Wednesday — Lunch With Gigi

I have been super busy, but it has been a fun sort of busy. On Wednesday I met Gigi at Kincaid’s on the third floor of Ward Warehouse, a really fun mall, which is downtown and has a lovely view of Kakaako Marina. (Gigi’s blog post about our lunch is here: Lunch With Quilly).

Gigi recommended the Fish & Chips and I have to say — I am a connoisseur of fish & chips — these make the top of my “best in town” list.  The  three generous fish portions were whole mahi mahi fillets, lightly battered and perfectly fried so they were crisp but not greasy.  I was impressed.  The fish came on a huge bed of french fries, also perfectly cooked and not greasy, and with a super yummy artichoke tartar sauce that I was tempted to eat with my fork, but — being well-mannered (in public) — didn’t.

The conversation with Gigi was just as good as the food.  We had a lovely chat — I talk too much, but she was sweet.  We discussed meeting fellow bloggers, photography, the food at Kincaid’s, Amoeba, UH,  paid blogging and assorted other topics (and not necessarily in this order).

The absolute highlight of my lunch was the three books Gigi gave me — her memoirs!  You will be hearing more about these books as I read them.  The author credits on the backs begin the intrigue and tell me I really should have kept my mouth shut and listened to Gigi tell her stories!  The stories within the covers of the books — for that’s what her memoirs are, collections of anecdotes which come together to form a picture of a rich, exciting, love-filled life — invite one to laugh and cry along with Gigi and give you a glimpse of the child/teen/woman revealed in the photographs.

Gigi is an author, newspaper columnist, NPR HPR Commentator, world traveler, wife, mother and grandmother.  She is also very quiet and unassuming and has a way of drawing people out and getting them to talk, which is probably what makes her so successful in her other endeavors. That is probably also what makes her such a compelling writer.

If you want to read Gigi’s Memoirs along with me, you can order them from  Amazon.com or by contacting Gigi at her blog: Gigi-Hawaii