The Olympics have always been a miracle for me. Athletes from every country and territory coming together to compete in the name of peace and goodwill, showcasing both the potential of the human body and mind, to triumph over tragedy.
Gymnasts Suni Lee and Simone Biles have proved shining examples of both; Lee overcoming not one but two kidney diseases, and bringing home the bronze in the women’s individual uneven bars and women’s individual all-around, and Biles persevering over a stress-induced, mental battle with “the twisties,” where a gymnast loses track of where they are mid-air, making landing safely a terrifying uncertainty, to grab the gold in women’s vault and women’s individual all-around — both women leading the USA to gold in women’s team all-around.
I was on the internet looking for Olympic highlights when I came across a practice video of gymnastic mishaps in which gymnasts in training were saved by spotters with cushy mats and quick reflexes. Riveted, I was in awe of this beautiful example of what can be accomplished when you are willing to take risks because you know someone will be there to catch you if you fall.
Tenacity and teamwork have always been the hallmarks of the service industry as well. In June, Chinatown experienced a blackout lasting several days and costing restaurants thousands of dollars in revenue. At least one bar closed its doors permanently; others struggled to recoup the lost contents of their refrigerators and freezers.
Among all the chaos, three restaurants were spared much of the damage by an unlikely savior. An iconic Vietnamese eatery was receiving its weekly delivery when the power went down. It was every restaurant owner’s nightmare — a week’s worth of fresh meat and produce, now at risk of spoiling, and all they could do was watch. The delivery vendor was struck with a brilliant idea. Without knowing how long the outage would last, he explained they were his last stop of the day, and offered to arrange for them to keep his refrigerated truck until the power came back on. They quickly loaded not only the contents of their kitchen into the ice-cold truck, but that of their two neighboring restaurants as well. Four days later, their losses minimal, all three establishments were counting their blessings, acknowledging how much worse it could have been if it weren’t for the compassionate actions of their delivery vendor.
In the weeks that followed, patrons who caught wind of the devastation to local businesses caused by the outage, began flocking to their favorite Chinatown haunt to show their support. While it’s impossible to know what the future will hold, if we can continue to make an effort to look out for each other, and catch each other before we fall, maybe we won’t have to wait another four years to witness such awe-inspiring miracles.
For those of you staying up late to rewatch the highlights of the Olympic games, here’s a caffeinated eye-opener that will put a spring in your step:
Ingredients:
2.5 ounces Ocean Organic vodka espresso martini
1 ounce Ko Hana Kokoleka Hawaiian agricole rum crafted with cacao and honey
0.5 ounces Trader Vic’s macadamia nut liqueur
1 ounce espresso or cold brew coffee
Directions:
Shake all ingredients over ice and fine strain into chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with three espresso beans.
Alicia Yamachika is a bartender and craft mixologist, who currently is the key account manager at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits on Oahu. Follow her on Instagram (@alicia_yamachika). Her column will appear every second Wednesday in Crave.
