All posts by Richard Ha

Community

The Haps

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It was happening in downtown Hilo last Friday, when St. Joseph School held its “Hilo’s Happening” fundraiser to raise money for the school’s scholarship and tuition assistance program.

About 170 people attended the event held downtown at Restaurant Kaikodo. Hamakua Springs donated produce for the evening, which featured heavy pupus among other treats.

Room

Beforehand, the farm’s Charlotte Romo took the restaurant’s head chef a sampler box, which included some of our experimental crops like eggplant and baby squash.

Charlotte, who has two daughters at St. Joseph’s, attended the event with her husband Rodrigo.

“The chef created some really nice pupus from our produce,” she said. “There were crisped eggplant slices topped with sautéed mushrooms; there was a pasta with eggplant, squash and tomatoes; he made a delicious crostini with the cocktail tomatoes that had a hint of spice; and there were cucumber caps filled with a rich, smoky, cheese filling.”

Cucumbercaps

Plate

In addition to pupus, the evening included a wine tasting, live entertainment by Ted and Eric Young, a silent auction of art work donated by such artists as Henry Bianchini, Jane Chao, Macario, Ira Ono and others, and more.

Woodworker and bowl turner Syd Vierra brought some of his bowls in various stages of production. “There was a buzz around the bowls and the artist talked about how he makes them,” said Charlotte. “Some are colored; they are really gorgeous.”

Moms, teachers and some of the high school’s students participated in a fashion show, wearing fashions from local boutiques such as Hana Hou, Rainbow Jo, Diva’s Boutique, Love and Lace, Chi Chi La Fong and also Macy’s.

“Everyone looked very sharp,” said Charlotte, “and Mrs. Hoshide could easily be a supermodel instead of a first-grade teacher, but we’re glad she isn’t!”

Some St. Joseph’s high school students put on a trash fashion show, as well. Teresa Fuata, who has two children at St. Joe’s and is vice president of the school’s Parent-Teacher Guild—and who organized the event—described it. “They used recycled materials, creating, actually, stunning outfits,” she said. “One was coffee filters; there were old maps, plastic bags. It was a hit of the evening.”

Fashiontrash

Sharon Alapai of the Hilton Waikoloa prepared desserts, as did Penny Yu.

Charlotte called the elegant Restaurant Kaikodo the perfect setting. “Everyone was dressed Hilo style—from shorts and flip-flops to tuxedos. Also, St. Joseph’s is such a small school,” she said, “that it was fun to have a grown-up event and see everyone kick up their heels, including the sisters.”

Teresa Fuata says the event grossed nearly $10,000. “It was a very successful evening,” she said. “And it was very fun. People are already saying they’re looking forward to the second annual one.”

Community, Hawaiian Role Models, Science

Astrophysicist at Work

Richard and June recently took their grandson Kapono and granddaughter Kimberly to ‘Imiloa. That’s Hilo’s state-of-the-art, primarily NASA-funded, $28-million, 40,000-square-foot exhibition and planetarium complex, which strives to present both science—the world-class astronomy being done atop Mauna Kea—and the mountain’s highly significant cultural importance to Hawaiians. Most in the community seem to agree it does a good job at both.

The Has and their grandchildren watched the planetarium show, and afterward went up to see who was controlling the computers. “It turned out to be this very nice, confident UHH student working part-time,” says Richard. “Her name was ‘Ahia Dye.”

Twenty-six year old ‘Ahia, who grew up in Kailua, O‘ahu, is graduating this semester from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with a bachelor’s degree in Astronomy and a minor in Physics. She is also studying Hawaiian Studies, and will continue on at UHH after graduation to complete her undergraduate degree in that field as well.

“The more I get into the professional field,” she says, “the more I realize the importance of knowing both your culture and the science together. It’s an important background to have. I’m finding it very very helpful, and fun too.”

I asked ‘Ahia how she became interested in the sciences, and she told me about her elder brother, a physicist, who always talked to her about their natural environment. “We would walk down to the beach and he would explain to me that the moon rises about an hour later every night,” she says, “and how the sun changes its position along the horizon as it rises throughout the year.”

