A Modicum of Live Musings on ThinkTech Hawaii's Law Across the Sea

As you may know, my moonlighting adventure as a food and wine blogger is only half the narrative. By day, I am an attorney in Honolulu, Hawaii with Chang Iwamasa LLP, specializing in corporate formation and governance, real estate transactional matters and non-profit organizations. 

Today (March 19) I had the privilege to discuss the integration of my law practice with Musings by the Glass on ThinkTech Hawaii's Law Across the Sea Program with host (and fellow attorney) Mark Shklov. Buckle up; one should never casually commence my modicum of [live] musings. At least, for your sake, there were rigorous time limitations.

The interview can be found here.

This might not shock you, but I decided to bring a few vinous friends to partake in the occasion. Every good conversation can benefit from a bottle … or two.

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The Vinous-Maritime Equation: Tips for Pairing Wine and Seafood

The azure blue waters of the Pacific, calming breezes and slack key music, and a sunset dinner complete with the day's fresh catch and a glass of wine to pair. But what fish? And what wine? These answers can be surprisingly elusive.

With an abundance of fresh seafood in the Pacific waters surrounding the islands, Hawaii’s culinary traditions have naturally focused on the generous assortment of the region's oceanic offerings. Quintessential Hawaiian dishes, such as grilled tako (octopus), poke, garlic or coconut shrimp, lomi Salmon, and steamed fish are common at every family potluck and beach picnic. With such a diversity of textures and flavors, wine pairings can be correspondingly diverse. Finding the right match is not always an elementary task.

This month’s Veritas Wine Club, led by Tiffany, our spirited and capable sommelier, sought to provide a few basic wine and seafood pairing tips, utilizing items easily found at any local market.  

To stay on theme, I offer a few wine and seafood pairing tips of my own before we turn to this month’s lineup and find out what the Tchin Tchin gang brought to the table. So climb aboard, we'll search for pairings on every shore.

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BYOB and the Great Pairing Conundrum

Here in Hawaii, we love to eat. A lot, frequently, and with friends. To facilitate a modicum of fiscal responsibility in my culinary enterprises, I often search for that magical acronym jotted on Yelp pages and restaurant windows: BYOB.  Don't concern yourself with the typical 400 percent markup for alcoholic beverages. Just bring your own.

Brilliant.

One problem. With BYOB, there is no sommelier to offer recommendations; you are on your own. Most wouldn’t find tremendous difficulty pairing their bœuf bourguignon or spaghetti alla puttanesca with a tasty vinous beverage. But for the more adventurous, where do you begin when attempting to pair sashimi, papoutsakia, or Evil Jungle Prince Thai Curry?

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