Evening star., 1895-08-02
A Big Feast in Hawaii in the Ma
tive Style.
RECENT POLITICAL HAPPENINGS
A Notable Subsidence of Long,
MINDED EIoquence.
BUYING A ROYAL PALACE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

much political chagrin of late years. had
an agreeable day two weeks ago. He made
a great feast to celebrate the opening of
the Oahu railway extension to his planta-
ton at Wailnae. By special train he car
ried thiiher some thirty of hfs children and
grandchildren. together with the officers of
the road and a crowd Of other guests.
among whom were Chief Justice Judd and
his guest. DR.. Joseph Cook. The feast was
luau Qoo-ow), served in Hawaiian style.
large area is covered over by sort of
booth or lanai Qah-nye), constructed of
posts anl cocoanut leaves. The ground is
covered with rushes. The posts are wreath
ed with mountain foliage, ieie, ii. marie
and ferns. Instead of tables are long
spaces covered with banana and Ii Uee)
leaves, on which plates are laid. Profuse
supplies are brought on Of beef, mutton,
pork, fowls. fish, taro, sweet potatoes, all
cooked in the native imu (ee-moo), or
ground oven. The meats are served in the
leaves in which they were baked. They
are usually in small packages Of about
two pounds, snugly wrapped in the tough,
sweet ii leaves. which are about thirty
inches by six. There is an occasional whole
pig-sometmes a dcg-baked in the large
banana leaves. with red-hot stones insert
ed In the belly and under the shoulder
blades. to insure being cooked through.
Steam does the cooking, in this way: A
fole is excavated in the ground, hollow
hemisphere from five to eight feet in diam
eter. In this is laid up an arch of large
blocks Of vesicular lava covered by pile
of small stones. Under ths arch fire is
maintained for an Eour or two, until the
inner stones are red hot. The pile Is then
broken down. covering most of the bottom
of the pit. Grass is laid upon the hot
stones. On that are laid any whole hogs.
in their banana leaves; next piled on are
the smaller packages of meat and fish.
Over them are potatoes and tara, and luau
or bundles Of the tender. unopened tara
leaves. fer green's, which give name to the
feast. The whole pile is then covered deep
with grass. Earth is lieaped over it to a
thickness of several inches. n hole being
left in the top. into this opening are pour
ed from twenty to sixty gallons of water.
and the earth instantly closed over. The
water reaches the hot stones. the interior
fills with steam. and cooking proceeds for
two hours or more. If steam escapes any
where it is stopped with earth.
The results are delicious. The sweet
Juices of the meats are far better developed
than by roasting. ] believe "clam bakes''
are managed on a similar principle. But 1
have not named the most essential Wand of
a }uau feast. This is poi, without which
no Hawaiian can make a square meal.
Bowls Of this rich and nutritious paste are
In front of every guest 1t is the cooked
tara root. thoroughly pounded. softened
with modicum of water to a very stiff
paste, and allowed slightly to ferment by
standing not over twenty-four hours. To
De In style. one must eat with two fingers,
dipped into the bowl and dextrously twirl-
ed to saved the poi from dropping on the
way to the mouth. OF course, you squat
on the ground with the rest. like Turks
But you may use a SPOON Probably you
Will dislike the slight sourness of the poi
at first. To Did residents 1t has a wonder
full relish Docto ocs prescribe 1t as diet for
fever patients.
Other Hawaiian viands contribute variety
to the feast. Something like salted al
rords, but coarser, is the fnamona, roast
ed kukpi nuts triturated with salt There
Is kuolo pudding of poi and green cocoa
nut pulp. Served fresh will be many spe-
c1es CT limu, sea moss ard brook moss.
There are sea eggs and shrimps. both of
which may be cooked o. eaten alive. There
are opihi, or limpets. and raw fish of vari-
Gus kinds. Stewart records a feast in 1928
where te saw one OF the queens seize a
live cutie fish and bite piece out of it's
body. while its tentacles clung around her
head and neck! Judge Widemapn's luau
had no specialties like that, and probably
no roast dog. 1t was undoubtedly first
class affair, with tables and chairs and a
gocd supply of foreigners victuals for those
unaccustomed to native ways. Nor is 1t
probable that any guests went dry for lack
of beverages suited to their varied thirsts.
or course there were plenty of watermel-
ons. with luscious green cocoanuts on tap
with their sparkling sweet water.
A Big Plantation.
Mr.. Widemann is chief owner Of the
Waianae plantation It's crop this year
has been $500 tons of sugar, and Is likely
to be 5000 tons rext year. They hope yet
to work 1t up to 5000 tens. There is un-
limited acreage of richest bottom land
within five miles of.the mill, but water for
irrigation Is lacking. Seventy thousand
dollars las feen spent in boring artesian
wells all in vain except In one locality,
where fine pumping plant is lifting water
forty feet to irrigate over 400 acres. About
500 acres more are watered by two noun
tain streams.
This new section of the Oahu railway
adds fifts On miles to the eighteen previous
ly reaching the Eva mill. Mr.. Dillingham;
expects to promptly continue the road
around the northwest point of the island
and to I<ahuku mill. at the north point, a
distance of thirty-five miles, or siXty-eight
from Honolulu. BY this extension many
important tracts of fertile land will be
opened for varied cultivation which have
gar mills and the exs ting local traffic Of
many villages on the route are ample for a
well-payng business to the road.
On the Goth ultimo had the pleasure of
seeing the last rails laid at Waianae mill
The new section runs five miles over a
plain of coral. from Eva mill to the west
ern shore of the island, then three miles
betw cen the sea and the low end of Waia-
due north seven miles. along the heavy
sand beaches, where the calm Pacific rolls
in a gentle ripple of surf. But the sand
dunes record with what thunderous bill
lows the westerly gales of winter storm in
From five to seven miles inland from this
hot, calm shore. beyond low Intervening
plains. stretches an amphitheater of noun
tain wall Occasional sharp ridges more
or less broken, intersect the plains at right
angles to the great mountain wall This
Waianae district forms nearly precise
counterpart TO the northeastern district of
Koolan, with its similar mountain wall fac
ing northeast and similar transverse broken
ridges leading to the sea. In both cases we
seem tr have the skeleton vertebrae and
ribs which remain after the original dome
shaped mountain of piled lava streams was
slowly weathered away by the long beat
ing of storms from the sea through hun
dreds of thousands of years. Numberless
waterfalls through the ages ate at the
heart of the mountain with their mighty
erosions of thousands Of feet of vertical
plunge, while nearer the foot Of the dome.
by the sea, the less height of waterfall
caused comparatively feeble erosion and
left considerable masses remaining of the
lower slopes along the shore. 1t affords an
interesting geological study.
A Royal Pension.
The pension of $4,000 to KaiulanI has