‘Ahia’s job at ‘Imiloa is an internship she got through participating in UH Hilo’s Keaholoa STEM program, an NSF-funded program that supports Hawaiians in the sciences. Coincidentally, Richard is a new advisory board member of the program.

“There are about 20 interns now,” says ‘Ahia. “Besides going to school full time, they all participate in internships in their fields. That’s what kept me in astronomy, this internship, and given me an edge. Getting into the field is so different from studying the books. And being surrounded by so many Hawaiian kids; seeing all of us striving and moving forward in fields where we’re not so well-represented.”

Now that she’s graduating, she has been offered a position at ‘Imiloa.

Richard says, “I’m sure she doesn’t realize how important it is, what a role model she is, as a female native Hawaiian astrophysicist. It blows me away.”

‘Ahia is a role model in another way, too. She overcame a learning disability to get to where she is today. “I’m very dyslexic and I was failing out of 9th grade,” she says. “I was a good student, but I just wasn’t doing well.” Her parents enrolled her at Honolulu’s Assets School.

“They focus on what you can do there,” she says, “and push you in that way. They pushed technology and math and sciences. It was really fun. It’s different for every person, but what Assets did for me is they taught me how to interpret information and how to more quickly absorb it using different mediums.”

Richard was not the only one impressed with ‘Ahia; she also had a major impact on his grandson Kapono, who is 17. “He’s the kind of kid that has had no trouble with advanced math,” says Richard, “but he had not found his calling. Seeing ‘Ahia in action just blew him away. It gives me chicken skin to talk about it. Now he wants to volunteer to work at ‘Imiloa, and she said she would try to help him get in there.”

‘Ahia has only positive things to say about Kapono. “I think he’s going to be just outstanding,” she says. “He already has that mentality. He knows enough about computers, he’s going to learn a lot about astronomy, he already has the people skills, and he’s very nice and also motivated.

“My boss Shawn Laatsch, the planetarium manager, has been working in planetariums since high school,” she added. “I can see the same look in Kapono; the same ‘ano [nature] as Shawn. I think he’s going to be really great.” — posted by Leslie Lang

Losing Weight

On My Plate

Richard Ha writes:

You may recall that two weeks ago I gave up trying to lose weight merely by exercising more than I ate. I realized that despite the fact I love to exercise, that wasn’t working for me. Several times I had read that exercising alone is not a successful strategy for losing weight. But I also knew, intuitively, that doing a whole lifestyle change was not going to be easy, and I was looking for an easier way.

My problem, and I suspect the problem of many, is that I have a lot going on and counting calories is at the bottom of my priority list. That’s not good or bad, it just is.

Two weeks ago I discovered what I was looking for—a way to adjust food intake without investing a lot of time. I wanted a technique that was practical and nonjudgmental. In other words, it had to be something I would actually do.

The answer turned out to be a method called The New American Plate, suggested by the American Institute of Cancer Research.

More than anything else, this method captured my attention because I knew I could do it within my present lifestyle. I know that the best chance of success requires changing one’s lifestyle. But, me change my whole lifestyle? Come on—get real. Who am I kidding!

This method says one should try for a plate of food that consists of 2/3 veggies and 1/3 meat-type proteins. I stretch that to mean that one should try to achieve that goal by the end of the day or the end of the week. And then I eat anything I like, though I keep in mind that I will need to end up with a 2/3 – 1/3 ratio. I can do that! It has the added benefit of helping to lower one’s risk of getting cancer and other chronic diseases.

This past week I felt like I needed to catch up, so when deciding where to go for lunch, I suggested One Plus One Cafe at the Prince Kuhio Plaza, where I ordered the House Special vegetarian plate. That wasn’t hard at all. Many restaurants have vegetarian plates.

After having visited Hamakua Springs, Abel Porter, president of the Sullivan Family of Companies, and Amber Isom invited June and me to attend a luncheon at Mealani Experimental Station in Waimea Saturday. They were meeting with area ranchers and processors.

Amber asked me to bring a salad. So I made the lettuce/diced-tomato salad Alan Wong taught me to make. Amber told me that Abel mentioned the salad was good three times. I’m glad I did Chef Alan’s recipe justice.

Since it was a meeting of area ranchers, they had a steak barbeque. I fixed myself a plate that was 2/3 veggies and 1/3 steak and sausage. I was doing good.

