Living in Kona means getting stuck in restaurant ruts- the options get exhausted quickly and we find ourselves cooking in constantly because we can do it better (and cheaper!) at home ourselves. We found ourselves in Waimea for the afternoon recently and had fun checking out Pau, a charming new lunch spot. Waimea is about 45 minutes from where we live, which keeps us from popping over as much as we should. I've resolved to do more exploring there. You can hardly believe you are still in Hawaii when you visit the lush green mountains that feel more like Ireland. It rains often and low hanging fog creates a haunting atmosphere as you drive by red barns and horses munching in tall grasses dotted with wildflowers.
At Pau, the specialty is pizza, but we enjoyed a simple chicken sandwich and salad with crispy candied walnuts, sliced apples and blue cheese, all locally sourced. The sandwich was moist and the house made foccacia was perfectly light and toasty. I loved the relaxed but polished atmosphere and the food was well made and reasonably priced.
The coconut cream pie had been sitting in the cooler a bit too long- the crust not really as crisp as it could have been, and the filling not as richly coconut-y as one might hope, but all told, I would absolutely recommend a stop to this little neighborhood haunt.
At Pau, the specialty is pizza, but we enjoyed a simple chicken sandwich and salad with crispy candied walnuts, sliced apples and blue cheese, all locally sourced. The sandwich was moist and the house made foccacia was perfectly light and toasty. I loved the relaxed but polished atmosphere and the food was well made and reasonably priced. 
The coconut cream pie had been sitting in the cooler a bit too long- the crust not really as crisp as it could have been, and the filling not as richly coconut-y as one might hope, but all told, I would absolutely recommend a stop to this little neighborhood haunt. What do you look for in a perfect lunch out?
: This book was the first I'd read that challenged prevailing notions about what I
: After Atkins, I realized I am not the sort of person who can skip champagne and pass on birthday cake. (Duh!) This book was just what I was looking for. The premise is that French women manage their waistlines not by deprivation, but by increasing the pleasure they take at table. They enjoy quality instead of quantity. They eat slowly. They identify the flavors that make it delicious. They think about the person who prepared it. They enjoy company at dinner. They talk. They sip wine. They savor that first flavorful mouthful and take time over it. (Try and savor cheap fast food. You'll find it impossible because the quality is missing.) Savor something, and you won't over-indulge because you have truly appreciated it. You don't need more. All of this was a revelation that somehow felt like something I had always known.
: My mother recommended this wonderful book and I enjoyed every moment of it. Written by a priest, you might expect something puritanical and didactic. Instead, it was a celebration of bounty, abundance and jubilation in all creation- especially the living food that we take in to nourish our own lives. This book elaborated clearly and beautifully something I'd felt intuitively for a long time- food is much more than fuel for our bodies. It is a way we connect to other people and nourish our spirits, bodies and each other. At least, this is what it can be at it's best. This book too was all about slowing down and taking time to notice what you are enjoying. This creates space so that you can honor yourself, your body and the people who come in contact with you.
: Although this book was more memoir than food writing, I loved reading about the travel, adventures, friends, markets, ingredients, shops, pots, pans, letters and intrigues that were the backdrop to Julia Child's extraordinary life in food. This was a woman who was fearless, independent, and creative and understood that good food has the power to bring out the very best in people.
: Here is another book that reinforced notions I already held dear- that the less processed foods you buy and consume, the better off you are. I especially love that he offers guidelines instead of hard and fast rules because this is how life is. I need flexibility and a down to earth, practical approach to food, not tables, charts, graphs and calculators. I'd rather listen to the advice of cooks and farmers who are on intimate terms with the nature of food than someone who has been busy dissecting things in a lab and reformulating them to sit on a supermarket shelf.
: By now you may be noticing a trend in my reading- the spine of my food philosophy, so to speak. I am seeking to build a connection between mind, body and spirit through a sensual approach to the physicality of food. This book reminded me that over eating is often misplaced self-medicating. When I mindlessly eat a whole bag of potato chips, I am trying to soothe something that cannot be soothed with food. The causes are variable; boredom, disappointment, anxiety, exhaustion, frustration, loneliness. But I can bravely choose to look deeper at my own mindless eating, at what I am trying to avoid. This awareness opens a doorway to what is sacred inside myself. Potato chips are a cheap, temporary and unacceptable distraction.
: I've 
