Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1893-09-15
LEARNING RS EAT poL
Acquiring taste FOR the National Dainty
hf the Sandwich islands

'"'"' W" inquiry nunSTlly loT pol |
and there Is brought you little
wooden bowl or calab containing a
9uct'-looking grayish sticky compound
resembling papcr-hauger's paste, You
regard 1t asllance, and ask ,r spoon,
but arc told it is to be eaten with the
fingers,
why, no one could take that stuff
UP In their hngefs you gasp.
80, yes just see, . and Into com,
pahion calabash your instructor dips
two fingers, and with d twifl, only ac.
luifed by long practice, withdraws
them loaded with the compound, which
is at once transferred to his mouth and
swallowed, his countenance assuming
meantime an expression of beatified
epicureanism. You do not know what
expression may have taken its abode
upon your visage, but you know your
principal sensation is one of simon.
pure horror.
Nov, you try it," says Epicurus.
Tentatively you thrust one finger int
the mess and gather up minute dos
of the delectable Wand. As you raise
1T toward your mouth your nose take:
cognizance of a sour smell that har
monies perfectly with the appearance
OF the poi. You close your eyes, and,
mentally breathing forth a devout
ejaculation, open your mouth and suck
the poi from your fingers, BY a sublime
effort of will you keep your lips closed
over the mouthful, while your compan-
ion looks on interestedly, evidently ex.
pecting to hear your palate scream with
delight Meanwhile your imagination
is working with lightning speed. The
poi is cold and clammy. The poi tastes
like stale yeast; it stings your tongue,
and an unutterable disgust possesses
your soul. You are sure you are going
to choke, though you know you dare
not, and you fguratively take yourself
by the throat and force yourself tc
swallow the compound. You can trace
its progress through the esophagus by
the Mortified shudder that organ gives
us the mouthful passes along it; you
ian hear the Will in your stomach
shrek as the frog-lil1e lump makes its
appearance among b I'm, and You think
you are going to die then and there.
'Don'tyou like it?" your hear some one
say. You struggle back to conscious,
ness and murmur your fear that you
are not educated to such high point
of taste.
90 never mind" is the consoling
reply. you'll be so fond of it in day
or two you can tkeep house without it. "
You know better than that, but you
offer no contradiction to the assertion.
But if you would leave the islands
with conscience untainted by poi you
must hold to your resolution to alb
stain from tasting the stuff again. This
will be difficult to do. You will see all
your acquaintance dipping into their
calabashes and hear them expatiatnp
on the delights of poi, and you begir
to aspire to taste again, You think
about it by day and by night, and al
last you venture. You take another
step along the downward pathway
As the poethas so touchingly described
You first endure, then pity, then EN-
brace" the calabash.
Poi is dish that must long remain
peculiar to the Hawaiian islands-al
ways, in fact, unless some means are
contrivcd for preserving taro so that i
will stand export. Poi is made from
taro, a root resembling the turnip /
grows in the water, with large, hand
some, green Leaf and it is almos
tasteless There is also an uplanC
taro cultivated in the mountains by
the natives which has a more de
eided taste, and which, as | learned
to my cost on tasting it raw, bites tn,
throat ike horscra fish. The low tar,
is the chief vegetable in tho island ant
in early days constituted the native.
principal crop. When cooked it as
sumes a notified gray and white ap
oearancc very like the lava rock tina
, hounds every where in the islands. Tn
process of manufacturing the poi i
quite lengthy one. A great hole i
lug in the ground, and into this tn
d faro roots are placed around piles o
not stones. The earth is then heapa
over the place and the tnro left t
s steam. When the taro is thorough,
q cooked, which operation often take
several hours, the roots are dug on
again, peeled, and put into huge ston
y receptacle, in which they are pounde
5 to pulp. This work is performed b
o ihe men. 1t is an arduous task, an
IN hot day land nearly all days ar
rot on the islands) the pounding of pc
c IS a scene over which it is desirable t
draw veil. The poi FOUNDER not onl
earns his bread by the sweat of hi
:, brow but mixes it as well largely wit
that fluid.
The poi OF commerce" is now mad
= by machinery, The natives, how
;, ever, still make their own. Whe
= the mass is thoroughly beaten an
. smooth it is mixed with water to I'll
q proper consistency, about like goc
- thick paste, strained through coars
cloth, and set away for two or thrt
>, lays, until it begins to ferment. whe
. 1t is ready to be eaten. 1t then tast,
d little like buttcrmilll and is very n,
d .ritious and wholesome. The nativ,
NJ Eat it by the gallon. Give the averae
native big pot of poi, half doze
g Jaw fish, and a bottle of gin, and VIC
II nay have the kingdom and the rest
;he earth as well. lie will squat upo
Vi The ground, break the head off one
I. The fish, take bite from its raw sid
d pack it in mouthful of poi, and was
g the whole down with swallow of gi
and repeat the process until all ha,
IN disappeared. ......
81 Singularly enough, revolving as tn
"a sounds, the actual scene is far from b
pr ng disgusting. have watched dozt
Of natives feeding thus, all dipping p
| = n1,l