But then Abel said they had brought Cheesecake Factory products on line and that they had some for dessert.

Having been to New York City where I tried all the cheesecake I could, I needed to judge this cheesecake for myself. I just made a mental note that I would have to eat a little more veggies in the next couple of days and it would be okay.

Now this is my kind of eating plan. By the way, the cheesecake was exceptionally good. It was right up there with Junior’s.

I traded an unopened lettuce and tomato salad and dressing for tasty, grass-fed beef steaks and sausages. We both came away from the trade feeling we received something of value.

So today I owe. If I eat a little more than 2/3 to 1/3 veggies, I should be good.

I’m looking for ways to increase my veggie consumption. For example, I keep sliced Japanese cucumbers in a bowl as a standby snack, in case I open up the refrigerator. I set no limits on that and Hamakua Sweet tomatoes.

By the way, I am not gaining weight anymore. I lost half a pound this week.

Community, Tomatoes

Fire Engine Red

Richard Ha writes:

We have a contingency plan in place in terms of who to give our excess tomatoes to when we have an unexpected spike in production. So when we did recently, we were ready. We had already decided that we would give extra tomatoes to teachers, public safety personnel and caregivers.

Recently I wrote about taking cocktail tomatoes to several elementary schools for them to distribute to their students, staff and teachers.

This week, for the first time, we were able to give to public safety personnel. We had enough cocktail tomatoes that we were able to give one container to every firefighter and EMT on the Big Island.

Ff_paramedics_jesse_wayne
Paramedics Jesse and Wayne

Okinaka
Firefighter Okinaka

Medic3_marvin_grant
Medics Marvin and Grant

Dispatchers_dori_penny_capt_lum
Dispatchers Dori and Penny with Captain Lum

They told us they were really grateful that someone from the community felt moved to so such a thing. I told them our workers are happy to work for a company that can do it. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

We appreciate all that fire personnel do for our community. Mahalo from all of us at Hamakua Springs County Farms.

Books, Community

Exploring Historic Hilo

Richard Ha writes:

This past Saturday, June and I went to a book signing at the Book Gallery in downtown Hilo. Leslie Lang was autographing her new book, Exploring Historic Hilo.

With the Hilo Farmers Market bustling with activity around the corner, parking was hard to find. We parked several blocks away, across from the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center at Kalakaua Park, and walked over.

It was appropriate that it was a busy day in small town Hilo. It lent excitement to this special event.

We had never been to a book signing before and it looked exactly as I imagined it would. People were chatting animatedly with Leslie, she was wearing a nice flower lei and her books were arranged on the table around her. She was the focus of attention. We bought a book and asked for her autograph, and then: “On second thought, can you also sign another one?” We chatted for a short while and then had to move on.

Leslie_book_signing_002

From the first time Leslie interviewed me for an article in the Hawaiian Airlines in-flight magazine Hana Hou, I knew she had a special talent. We sat down for a short time and she was all business. No wasting of time.

When I saw the story, I was floored. She got so much information out of me in such a short time and it was expressed accurately and in just the right tone. Just the right tone. That’s a luxury in many cases.

Since then, I asked her to develop a website for us. When it was done, I told her, “That’s the first time someone’s ever captured exactly what we are all about.”

Later I asked her to help me put together a blog. For almost a year now we’ve written three posts per week, every week. Sometimes she writes the post, and other times I do. When I write it, she edits and offers suggestions for additions or clarifications. But when she’s done with it, it is still me. She keeps my personality intact, warts and all. She also writes press releases and puts together various other written materials for the farm. I’ve told her before: “When it comes to writing, you are like a master wood carver and I am like a carpenter.”

So it was a thrill for me to stand in line and get her autograph. Exploring Historic Hilo is a pictorial history of Hilo, with archival photographs and captions that detail the town’s history. It’s a great book to give as a gift. We’re going to go to her next signing and get a few more.

You can read more about Leslie’s writing at her website. And if you would like to talk with her about writing for your company, I’m sure she’d be happy to talk with you. Email her at leslie@leslielang.com.

