Hey Kiki Aranita, How do You Like Your Eggs?!?
I ask another chef how they like to eat breakfast. Enjoy!
Meet Kiki Aranita of Poi Dog Philly fame! She is a seriously accomplished chef, writer, crochet artist, and the Queen of great sauces. Kiki made a name for herself cooking hybrid-style Hawaiian food in Philadelphia’s food scene, hers was one of so many small businesses that had to make major decisions during the crushing effects of Covid. And while that meant closing her beloved restaurant and food truck, she quickly pivoted in what felt like a seamless move (though, I’m not naive enough to assume it was anything but heartbreaking and backbreaking to do so), and launched her line of Poi Dog products that has recently gained some serious nation wide attention (hello, Good Morning, America!) I’ve tried a bunch of them, and can personally attest to how delicious and inspiring it is to have in my kitchen arsenal.
Her talents in the food adjacent Queendom do not stop there, though. Kiki is also an accomplished fiber artist, her crocheted depictions of food and food products in yarn form have been exhibited in major spaces over the last few years. If you follow her on IG, and I suggest you do so post-haste, you will see these pieces adorning her house, her dogs, and at times, her husband (hi, Ari!) These detailed and delightful representations of food and culture are one of the numerous reasons to pay attention to Kiki, but I could literally go on and on and would you believe I’ve never even met her in person!?
Let’s get into how she likes her eggs, shall we?
Zoë: Do you remember the first breakfast (involving eggs) you learned how to make? Either as a child or an adult.
Kiki: My grandpa Ralph would make me scrambled eggs with shoyu, spam and leftover rice whenever my sister and I stayed over at my grandparents' house in Waipahu. Shoyu makes your scrambled eggs grey. It's not pretty. But I kept putting shoyu in my scrambled eggs (instead of salt) for many, many years because it reminded me of my grandpa.
Zoë: Favorite or most memorable egg dish you've ever eaten - anywhere in the world
Kiki: Tortilla espanola. I never really cooked as a kid and when I spent a college summer in Mallorca with the family of one of my best friends (I grew up in HK -- he was half Spanish, half Chinese), it became painfully apparent that I might legitimately starve if left to my own devices. My friend's dad taught me how to make tortilla by flipping it between a pan and a plate, and never any onions, and I basically ate tortilla for the rest of college.
Zoë: Walk me through how you decide which way to cook your eggs in the morning. Do you open the fridge and pull out a carton already knowing? Or are there other factors that contribute to your meal
Kiki: In the morning? Over medium these days. Always. A little bit of furikake on top. Chili Peppah Water.
Zoë: Who would be your dream guest to cook eggs for, dead or alive?
Kiki: Hitler, so I could poison his eggs. Or Antonio Banderas. I love him. No poisoning Antonio Banderas' eggs.
Zoë: Which came first: the chicken or the egg? no wrong answer here.
The Huli Huli Chicken (try my sauce, people)
Thanks for sharing with us Kiki! Her husband Ari is up next in this series, so stay tuned and happy breakfast, ya’ll!
But how do I make that EXACT DISH last pictured?! Is that a big piece of fried cheese?! I NEED WHATEVER IT IS