Hello, Mister

Hi, we're back at Newmarket again and continuing to wander. Generally, when I walk here, I do so down Kyber Pass Road. Today, I decided to zag where I usually zig, and I took the street 'cross the railroad tracks and one block over instead. I agree with Robert Frost's famous finish, "And that has made all the difference."  I found a new place. 

These little shops are popping up all over Auckland. I came across this one just before 11 a.m. and watched as the staff of four got ready for the rush hour. 

I wasn't really hungry for lunch yet, but decided I had to try something so I ordered a cup of Pho, a soup with a really light broth and lots of bean sprouts and various greens in it. It was $3.00 for a large cup.  Miso soup for $2.50 or $3.00 is widely available in the sushi shops everywhere here, but those servings are not as large as this cup of soup is and does not have all the veggies this one has. Pho is a much better deal if you're looking for value for your soup dollar. 

I also ordered one Mister Roll. These come in many varieties. I had a braised pork one with hoisin chili dipping sauce. It has the meat, rice noodles and veggies, all rolled up in a see-through rice paper wrap, and comes with a dipping sauce. $4.00. 

After tasting it, I decided to bring two more home for Jeanne and Allie. (Two for $7.50.) 

I like this place. Simple. Really fast. Tasty. Super friendly. Inexpensive. I predict they'll prosper. 

As I sat on my stool, sipping my soup in front of my 55 gallon drum table, I saw a practically steady stream of young office workers from the businesses nearby, stopping in for the mister rolls or a banh mi. If it's popular with the 'kids,' it'll be a success.  A lot of those office workers were women I noticed and this low calorie, high veggie and rice noodle sort of lunch appeals to them I'm sure. 

I like this place. I think the drums used as tables remind us that this is street food. The kind that is purchased and taken back to the construction site by workers.   

After leaving Hello Mister, I continued up the hill that Carlton Gore Road climbs and came across this mural. It is of the War Memorial Museum.  

A Short distance away, as I reached the top of the hill, I saw the real thing in the distance. From here, I turned left and walked about half a block down to the train platform entry.  

I hope you've enjoyed this walkabout in Newmarket today. I know that I enjoyed preparing it for you. See you next time for another look at something, somewhere in New Zealand.   -djf

Go walkabout in Newmarket

I've taken you to Newmarket a number of times. You haven't been there for a while though and I'll just bet that you've forgotten most of what you saw. Shoot, I hadn't been to the place for about six months and we 'needed' just a couple of things from the Russian deli that we like. 

Let me show you last Saturday's Newmarket hike. 

 Waiting for the train at Sturges Road. As usual in the winter, another mini-storm is flying by bringing rain and a bow. 

 Here we are in Newmarket. 

 No leaves on the trees, just blossoms.

 Here is the busy Chinese market area on the ground floor of a multi-storied carpark. 

 What a price!  They are all over 2 kilos I'm sure. We're tried both frozen and fresh durian now and fresh is better. However, frozen is pretty good and it is literally half the price or less.  (Still expensive when you consider that you throw away most of the weight you've paid for. The husk is heavy, the fruit is a small part of the total.) 

Yet, durians fly off the market shelves...

 I love mangosteens but they're spendy too. Still, you can get a few without breaking the bank. 

 Dragon fruit looks so exotic but tastes so...  I'm always disappointed when I buy one.  If these fruits were really dragons, they 

certainly wouldn't be gold-loving Smaug* or even the somewhat dopey-looking Falcor^.  They don't taste that exciting. They're about as interesting as Puff" is, after he "sadly slipped into his cave."  

* from The Hobbit

^ from The Neverending Story

" from the song, Puff, the Magic Dragon

Continuing along, a the Chinese fish market.

 (abalone) 

From Chinese, we go to Russian/European/Kiwi

 I've come here to buy two things. I'll end up with a few more of course.

 The aisles are rather tight here. I have to move carefully. Although I don't have my backpack on today. I won't have to worry that I'll knock anything over as I turn. I brought the trolley instead. 

 Here is something different. The Russian version of Monopoly. I wonder when this was produced? I'm guessing fairly recently. You wouldn't expect to find such example of free-enterprise in a Communist country. 

The boys love Monopoly and use their New Zealand version of course. I also found a game at a garage sale just across the street from our house, that was produced in the 1950's and bought it for them, so now they have a collection.  

This would have been an interesting additon, but the price on it is $99.99. Nope.  

 This is what I came for. I'm fascinated by this. It tastes shrimpy. 

Do I believe that by eating a container of it a few times a year, that we're starving whales and penguins or contributing to global warming?  No, I don't. 
After reading up on this, I found that most countries that harvest krill have signed on to an agreement, written by Green Peace. 

