Letter From The Editor
A couple of weeks ago, I met up with Mark Noguchi to talk about his participation in the upcoming Outstanding in the Field dinner at Kualoa Ranch in which he will be the guest chef. Noguchi is incredibly friendly and forthcoming, and much of the conversation veered off into welcome tangents. At one point, he told me that even with his level of success in the food industry, he has never stopped questioning himself.
“You always question yourself,” he said. “I know I am. Am I doing the right thing? Am I doing a good job?”
Those are tough questions to answer — and ones that seem to linger a little longer around this time of year.
Because of that, I think the new year can bring a lot of mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s a fun and exciting time filled with friends and families and parties. On the other hand, it also encourages a level of self-reflection that some of us might not want to face and forces us to confront the future.
This week, we can’t help but peer into the future. In the feature story that I interviewed Noguchi for, he and chef Jim Denevan contemplate the future of food on Page 10. Meanwhile, Jaimie Kim shares her thoughts on some of the most exciting new restaurants slated to open on Oahu in the coming year (Page 14).
Speaking of new things, we’re excited that for the first time in Metro, we have published a poem in our Shared Space section on Page 3. Looking forward, we now welcome fiction and poetry (in addition to the personal essays that we have been publishing). Thank you, Jordan Hanson, for your wonderful piece.
In tackling those tough New Year’s questions, a lot of people make resolutions as an attempt at self-improvement. If one of your goals this year is to expand your music library, Roger Bong has some helpful tips on finding new tunes (Page 17). But Anton Glamb takes a slightly more sardonic look at resolutions on Page 5.
By the way, I did ask Noguchi what answer he gives himself when he asks if he’s doing a good job. His answer was, “I hope so.” In the end, I think that is the best answer any of us can give.
Happy New Year!
