The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-04-30
POI FROM HAWAII.
Native Kanaka Food to Be Tried
in This Country.
A Handy Article of Diet Tint VIII
Come q Boon to the busy
Housewife How Ii Is
Prepared.

\ dispatch from San Francisco an
nounces the arrival at that port of a
consignment of poi for the Chicago
market. There are 200 bags of stuff
it comes in the form OF -four.
This is the first shipment of poi to
the United States, though the name is
familiar to most persons, by reason of
the great volume of misinformation
that has been published about it.
As a matter of fact. poi is a porridge.
made of flour obtained by grinding the
roots of tara, or taro. This latter is a
plant grown in most of the Polynesian
islands, especially in Hawaii Its
scientific name is alocasia macrorhiZa
but that is never whispered in Hawaii,
being not necessarily for publication,
but merely guarantee of good faith
The plant grows to the height of about
two feet in small beds, which are so con
structed that they may be flooded, as
rice fields are. The tops are used by the
natives as pot herbs, but the root of
the matter" as the Scotch preachers
say, is the portion underground whence
comes the poi.
The process of acclimating poi in
America should be watched with inter
est This is the age when good house
wife is expected to serve to her dys-
Pcptic husband new cereal for break
fast every morning in the year. as the
wife of the Bedouin Arab was expected
to regale her lord and master in respect
of the date.
To the distracted housewife poi will
come as boon. True, it is not a cereal,
strictly speaking, but it is practical
foundation for 'mush," and that Is the
main thing. Persons suffering from Il
certain class of disorders, including
some dyspeptics, may not toy with poi
because of its excessive richness in
starch, but in the main the stuff is harm
less-as witness the splendid health of
the Hawaiidns-at least before the mis-
sionarics came.
y very pretty sight it was in those
days to observe the pretty kanaka girls
in primeNal grab grinding the tara root
upon stone as the wife of the Mexican
Peon stiH grinds the corn for her hus-
bands rejection. At least | am told so.
In my day at Honolulu the native wom-
Ell wore Mother HubbaTdS." and were
already civilized to the point of dis
liking housework.
Still there was plenty of poi to be had
and still is, doubtless. 1t is served
for breakfast at the Royal Hawaiian
hOtel-which hostelry must. of course.
have n new and republican name by
this time. And there | had my first
taste of the stuff. 1t was served after
the oranGes-deIightful oranges of
Ouaho.-and | saw the resident whites
flooding their portions with cream and
" ha.,
liked it, but admitted it was an acquired
taste.
did not stay long eueugh to acquire
the taste. The mush was pinl. .ish in
hue-a most unhealthy looking pink
and sickish in taste. | was content tC
be able To say l had tasted it, Ths
kanalsas may have IL for al OF me
but there is no accounting for tastes
Later on | had the torture to cr-
court,r poi in circumstance L -uc!i more
nearly au naturel. This WAS at Il Iuau,
or feast given by his majesty. the late
kalaGaua, of insanity, lut nest joviai
memory. This was on the WAIKIKI
beach, a paradise, where eating is
proclamation, except by the kings OF
ders, anyway.
At this function poi was served, as on
the table of the lowliest native. in Il jar
OF rough ware, and eaten as the loNyly
natives cat it-with the finger. Notice
not fingers, but finger. The index
digit of the right hand thrust into the
pink and quivering mess, bent at the
proper angle, turned about and then
brought forth. with portion of the poi
adhering TO the upper joint, by which
il was thrust into the mouth
Looking back at it the process seems
well, yes. nasty. But ut the tirIeC. as |
remember, it was not so, but, indeed,
quite the contrary. Tastes change as
well as Giffer-it may be that.-N. Y.
Herald.