 And nothing goes better with krill on crackers than a nice tall glass of low-sugar Kvas, the soft drink made from, and that tastes like, rye bread.  

This is the result of one of those, "Oh, oh, we haven't had any halva lately. Let's get some," moments.  

This Halva is very, very finely ground, sweetened sunflower seeds, mostly. It's good, but it does strange things to my throat sometimes when I eat it so I like to have a drink on hand to wash it down.

Time to walk on...
I think I'll save the rest of the walkabout for next time.... Be watching.            -djf

My Jaunt

In 1981, Stephen King's short story, The Jaunt, was published. It was classed as horror I understand, although it was set about 300 years in the future and was about teleportation. Personally, I think it was mainly a sci-fi story.  

The plot of the story was that teleportation had been invented and had become so  completely commonplace that it had revolutionised the world. And it was safe, safe that is, as long as you were asleep when you were teleported. If you were awake, well, things were very different for you then.  The passage of time did not appear the same from the standpoint of those observing the teleportation, versus those experiencing the teleportation, while awake. 

I've included a link to the story here:

https://gist.github.com/Schemetrical/6184daf83843bcab9402

I was thinking about this story today as I was considering riding into Auckland to pick up some Portuguese bread from a place on K' Road. 

• Auckland is a long, ways off. 
• However, the buses that would take me there and back, are free. 
• Therefore, only my time spent travelling to the bakery should be considered as part of the cost of obtaining the bread. Consider this; 
• Allie is engrossed in writing, Jeanne is deep in a book, and both boys are sick and are spending their afternoon alternately snoozing and playing computer games. 
• No one is actually aware of what I am doing. I could stay quiet and unseen in my room at my computer, or I could leave the house and return with the bread without being missed in the least. Since that is the case, shouldn't I then consider that my time (from their viewpoint) is also free?
• To my family, nothing at all would exist on the cutting board until the moment bread would appear, much as if it had been teleported.
•  I alone would have entered the device that would transport me to the center of the city, so far away. I alone would have experienced the trip to that distant bakery. I alone would have been conscious of the passage of time.
• Could I do it? Should I do it. Did I do It?

The boy in the story who experienced teleportation to Mars while awake was not able to share much about his experience. Oh, he commented briefly on it to his dad after they arrived, and then demonstrated in other ways just how he felt. (I think that might have been the horror part of the story.)

I, on the other hand, am able to show you some of what I experienced during my jaunt. Keeping watching...I didn't think the trip was long at all. In fact, I was back in no time...

 Since I didn't know how long I'd be travelling, I took a moment before I left to appreciate these colors.

This is the device I was placed in to be transported. It should happen any moment now...

As I waited for the device to activate, I looked out at Sturges Road....

 Wow, this guy is really flying....

 Here he comes...

Ahhhh, it's happening. We are travelling .... I don't know how fast.....

 I am aware...the device is swaying...

 I am aware .. changes are occurring in the orientation of the device...We're going much faster....colors are changing...

 We have arrived at K' Road.

 Yes, undoubtedly K' Road.

It's almost a different world here..But it doesn't feel as though I have spent any time at all....

Oooomphfff. 

...and there he goes. 

Boy, that was fast. Here I am back again and with my bread.  

I've got to write to King. His ideas about time and teleportation are screwy...              -djf

Otahuhu, then and now

To get to Otahuhu, I take our Western Line train to Britomart and then transfer to the Eastern line. It's in, as you might be able to guess by looking at the stacks of railroad car containers in the picture below, an industrial suburb of Auckland. I pass through it on my way to Martha's Backyard. I did spend part of a day there though, some time back. 

It was in the Otahuhu area that I once walked, alone and unaided by a support crew, the entire width of New Zealand AND back again! It's true! There are lots of famous hiking trails all over NZ, and in my own mind I believe that by accomplishing this feat, I established a new trail which I call the Foster Trail. (Unfortunately, no one else has paid any attention to my unparalleled achievement and I'm the only one who recognises the Foster Trail.) 

And now for the rest of the story...  (remember Paul Harvey?)

It just so happens that the Otahuhu area is where the North Island is the narrowest. There are bays on both the western (Tasman Sea) and the eastern (Pacific Ocean) sides of the island that almost meet. There are about 3 kilometers of land between the bodies of water here, measured as the crow (or here, as the tui) flies. When I realized this, back in 2013, I made a plan to walk all the way from one side to NZ to the other, and back again, all in one day. On the roads I took, that distance is 3.3 kilometers. (one direction)

I had a good time. I got off the train within sight of the Tasman Sea and walked over to a city park on the Pacific side. I snooped around the park, rested a bit, ate my sandwich, and then walked back. There may be some who try to minimize my sojourn, but, I did in fact walk the width of New Zealand that day. (and back) 

Well, that's the background info on Otahuhu. The two pictures below show its old-time railroad terminal and the new.                                                                   -djf

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we are pleased to present, all the way from the South Pacific Islands, Kava and the Kavalactones! Put your hands together! (And grab a shell)

The paragraph below is an excerpt from a post I did quite some time ago. 

