Sept. San Diego Chop Chop - 8th in O'side, thanks for coming out!

On 2007-08-27 19:37, H2O Tiki wrote:
I may not have time to finish a new knot board but will bring one of my old ones for all to see.

Brian

Hey...do you have time to pick up a couple of bottles of the Cruzan Black Strap?
I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for 2 bottles today!
I'll let you use my chisels?
I'll be your best friend?

Good news, I ordered a case of Black Strap Rum. They told me it will be in between 1 and 5 weeks. You know the Uncle Sam. I Got the last 4 Bottles they had. BillyBob got 2. Payment, Tuesday for a bottle today would be fine.

I think we really started something with this Blackstrap rum.......the stuff is amazing, man. Two shots with Coca Cola tastes like rootbeer. Best rum I have ever tasted in my whole life......and we pretty much discovered it by accident. Brian bought a few different bottles of rum from the PX at 32nd street so we could try them out for our tiki punch. We tried the Blackstrap and it was like heaven, man. I'll never buy anything else if I don't have to.

An open bottle is an empty bottle!!

On 2007-08-29 20:02, H2O Tiki wrote:
Good news, I ordered a case of Black Strap Rum. They told me it will be in between 1 and 5 weeks. You know the Uncle Sam. I Got the last 4 Bottles they had. BillyBob got 2. Payment, Tuesday for a bottle today would be fine.

I will be there on the 8th

Brian

They have a pretty good website, too......

http://cruzanrum.com/

PIFA Update:
We're in! The paperwork is being submitted and we will have our official participation clearance by next Wednesday. The paperwork is just a formality, and it basically sanctions us, gives us a designated spot, and a shade tent to carve under during the event. Carvers will get free admission, parking, and food. We cannot vend in our area, but Tikiland will have a vending booth there and we should be able to sell some stuff out of it.
I'll keep you guys posted.

Buzzy Out!

Good lord, Buzzy, this is GREAT! A bunch of Haolis, sanctioned to carve native artwork at the PIFA!! Sometimes, I don't know how we swing these things, but I sure am happy to be a part. I'm on my way to Rockler for a new mallet.....I'm sick of smacking my hand with my old one!!

On 2007-08-30 12:39, billybobaloo wrote:
.....I'm sick of smacking my hand with my old one!!

Take the &^*@ slig of your arm you Baby, and maybe your aim will be better.

My aim was better WITH the sling, man. Got my 20 ounce today and packs a wallup, baby. Better than anything else I've ever used and I don't wake up as sore in the ribs. I still can't do much without a head full of pain pills, so I hope this helps. I really hate being limited.....makes you feel like half a person.

I started my new log and will be posting progress pics soon.

cool, I'm in for the 8th!
What am I missing about Cruzan black strap? I mean, I know it's good rum, but is it hard to find in San Diego or something? The local Bev Mo down the street is stupid with the stuff. I might be able to bring a bottle down with me on the 8th.
I only volunteer one, because I'll probably buy two and drink one of them the night before!
:)

It's been hard to locate in SD, yes. Brian ordered a case of it from the 32nd St. PX and we get it for $12. bucks a bottle. Now that you have mentioned it, you are not going to be admitted on the 8th with that bottle!!! Blackstrap is mothers milk, man!!

So we're a week away! Here's who's coming:
Mieko
Cheekygirl
Kate
billybob
H2O
TikiJosh
Cannibal Sam
Cannibal Pops
Mr. NoNaMe
Buzzy
Zaya
Bowana
Me

Possibles???

Babalu
Hank
Cam
etc.

[ Edited by: 4WDtiki 2007-08-31 19:35 ]

[ Edited by: 4WDtiki 2007-09-01 08:32 ]

COUNT ME IN. CANNIBAL SAM AND CANNIBAL POPS CANT WAIT FOR THE CHOP CHOP.

I am in, for both chops.

I might have to "pull a Cammo" though. Stone's 11th anniversary is also Saturday.

I'll wear the Survival kilt and try to smuggle some samples back to the chop.

Yeah, I noticed the Stone thing is the same day. :( Do you have tickets yet? First shift, or second? Maybe I'll pull a Imperial Russian Stout out of the cellar to mark the occasion. :wink:

I may have spoken too soon. Looks like we're working that Saturday. I'm going to try to weedle my way out of it or at least work a shorter shift so I can come down for a couple of hours.

I'll be there, but Tikidav stays locked away.

On 2007-08-31 19:38, 4WDtiki wrote:
Do you have tickets yet? First shift, or second?

