Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-29
POIEATINGIN HAWAII
ACQUIRING A TASTE FOR THE POP
ulAR NATIONAL DAINTY.

and Eat Their One Great Food.
At your first meal you inquire hungrily
for poi, and there Is brought you a little
wooden bowl or calabash containing n
uueer looking grayish, sticky compound.
resembling paper hangers paste. You re
gard it askance and ask for spoon, but
are told it is to be eaten with the fingers.
"Why, no one could take that stuff up
in their flngersp you gasp.
"Oh, yes, just see, aud into n companion
calabash your instructor dips two fingers,
and with a twirl, only acquired 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 beati-
fed epicureanism. You do not know hat
expression may have taken its abode upon
your visage, but you know your principal
sensation is one of simon pure horror.
Now YOU try it, says Epicurus. Tenta-
lively you thrust one finger into the mess
and gather up "a minute dose Of the delect-
able Wand. As you raise it toward your
mouth, your nose takes cognizance OF sour
smell that harmonizes perfectly with the
appearance of the poi You close your eyes
and mentally breathing forth a devout
the poi from your fingers. BY sublime
effort of will you keep your lips closed over
the mouthful while your companion looks
on interestedly, evidently expecting TO hear
your palate scream with delight
Meantime 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 unuttcrable
disgust possesses your soul. You are sure
YOU are going to choke, though you know
YOU dare not, and you tiguratively take
Yourself by the throat and force yourselfto
swallow the compound You eau trace $
progress through the .e-Ophagus by ms
Mortified shudder that organ gives as tho
mouthful passes along II, You can hear the
Will in your stomach shrek a. the frOghke
lump makes It's appearance among them,
and you think you are going to dle then
and there Don't you like itF you hear
some one say. You struggle back TO con
seriousness and murmur your fear that yoJ
are not educated To such "a high point 81
taste
"Oh. never mind. is the consolng re.
ply. you'll be 10 fond of it in day OF
two You can't keep house without it,
You know better than that, but you oficl
no contradiction 90 hr assertion But II
YOU would leave the islands with a con
science untaiutcl by poi you must hold tC
your resolution TO abstain from tasting the
stuff again This Will be difficult TO do
You will see all Your ncquantances dipping
into their cala1ashus Auu hear them eXpa
tiating on the delights of poi, and you be
gin to aspire 20 Taste gaa,u. You thini
about il by dag and 10y night, and at las
you venture. You take another step alonl
the downward pathway. rs the poet ha
so touchingly described, ~ on lifst endure
then pity, then embrace the calabash.
The closing steps in Your career are cas-
to picture Yol call :ur poi at every meal
You take poi for ',u appetizer, you use it a
top dressing nj. ca q .-eIt you ballast wit
it before eating, sou U-r 10 for broken stol
age to make the other viands ride easy.
your food doesn't taste good, you eat "A iii
tie poi to tone up your palate. II you IN
feeling ont OF sort, o. under the weather
you take lirtic poi for your stomach
sake. Il is useful as an eye opener IN tn
morning, it SERVES a'lu.irably as nightca
on retiring. it ttats tne place of afternoo
tea, and tiliin is incomplete without poi. |
word, You have contracted the poi habit
You grow critical In your Judgment, an
fancy YOU can discriminate hctween poi an
poi. You become particular rs TO the shaI
and appearance ui your calahash, and iina
ly go down town aud purchase one aft
your own taste Nus rtgGId with cold iii
favor the blundcrs uf iurXper poi eater
It is not considered clr-ant to use lno
than two Gu-yrs ia eating It Or TO put Il
stuT on the C'ge of tNe Calahash or dr(
any Of it in transit. You acquire scie
tifie twirl OF the fingers IN gathering |
your mouthful and an airy grace in conve
ing 20 your mouth.
Poi is a dish that must long remain 7
culiar to the Hawaiian islande-always,
fact unless some means are contrved
preserving tarO 20 that lt viii stand expo
Poi is made from taro. a root resernbli
the turnip. II grows ia the water, will
large. handsome green leaf, and il is almt
tasteless. There is Also an upland ia
cultivated in the mountains by the nativ
which has more decided taste. and whit
as | learned TO my cost un tasting IT IA
bites the throat like horSerluish. The i
taro il the chief vegetable in the island a
in early days constituted the natives pr
cipal crop. When cooked, IL assumes
notified gray and white appearance, "
like the lava rock that abounds everywh
in the islands.
The process Of manufacturing the pc
quite lengthy one great hole IL aug
the ground, and into this the taro roots
placed around piles OF hot stones.
earth is then heaped over the place and
taro left to steam. When the taro is Il
oughly cooked, which is often several ho'
the roots are dug out again, peeled and
into huge stone receptacle, in which
are pounded to pulp. This work is
formed by the men. Il is an arduous &
and on a hot day land nearly all days
hot on the islands, the pounding of poi
scene over which it is desirable to dra
veil.
The poi of commerce" is now mad'
machinery. The natives, however,
make their own. When the mass is I
ouphly beaten and smooth, it ismixed '
water TO the proper consistency-about
thick .paste-strained through coarse c
and set away for two or three days unit
4 Il