were all very tasty, but a bit intense so  we had to order some plain rice to tone it down a notch.  We wobbled out quite full and still had a heavy doggy bag, so we didn’t mind a little extra cost.

We returned to Thaibodia a few weeks after our first encounter.  This time, we found it a lot less spicy than before – perhaps because of customer complaints.  I can now recommend the place as long as you exercise some caution.  We actually added some of their available spice choices to reach our happy level.  (Most Thai and Vietnamese places put a tray of 4 or 5 spice choices on all tables.)   Indian restaurants frequently ask how hot you prefer your dish, but they don’t often supply sauces on the side (except the optional three small dishes for your samosa or pakora appetizers).  Peruvian places supply a small dish of ground pepper, which you should treat with respect and start with a very small amount.  I usually don’t care how hot the side sauces are because you can always regulate how much to put on your food.  More important to me is the flavor.  

This is a great article about a ski map artist.