I do not have tickets. I was just gonna show up. First shift means samples, maybe. Second shift means all the samples are probably mine.

Free TikiDav!

Zaya and I will be there on the 8th.

Buzzy Out!

Oh, thank god. The "guys gone wild" staff will be there to film us and I'm counting on Buzzy and Bill to carry the rest of us.

We have a couple of newbies, I think so I'll call you this week, Buzzy. I also want you look at my new guy.......from that log that was "Already a tiki". I'm freakin' out a little, here. Some say trees have souls.........I found an angry tree!!

What's the ten best or most bizarre moments in Chop history?

Like -

The first Chop at Mieko's & her first Spam Musubi.

Jello Shooters.

"Sliver me Eyeballs! Just PLUCK 'em out!"

Tikimekula's sharpening machine.

The auctions.

Chopping in 105 heat at Oasis, and the cool room.

Billy Bee showing up with a gun the first time and asking where the party was.

The Hot Dog Cart.

Corn.

The Casting at Babalu's.

What else...????

I'm down for both events...I'll be there hackin away...

On 2007-08-31 19:38, 4WDtiki wrote:
Yeah, I noticed the Stone thing is the same day. :( Do you have tickets yet? First shift, or second? Maybe I'll pull a Imperial Russian Stout out of the cellar to mark the occasion. :wink:

What is this "Stone" crap you're all speaking of?? Am I out of the loop, retarded or something? What is it, man!!??

What is this "Stone" crap you're all speaking of?? Am I out of the loop, retarded or something? What is it, man!!??

Yes and yes. It is beer, man!! Stone Brew. Local. Good beer. Not Schlitz, even though they make Primo. IPAs, barley wines, smokey porters. Arrogant Bastards even.
Beeeeerrrrrr! Mmmmmmm.

I'll get my growler filled on Friday and bring it Saturday, for breakfast.

MMMMMMMMM........Yeah, man. Good stouts and barley wines. Ok, I'm informed now. Thank you Mr. "The Red"!!

I have planned the day Friday with my family at the LA County Fair, usually a long hot day but will still try to make it saturday morning. Funny it seems, that 2 past summer chops we had power outages that caused my alarm not to go off, & we had another outage last night for 6 hours! Could Karma be playing with me and the summer chops?? Will Edison play a role in this next chop, or will Buzzy make the wake-up call??? Tune in this Saturday, same chop time, same chop channel!!

Saturday sounds great!

Unless there are objections, I'd like to save the money we have for food for a later chop, Phil's BBQ is great, but I haven't heard of anything really exceptional in O'side. I can bring musubi and yakisoba noodles, if others can bring a little food we can have a pretty good feast. Rumor has it Lennie might be up to making us some chicken teriyaki as well.

I'm getting wood tomorrow morning from a contact from last weekend - a little after 8am tomorrow off the 94 and Euclid on Mary Lou St. Harry is going to get some as well (new guy, found us at Oasis and was at the park.) If anyone else wants to show, please do, most people should have my cell if anyone has questions.

Mieko

Hey, Mieko......I made my first musubis today because Bella loved yours so much at the parkchop. That is a LOT of work!!! Frying the Spam, dipping it into teryaki, and letting it cool........making the rice sushi style, but without the sugar and vinegar, and then rolling it all up in my apron. I did two cans of Spam and it ate up exactly one pack of half-nori. It took a fraction of that time for my wife and kid to devour our favourite new food. The way we do it kicks the shit out of L&L.......we should give them our recipe because they don't fry it first.

Another musubi trick is to toss in a BIT of real maple syrup at the very end, to coat and crust the spam, sealing the juices in. The hard part is using a tiny amount, (like a teaspoon per pan) enough to do the job but not enough to overflavor it.

I guess that's Canadian Musubi!

Hey, that sounds good, too. I'm going to experiment with throwing in pineapple and other fruits with the Spam as well.....maybe even tempura yams. Spam has a groovy new 70th anniversary can. I wonder if anyone still has one of those original cans........dare you to eat it!!

On 2007-09-02 12:55, mieko wrote:
Saturday sounds great!

I'm getting wood tomorrow morning from a contact from last weekend - a little after 8am tomorrow off the 94 and Euclid on Mary Lou St. Harry is going to get some as well (new guy, found us at Oasis and was at the park.)

Mieko

Mieko,
First off. Thanks for the info I got 5 nice logs. Nothing less than 4 feet long. The ony thing these things are a TON.