Leslie writes: Just as that post where Charlotte and I called Richard “ethical” made him uncomfortable, so, too, does it make me squirm a bit to post this. But I thank you, Richard, for all your very kind words. It is truly a delight to work with you.

Losing Weight

Feeling Good

Richard Ha writes:

I weighed 202 at 7:30 p.m., which is a half pound heavier than last week. But I normally weigh myself early in the morning when I weigh the least amount all day. So it’s okay.

I am feeling a lot better about my weight loss program. I should probably call it my “Exercise and Good Eating” program. In addition to lifting weights and cardio, my goal now is to make my meals two-thirds fruit and veggies, and one-third meat, fish and fowl.

Although I started this program to lose weight, it has the added advantage of being recommended by the American Institute for Cancer Research as a way to decrease one’s cancer risk.

Two-thirds/one-third is a simple goal that I can monitor on the fly. If circumstances find me taking in more than 1/3 protein, I simply adjust for it in subsequent meals. I don’t agonize over the details, I just lean toward 2/3-1/3 whenever I can. This way I can have my cake and eat it too.

Try AICR’s New American Plate approach to eating. Look at your plate every time you sit down to a meal. Your plate should hold two-thirds (or more) vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. Only one-third (or less) of your plate should hold animal protein.

Instead of eating fast food, now I go to the natural food store Island Naturals, which has a nice, veggie-oriented food bar. Items are sold by the pound, so one can mix and match. I like that I can put it on a round paper plate to take out. That’s about the size of our plates at home and I can easily eyeball what I’m eating. Nice.

Since I separated the exercise component from the weight loss program, I can now exercise again in a way that makes me happy. I love exercising. When I had the exercise program tied to and responsible for weight loss, I got mentally tired if the exercise didn’t result in weight loss. Now I exercise for its own sake, and it has become enjoyable again.

My exercise objective is to improve the blood flow system of my whole body. Weightlifting causes blood vessels to grow, as one can see when looking at bodybuilders; they have vascularity that is mind-boggling. It is a simple concept. The body adapts to stress. Exercised (stressed) muscles need improved blood flow to move nutrients and waste in and out of working muscles. So getting into the weightlifting mindset takes care of all the details.

The heart is at the center of the whole blood flow system and the heart is a muscle. So I make sure to exercise the heart in a systematic manner as well. A low resting heart rate is an indication that one’s heart is in good physical condition. The lower the better. When I’m out of condition, my resting heart rate is in the mid-70 beats per minute. My goal is to maintain it in the mid-50s. This is doable, as I’ve been able to achieve this for months at a time. Recently it has been in the mid 60s. Doing cardio, combined with weight lifting, takes care of all the details.

Combining the weightlifting and the cardio into an exercise schedule and then working toward small improvements along the way is very enjoyable for me.

I went for a echocardiograph/treadmill test this past week as a check-up for a minor surgery. They took a reading with my body at rest and then after maximum stress. I asked a lot of questions because I want to beat the test next time.

I found out that the computer controls the speed of the treadmill. The treadmill is set to account for one’s height, weight and age. The session is 12 minutes long, broken up into four three-minute segments.

I asked what the expected maximum heart rate is for someone my age. The formula they used was 220 minus one’s age (220-62), which resulted in an estimated maximum heart rate of 158. So the computer program is set up to take almost everyone in this category up to the limit of his/her ability. After all, they have to challenge the most fit people too.

The first three minutes were warm up. The treadmill was set at 1.5 MPH and the incline was set midway. I don’t recall if my heart rate rose above 100. The next three minutes were below 3 MPH at max incline. I think my heart rate rose into the 120s. The next three minutes were at 3.5 MPH at max incline. My heart rate went into the 140s.

The last three minutes were set at a slow jog, at 4.4 MPH and max incline. My heart rate went into the 150s fairly rapidly and into the 160s in less than one and a half minutes. By two minutes it was over 170 and it settled at 172-174 for the next 40 seconds. I thought about going for the whole three minutes. It appeared to me that this might not be my max heart rate, but we wouldn’t know without increasing the speed. So I stopped at 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

The machine measures the heart under stress. The heart does not care if the work is caused by carrying a bag of rocks or body fat; stress is stress.

