The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1892-05-27
FEAsTING IN HAWAII.

Abundant Food Prepared in Nsrsa
Manner for One Thousand Guests.
The following extract from a private
letter written from Honolulu by DR..
George P. Andrews outlines a novel
feast:
We have been having festival week,
the semi centennial of Oahu college. A
number4of alumni came home from the
states, among others General S. G. Arm
strong, of Hampton, Va, and he gave
as some grand talks on his work in the
great school there. Rev. William Cru
lick and wife also are here from their
twenty years work in Spain. The great
feast was a novel sight. An awning of
sails covered in space about go by 100
feet, under which were laid tables, and
the viands, cooked Il la Hawaii, were
laid on them. AS provision was made
for Thousand people an account of the
cooking may be of interest.
There were provided forty-fve half
grown pigs, two beeves, 125 chickens,
several hundred fish, bushels of sweet
potatoes, etc. The larger pigs were cut
into fragments and tied in bundles of
banana and drachma leaves of a pound
OF two weight each. The beef was
served in the same way, also the chick
ems. The smaller pigs We're wrapped
whole in the leaves. Preparations for
the cooking were made the day before.
Four holes We're dug, one 10 by 4 feet
one 6 by 4 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 placed large
stones IL foot deep.
One fire was lighted early in the morn
ing Of the day before and the second
about o'clock. At 8 o'clock the wood
was burned out and the bottom 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 wlS plaCs'i mass o.
fresh banana leaves several s1r-t. t8-..;
over this lnaJtiu:, a4d ls4-t u4rc Il 5...,s
thick and the imu was finished aud l-it
TO steam until the next morning.
At 5 in the evening the big one was
similarly filed with the remainder of the
meat and the trussed pigs, and also cov-
cred. One can imagine what delight
full heat would be brought to bear upon
the contents of the imu, and how deli
cately the contents would be cooked dur
ing 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 We're opened during the
morning and the contents taken out and
covered to keep not.
The tables seated between 200 and 800
ut a time. Poi, the native food-a paste
made from the Calocosen esculentum
and soured-was put in small, water
tight baskets along the center of each
table SO that four persons could reach
each one with the fingers (snives and
forks are eschewed at a luan). Each
table was also gay with crimson feshed
watermelons cut in fancy shapes, various
relishes of raw sea urchins, meat, sea-
weed, raw shrimps and pounded lzukui
nuts and salt. Conveniently at hand
were fern leaves, and the viands upon
leaves, gourds and wooden bowls and
platters.
The guests recline at their ease on the
left side and eat with the right hand.
Each one has bowl of fair water to
cleanse the fingers. The method of eat
ing is not disgusting. The natives use
their fingers dexterously and daintily
and not piggishly, though they are
rather gormandizing in their native
sbate.-Detroit Free Press.