Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-11-20
A FEAST IN HAWAII.
Novel Manner In which the Food was Pre-
pared.

pared
The following extract from private
letter written from Honolulu by DR..
Geo. p Andrews gives an entertaining
account of a novel feast:
The great feast was novel sight. An
awning of sails covered in space of
about sixty by one hundred feet, under
which were laid tables, and the viands
cooked la Hawaii, were laid on them.
As provision was made for one thou
sand people an account of the cooking
may be of interest. There were pro-
vided forty-fve half-grown pigs, two
beeves, 1875 chickens, several hundred
fish, bushels OF sweet potatoes, etc.
The larger pigs were cut into fragments
and tied in bundles of banana and dra-
cana leaves, of pound or two weight
each. The beef was served in the same
way, also the chickens The smaller
pigs were wrapped whole in the leaves
Preparations for the cooking were made
the day before. Four holes were dug,
one ten by four feet, one six by four
feet, and the others about three feet
wide and two feet deep A quantity Of
wood was placed in the grotto and
upon this were piled large stones foot
deep. One fire was lighted early in the
morning of the day before and the sec
ond about one o'clock. Atthree o'clock
the wood was burned out and the bot
tom was a mass of red-hot stones.
Upon these were spread layer of
crushed fresh banana stems six inches
thick, and upon these were piled the
small bundles of meat two or three
feet high and the size of the hole. Over
them were placed mass Of fresh
banana leaves several inches thick,
over this mating and then dirt foot
thick and the imu was finished and left
to steam until the next morning. At
five in the evening the big one was
similarly filled with the remainder Of
the meat and the trussed pigs and also
covered. One can imagine what de-
lightful heat would be brought to bear
upon the contents of the imu and how
delicately the contents would be cook
ed during the long hours Of the night.
Early in the morning of the feast day
the two small linus were filed with the
fish tied up in leaves and sweet potatoes
and covered. The large ovens covered
the day before were opened during the
morning and the contents taken out
and covered to keep hot
The tables seated between two hun
bred and three hundred at time. Poi,
the native food, paste made from the
calocosen esculentum and soured, was
put in small water-tight baskets along
the center of each table SO that foul
persons could reach each one with the
fingers (l5nives and forks are eschewed
at luan). Each table was also gay
with crimson feshed watermelons cut
in fancy shapes, various relishes of raw
sea urchins meat seaweed, raw
shrimps and pounded kukui nuts ant
salt. Conveniently at hand were ferr
leaves, and the viands upon leaves
gourds and wooden bowls and plat
tiers.
The guests recline at their ease on the
left side and eat with the right hand
Each one has bowl of fair water Il
clease the fingers. The method Of eat
ing is not disgusting. The natives us'
their fingers dexterously and daintily
and not piggishly, though they art
rather gormandizing in their nativ'
state.
After the feast came the literary en-
tertainment, and very entertainin,
were the speakers, ancient Punahol
boys recalling the pleasures, the es
capades, the sorrowN of schoolboy life
1t was well worth listening to.-Detroi
free Press.