Second, Fernando the "Tree Cutting Guy" said that in the next few days he is going to take down another tree across the street. It looks to be around 30 feet tall. He will call me to let me know when we can pick up the new stuff. He said it was nice to have people be able to use trees he cuts down. He did make one request.. He wanted to know if I could make him a Saint to go into his front yard. Me being new at this Tiki Carving gig, told him I would did not have the skills to make a Saint. And told him I would let my Tiki Brothers and Sisters know of his request.. Can we help Fernando the "Tree Cutting Guy" out?

And Third, I got some Carne Asada and fresh Dove down in El Centro this weekend. Is anyone up for any or both? Yes Black Strap Rum will be with me, along with some Shasta Tiki Punch. If you need to ask just wate and see:>

Brian

Which Saint does he want? Sounds like a job for BUZZY!

SPAM means SPiced hAM, I think.

Does anybody know where to get red rice, Guam style? It's flavored and colored with the Annatto nut... it would make really choice islander musubi.

On 2007-09-03 16:30, Cammo wrote:
Which Saint does he want? Sounds like a job for BUZZY!

I think he said St Guadalupe. But Iam not sure. I can ask him next time I see him to make sure. I will look at the base to see if the have red rice. Going in the morning. Have to take Grand-ma shopping.

On 2007-09-03 16:30, Cammo wrote:

SPAM means SPiced hAM, I think.

I think it is Salted Pork and hAM. :) ? :)

Signature? I ain't signin nothin!

[ Edited by: Mr. NoNaMe 2007-09-03 22:23 ]

Believe it or not, the origins of the name are sort of mysterious;

"Introduced on July 5, 1937, the name "Spam" was chosen in the 1930s when the product, whose original name was far less memorable (Hormel Spiced Ham), began to lose market share. The name was chosen from multiple entries in a naming contest. A Hormel official once stated that the original meaning of the name Spam was "Shoulder of Pork and hAM". According to writer Marguerite Patten in Spam – The Cookbook, the name was suggested by Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and the brother of a Hormel vice president. At one time, the official explanation may have been that the name was a syllabic abbreviation of "SPiced hAM", but on their official website, Hormel denies this and states that "Spam is just that. Spam." The fact that the originator was given a $100 prize for coming up with the name, however, still appears on the site's Spam FAQs.

Many jocular backronyms have been devised, such as "Something Posing As Meat." "Special Purpose Army Meat" has been suggested as another apocryphal backronym referring to the product's WWII roots."

SPAM by any other name...

Whatever the name and whatever the hell is in it, they sure came up with a product that foreign countries and small islands go ape shit over. When I was a kid, it was never allowed in our house because for one, mom said it was dog food, and for another, she couldn't get passed the fact that it retained the shape of the can after it was extracted.......I'd actually prefer it did, myself as apposed to the alternative. So, these things considered, I never had Spam until I was on vacation at some tropical dump in the south seas, and they had it at the breakfast buffet......and the lunch buffet.....and come to think of it, I don't remember the dinner buffet at all. It's just instant, gratuitous food........a loaf of sin and a ticket to hell, according to our Muslim and Hebrew brothers.
In my opinion, it's a needed evil. Musubi is the fruit of the gods. I mastered Musubi making this week, (even adding other things like cooked pineapple and sesame seeds), and everyone that came by(we had sort of a house full this week) just loved it.

Brian shot the Dove of Peace this weekend. He'll be good in a Musubi, too!!!

Sorry to interupt all the spam and rum talk, but here are the details of the chop this Saurday. :)
Saturday, Sept 8, 9am-5pm ish.
My house in Oceanside. Those needing directions, PM me.
No kids.
No pets.
No guns.
Please, everyone try to bring something for food or drink.(no, alcohol doesn't count) Think potluck buffet.
Bring a ez-up if you have one. It'll probably still be hot by then.
See you Saturday!

Can the Irish come, as long as we're unarmed?

On 2007-09-04 12:16, 4WDtiki wrote:
Saturday, Sept 8, 9am-5pm ish.

No kids.
No pets.
No guns.

What do you have against my son... so he is only 9, He loves to chop too, I'll bing some of his stuff; he can't help that I named him Gunnar "Guns for Short". It's no problem, my ex has him this weekend.. Someday you guys will get to meet him.

Brian

Yeah, "Gunnar Saxxon"......sounds like a Viking, man. Born in Iceland. How many people can say that?

Cool! Can't wait for the weekend. I'll bring the tiki I've been working on since Oasis-- I seem to remember something about wood stain.
I'll probably bring the small half log I have left from oasis to start on a mask, but I wouldn't say no to another log. Is there someone who coordinates those things? I'll pay for a log!