Now I have a goal. I’ll simulate this at home and be ready to beat the machine next time. Fun!

By the way, the doctor told me that I did great. I know!

Community, Tomatoes

Thank You’s, continued

1 Comment

Richard Ha writes:

We recently received some great thank you letters from students in Emma Kato’s 4th-grade class at Hilo Union School, after taking some surplus tomatoes to that school, as well.

Ms. Kato wrote: “…We always ask our students to reach out to others to make lives better. You certainly did that to us.”

And her students wrote some very interesting, impressive and fun letters. A sampling:

Hilounion5

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for the extrodanary tomato. It tasted magnificent.

I learned hydroponics is a way to grow plants without soil. You get about 130 inches of rain a year and that you’ve been working 30 years from your website.

I used them for a nori, tomato, viniger mix but I ate one plain.

Aloha, Trent

Hilounion2

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for donating your delicious tomatos at Hilo Union School. I’m sure every student was pleased.

This tomatos is very sweet and has just the right amount of acidity. My family and I enjoyed eating it for dinner. Once again I would like to thank you for the tomatos.

From, Crystelynn

Hilounion6

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thanks for the great tomatoes that you donated to our school.

It was good and sweet in our lomi and salads.

I gave it to my mom and she made salads with it. My family and I enjoyed your delicious tomatoes.

Once again I would like to show my appriciation.

Thank you, Kyson

Hilounion7

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you Mr. Ha for donating tomatoes to Hilo Union School. The school really appreciate the tomatoes that you donated.

We went to the computer and type your website and I found out you grow banana before you grow tomates.

I gave the tomates to my dad because I know how much my dad loves tomates. Cause he makes tomates with every meal. And we enjoy it.

Thank you, Kawehionalani

Hilounion3

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thanks for donating the cocktail tomatoes to our school. They were delicious!

We went to our computer lab and went to your website and learned about the benefits of growing with hydroponics. It avoids pests and diseases that can come with growing plants in soil.

I gave it to my grandma and she made saled and we ate it for dinner. And I ate a little and it was the best tomatoe I’ve ever eaten.

Aloha, Chaycelyn

Hilounion9

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for the tomatoes. It was de-licious. It was juicey and sweet. It was like healthy candy in my mouth.

I just ate the tomatoes for lunch, plain like a fruit.

Aloha, Alohi

Hilounion1

Dear Mr. Ha.

Thanks for the fantastic tomato’s. When we went on the computer I learned that the benefets of growing with hydroponics are they avoid pests and deaseses. And the energy costs are lower. And I also learned that your farm grows award-winning tomatos, bananas, lettuce and cucumbers that are available throughout Hawaii.

When I brought the tomatos home, my grandpa from Phillipines made some kind of tomato sauce that taste good with rice and fish.

Aloha, Patrick

Hilounion10

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for the great tomatoes. On your farm, your company grows a lot of other products. Like bananas and lettuces. My mom use the tomatoes in a salad.

Blaire

Hilounion4_2

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thanks for giving us the tomatoes, it was good. I ate my tomatoes and gave some to my parents. Thank you for thinking about Hilo Union and giving us the tomatoes to eat. That was a nice thing to do. So good luck and plant some more tomatoes.

Joseph

Community, Tomatoes

Thanks!

Richard Ha writes:

A couple months ago we had a short, sharp spike in tomato production, so we decided to give some of our surplus to the Keonepoko Elementary School students, their teachers and the rest of the staff. Keonepoko is a large school, and we were looking to give out several hundred 1-lb. containers of cocktail tomatoes.

We received thank you notes from the students in the mail. I read every one. The most interesting part of giving tomatoes to students is reading the notes they send back.

Here is a small sampling:

Mr. Richard Ha and Hamakua springs thank you for donating the tomatoes to the school. I really enjoyed the tomatoes, it tasted delicious. My family enjoyed it too. We ate it for dinner with rice, and sliced meat. The tomatoes tasted really ono with shoyu. And also hope you have a Happy Easter, and take care. From, Zaira

Keonepoko_1


Dear Mr. Richard Ha,

Thank you for the tomatoes. I loved them. My dad even loved them he made tacos with them. Everybody was washing them at the sinks and then they ate them. Almost the whole school ate them. Thank you for donating us delicious tomatoes.