What does make me happiest about this experience is that I had the chance to try it at all. My nose was to the grindstone as the old saying goes for about 38 years during my working career. And now, after all that, I'm being given a period of rest, relaxation and revitalisation. I'm seeing and doing things I never dreamed that I'd be doing. That's definitely enough to make an old codger like me a little euphoric. I don't really need any kava for that.  -djf  

The rest of that post, should you want to see it, can be found at the link below.

https://fostersoe.blogspot.com/2018/05/if-god-did-not-intend-for-us-to-eat.html

I am particularly pleased to be doing this post. I had a delightful experience today. As you see, I've prefaced this introduction by reminding you of that post that is in part about kava. I was a kava rookie then, a neophyte. I experimented with making some kava I found at a local grocery, but the results were far from satisfactory. (Something like the time I tried to teach myself the violin.) 

My adventure today changed all that. Allie told me recently about the opening of a place in Auckland called, Four Shells Kava Room and Shop. Today I found it. They make kava there. They are experts. They know how to do it the right way and all I had to do was decide which island's kava I would like to try. Since another guy at the bar had just ordered Hawaiian, I said I'd have some of that too.  Gotta start somewhere.... 

I've got a bunch of pictures. (Dianne, I wish we had been able to take you there when you visited. Let's plan on it for your next trip.)

 So, what does a city do with a big old municipal complex?

 Well, Auckland decided to sandblast (I suppose) all the brickwork, paint it up a bit and give it a new lease on life.  Divide the space up and let a bunch of retail shops, restaurants, cafes, and, best of all, (in my opinion) a kava room move in. 

 Those of you who know me, know that I like to be early wherever I go. I found the place a little after 1 pm. It opens at 2, so I spent some time wandering around Victoria Park, which is just across the street, and then back within this complex. 
You'll see lots of the photos I took in future posts. 

 It's 2:15 and here I am again. Let's go in. 

 I'm standing at the bar.

 I think I'll start with just a kava.

 I took a moment to look around. You know from my posts about New Lynn how I love brickwork. This place feels cozy to me as a result. 

 Not a big intimidating space. Comfortable. Almost homey. 

 I turn back in time to see my kava being prepared. 

 I've enjoyed about two-thirds of my shell** already. I'm pleased with the experience. My home made kava was extremely bitter. This is much less so. I also immediately noticed that my mouth felt just a bit of numbing...this must be the real thing.  

**Kava was traditionally drunk from coconut shells in the islands. For obvious reasons, bowls are now used but the term 'shell' still describes a single measure or serving. 

 I told you that I had asked to try Hawaiian kava, but I also sampled some from, I think, Vanuatu. It had a different flavor than the Hawaiian. I don't remember how many varieties they have here but I'd like to try them all eventually.

And this time, for the fist time since I've been trying kava, I was aware that it does indeed provide a gentle calming effect. It was subtle, but it was there. To say I felt euphoric, like one article I read suggested,  would be going much too far.  It was a pleasant feeling but not at all like drinking alcohol. As I left the shop and hurried to catch the Inner Link bus back to Great North Road, I felt completely in control. There was no loss of ability of any kind, but as I sat on the bus I was aware of a quiet pleasure. 
Part of that pleasure may very well have been the simple satisfaction of having tried properly made kava for the first time. Or of having had an interesting conversation with knowledgeable and friendly hosts for the better part of an hour.  Just think, I have now shared something that has been a part of the South Pacific island culture for thousands of years. That, to me, is significant and a cause for joy.  
I brought a 750 ml. bottle of kava back so Jeanne and Allie could try it. They both reported quietly pleasurable, relaxing feelings after sharing the bottle. And the mild mouth numbing. That is a unique feeling. 

The owner and his wife answered all my questions. I may be a new student (yeah, a really old new one, I know)  to the world of kava, but I know now where to go to study. 

The owner told me that there are over 100 kava rooms in the U.S. If you ever run across one, I strongly urge you to try a shell. You'll find the taste to be bitter, but the rest of the experience will be sweet as.     -djf

Here is the link to their website. 

https://www.fourshells.nz/

Update: Since I published this post, I have learned of the Kava Society, based here in New Zealand. Their site has a wealth of information. I suggest you take a look. Further, I found that the bags of kava that you see on the shelves come from the kava society. They select, test and report on the kava that they import into NZ. I think it's a great assurance of quality. 

https://kavasociety.nz/