“Ono” Hawaiian Food

So, in the interest of clarity, I’m offering the following ….

Traditional Hawaiian Food

Poi (poy) Made from the thoroughly cooked, mashed, corm of the Taro (Kalo in Hawaiian) plant. Traditionally, Poi is not mixed with other foods, and is eaten by twirling one or  two fingers (never three; greedy, eh?) in a bowl of Poi, then popping what’s collected in the mouth. OK, in modern times, not so much, but it is usally offered as a side dish. I’m a slob, and I like to mix it with my rice.

 Kalua pig (kah loouh …. hey, you know how to pronounce pig) Traditionally, and the only authentic kalua pig is cooked in an underground oven called an imu. The heat source is hot rocks, and much of the unique flavor comes from salt, and wet banana and ti leaves. So, you folks who go to a lu’au where the pig is cooked in a pit are treated to the real deal, no matter how much other imitation stuff is going on. (Note: The word kalua literally means "to cook in an underground oven" and also describes the flavor of food cooked that way).

Lu’au  Thoroughly steamed young Taro leaves … also what a festive event is called. A very popular party dish is lu’au steamed with coconut milk and some kind of fish, meat or fowl. “Eh, you like squid lu’au?“

Laulau (think “bow wow“ …only with L’s) Lau is the Hawaiian word for leaf, so laulau is two leaves. This is a handy little food package consisting of a single portion of meat (usually pork) and butterfish wrapped in lu’au (taro leaf), then wrapped in ti leaf … the aluminum foil of the Pacific. Then the whole package is thoroughly steamed. When served, you unwrap the ti leaf and set it aside … please, please don’t eat the ti leaves. You wouldn’t eat aluminum foil, right? Many local people sprinkle little bit “peppah watah” on.  

‘Uala (Hawaiian purple sweet potato) You’ll find this tasty tuber at lu’aus, and most places where they serve “Hawaiian plate.“ This is an ancient food item, and it is believed that it was brought to central Polynesia circa 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had traveled to South America and back (or vice versa), and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii.  

Limu (seaweed) This is such a big category it would take several  posts just to touch on the highlights.  Suffice it to say that native Hawaiians … as well as most of the prominent local cultures of Hawaii … have enjoyed limu as part of their basic diet for literally thousands of years. It’s eaten in raw, cooked and dried form, and is very nutritious.

Fish …….Whew! this is getting kinda long. I’ll finish up with my usual, then return midweek with another post on the “ono” foods of Hawaii. Some recipes, too.

News Flash: Running out of ideas for that November ‘09 vacation? To get inspired Check this out.

Fun Facts About Hawaii: As such, in the State of Hawaii there are no governments below the county level. So, don’t look for the City Hall in Hilo.
 
Any questions? Please leave a comment.

Aloha a hui hou
    

If you’re considering going to Hawaii on a package plan, check out all that is offered, especially the lodging that is included in the package.

Why do I emphasize this point? Because I’ve had soooo many people on my tours that voiced disappointment, or alluded to downright deception about their accommodations.
Having said that, you need to know that the general level of cleanliness, courtesy, and service in Hawaii lodgings is excellent.
The problem, most of the time, seems to be in the traveler’s perception of what he’s paying for, and what he’s actually paying for (excuse the gender thing). Here’s a property ad from an actual web description … I’ve changed a few words, but haven’t downgraded or embellished the property.

“Hotel xyz is an older moderate hotel with expansive grounds and over eleven hundred palm trees. This low-rise property is located across the street from the beach in the Kihei area on Maui. It features a pool, 2 tennis courts, central laundry facilities, activity desk, complimentary coffee in the lobby, BBQ and volleyball.
The hotel rooms (which range from garden view to oceanfront) all have air conditioning, refrigerator, shower & bathtub and color cable TV.“

Now, this is a very forthright description of the property. I’ve stayed there several times, and have recommended it to others. So what’s the problem?

The problem lies in several terms. “Older” is not well defined. This property is, without a doubt, the oldest resort on Maui that’s still standing.

And then there’s “across the street from the beach.” The beach consists of a few small pockets of sand, which are blocked off by small oceanfront units that actually belong to Unit xyz. The main body of this property sits back about 75 to 100 yards off the road…”across the street.” Again, “oceanfront” is a fair distance from the ocean and is blocked by many of the “eleven hundred palm trees.”

Would I stay there again? Sure I would. But I know what I’m getting. I have no allusions. I know it’s a very old Hawaiiana style resort that’s seen better days. But it’s very clean and friendly.

New visitors wouldn’t know that from just reading the description. They also wouldn’t know there isn’t any restaurant located on the property (McDonalds is about 1 1/2 miles down the road), or that a real beach is a pretty good hike in either direction. But the ad should have mentioned there is a great windsurfing beach a short distance away, and because Hotel xyz is far back from the road, it’s pretty quiet.

So, here’s my point again. Don’t just take an agent’s, website’s, or travel brochure’s word for what your “home away from home” is going to be like. Check it out! Call ‘em up! Ask questions! It really doesn’t take much effort, and I know you’ll be a lot happier knowing your perceptions are a lot closer to the real thing.

New Features Alert: News Flash, and Fun Facts About Hawaii

News Flash: Well now, I sorta promised that I’d let up on the air travel news, but later realized that I’d overlooked an important carrier, Alaska Airlines. And here’s the flash: Alaska Airlines will start a new daily round-trip flight between Seattle and Maui that begins July 17. Of course, Alaska already flies nonstop to Kauai and Honolulu.

Fun Facts about Hawaii: Below is the Hawaii State Song.

Hawai’i Pono’i

Written by King David Kalakaua

Aloha, a hui hou (until we meet again)