Sincerely,

Ibrahim

Keonepoko_4


Dear Mr. Richard Ha,

Thank you for the tomatose. The tomatoes is very good. My family love the tomatse. Some time we play tomato fight. Then we plant the seed to grow more tomato.

Sincerely,

Kaysen


Keonepoko_6


Thank you Mr. Richard Ha for the tomatoes. I liked there nice taste it went well in my mothers salsa. It was the most nicest thing a guy like you could do for all the kids at Keonepoko Elm.

Crystal

Keonepoko_3


Dear Mr. Richard Ha,

Thank you Mr Richard. I liked the tomatoes. I really liked it. I throw a tomato at my fraind. Do you plant the tomatoes? My dad used to plant them when he was working with plants.

Sincerely,

Savannah

Keonepoko_7


Hi Mr. Richard Ha and Hamakua Springs, I thank you for the delicious tomatos and thank you for donateing.

Sincerely, Jensen

P.S. Please come again.

Losing Weight

Eating My Veggies

Richard Ha writes:

After ten months of trying, I’ve finally come to accept that I cannot lose weight through exercise only, while ignoring how much I’m eating. Now that I have realized that, I am able to move ahead with a new program.

Now I look at exercise as an activity for its own sake. My exercise goals are now focused on maintaining muscle mass and lowering my resting heart rate. Previously my main goal was to spend a lot of time expending calories. But my body started shrinking from non-use. It’s the “old man syndrome,” and I cannot succumb to that.

To maintain muscle mass, I’m going to do regular weight-lifting exercises. This is something I have lots of experience doing, and something I love to do. Lowering my resting heart rate has more to do with short bursts of high heart rate activity than long, slow, distance work.

My resting heart rate, after one month of relatively little exercise, was 67 beats per minute this morning. My goal is to maintain it in the mid-50s.

To lose weight, I am increasing my consumption of vegetables so that they make up approximately 2/3rds of what I eat every day. I had been using a small bowl as my dish. But now I will use a regular-sized plate, so I can see and keep track of everything. Previously, I lost track of how many bowls I consumed as well as of their make up.

On Saturday, we stopped by Cronies for lunch. Their salads are extremely large. June and I split a Kalua Pig Caesar’s Salad. There were still two servings of protein and two servings of veggies in each half.

Because I have this new goal of maintaining a 2/3rds veggie and 1/3rd protein ratio, I knew I would need to eat mostly veggies for dinner. So far, this all seems doable.

Now I’m looking at what I can eat to achieve my 2/3rds vegetables goal. Besides fresh lettuce in salads with tomatoes and cucumbers, I need to include steamed or cooked veggies. Soybeans, string beans and sweet corn immediately come to mind, as do eggplant and squashes with olive oil and herbs.

I now weigh 201.5. I lost another pound. So far so good.

Where We Live

Where We Live – Hilo’s Merrie Monarch Festival

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Welcome_to_hilo_sign

Hamakua Springs Country Farms is located outside of Hilo, Hawai‘i. It’s our “big town,” which is never as big as during the week of the Merrie Monarch Festival each Spring.

That’s this week, when thousands of people come from around Hawai‘i, from the Pacific Islands, from Japan and Mexico and many other countries for the annual hula competition and festival. The long-running competition is named for King David Kalakaua (1836-1891), who was nicknamed “The Merrie Monarch.”

It’s a week when store owners go all out to celebrate the history of hula and the monarchy. Here’s the window at Phoenix Rising on Waianuenue Avenue, where you can see the beautiful display of gourds and other traditional hula implements, feather leis and a feather cape, a photo of Kalakaua and more, all within the reflection of buildings that have stood across the way for close to a hundred years.

Merrie_monarch_window

In town, over and over again during Merrie Monarch week, you see simple and spontaneous but elegant demonstrations of this lovely place where we live, like this visitor’s woven bag with Hilo’s unofficial flower, the red anthurium, spotted at a coffee house.

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And then there’s the Merrie Monarch festival itself. History, culture, tradition, music, dance, chant, language, oral history, beauty—you name it, it’s there.

Merrie Monarch photos by Macario

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– posted by Leslie Lang