It is completely up to the host to set any rules they want, especially regarding what can and cannot be brought.
Many houses are not kid-friendly, and we are using very dangerous tools. It doesn't matter if your kid is always good, is mature enough, etc, if something goes wrong, the host would feel bad, and it could actually be a legal problem.

I would also like to point out that we had somewhat of an unspoken rule of no carving while drunk. With all the talk of rum I'm a little nervous. While I'd like to think that everyone is adult enough to know their limits, I believe a general rule of no power tools after drinking would be a good idea, and I'd actually prefer a no carving after drinking rule.

As far as what defines drinking, that's another debate, a beer with lunch is quite a bit different than taking shots, but most of those mai tais that are made are pretty strong.

After seeing all the tree guys last weekend and their missing fingers, I'd like to work on being a lot safer in our carving. There's some pretty scary stories just on TC. If people are nervous about how someone is carving, either because that person is drunk, or is just doing things that are unsafe, we need to be able to ask that person to stop.

We learned more from the "tree guys" than they did from us, maybe.

Mieko's right. In a chainsaw accident, the chainsaw always wins.

Namely -

1. Wear chaps, gloves & eye protection when you chainsaw. Shooting glasses make great safety eyewear and they look suave.

2. Chainsaw away from yourself, never toward.

3. Beer, rum, who cares, it's all alcohol. Don't go with power after ANY drink. Keep it for the end of the day, when it feels REALLY GOOD!

4. Don't go inside someone else's carving area if the person has no idea you're there. Power or no power, it doesn't matter; and that's a problem with kids, they assume you know what they're doing. But you don't.

Laytah.

I hope I did not make any one upset about my son. Just thought it was funny that 2 of the three items my kid fell into.

I do and will agree with all rules anybody lays out for their home and hospitality.

I have been hanging out with Billy to long, don't know when to just sit and listen. Key-board BAD.

Brian

I'm in for this Saturday!!

I think the rules should be more like "guidelines". We're all adults and we all know how to govern ourselves appropriately, although we joke that we don't. I never would have brought my daughter to the parkchop, had I not planned on a sitter.....unfortunately, I got flaked on. I'm not going through that again(or putting her through that, either), that's for damned sure. I'll be leaving her with my sister every time from now on, or I simply will not be able to make it.

Drinking while chopping? Hmmm.......If I want a cocktail or a beer while I'm chopping, I'm going to have one, although I normally prefer not to. I had a half of a beer while chopping at Oasis and immediately cut myself twice in 30 minutes. Chopping drunk? Like I said before.....we're all adults here and should know how to behave as such. You start making "rules", you start having to enforce them and I'm not getting involved in any of that. How about we all just agree to use our freakin' heads, eh? If a chop host wants to lay down some guidelines then that's their prerogative.......It's his or her house, and we should respect that. I'm sure Bill would have no problem asking someone who is "out of line" to quit or split if they disrespected his house and I think we're all on friendly enough terms that the lines of communication should be pretty open between us. We're all "friends", right?

Safety equipment? Up to the host. Safety requirements for your house may be chaps, goggles, gloves, etc, and that should be respected. At Cammos house, you take off your shoes and at Buzzys house, you wear steel-toes......and you don't smoke in my house.

These are just my thoughts, I could be wrong.

Has anyone ever thought of having a beach chop? Like maybe at OB or something? Was thinking about that after the Parkchop. We should do it in the fall, man.

The first Chop of all time was at South Mission Beach in August of last year, almost exactly one year ago. I had it under the "San Diego Tiki Club" thread.

It was REALLY FUN. The lifeguards didn't hassle us, and I just made a big pile of sand to rest my log on. You can drink on SD beaches until 8:00, but no glass. The beach has shells, which a lot of SD beaches don't. There's a Hawaiian BBQ place about 1 mile away. Clean, new bathrooms. We can put up all the popups we want. Parking is easy.

Everybody on the beach came up and said hi; kids, parents, girls, guys, and everybody wanted to either try carving or know more about it. It was way more interactive than even the Oasis Chop. Nobody has anything to do at the beach once they get there, so they are drawn as if by a magnetic force. The only thing I'd watch now is not to get your log sandy, it won't do your nicest chisels any good. And I don't think they want Tiki Torches around.

There are about 5 firepits, too. Get one earlier in the day and you got it all night. Hotdogs, Jiffy-Pop & guitars.

That sounds great, man. Anyone interested in doing a chop at the beach in October? The rest of the country will be seeing fall and some of the first signs of winter, while we are experiencing some of the most beautiful weather in the world......at the beach in Octber!