Phoenix weekly herald. [volume] (Phoenix, Maricopa County, Ariz. Territory) 1896-1899, 1898-09-22
HAwAIIANs AT A LUAU.
Shark the Chief Dish at Their Ma
tioDal Feasts.

feed-on every possible occasion. An
it is truly marvellous says n CORES
Z pondent of the New York Sun, "wha
quantities of food they can stuff int
themselves without physical injury
A custom from time immemorial anon
. the Kanakas is to have a luau-al
enormous feaSt-about once ever.
FORTNIGHT King Kalakaua used to
have the most gorgeous luauS in TIL
memory of the oldest natives in Homo
lula. The average native would q
| without his grass hut and clOthe
ra1Eer than forego a luau with hi:
family or Il company of friends TIVE
or three times n month. The hardes
| work I have ever seen a Kanaka dc
has been in preparing for a luau, ant
some hard work must always be done
ia getting ready for a luau that is g
luau.
These feasts are usually served III
| the oren air. At the royal palace they
| took place in a great banquet hall. The
gorging is almost always accompanied
| by music on guitars and a peculiar
| native stringed instrument like a
| crude cello. The meal is served on
the grass. III leaves, variety of huge
| lilies. are used as tableclOtheS. The
| food is heaped on the ii leaves before
the feasters come. and there is no pas
sing of food to the guests. Each per-
son at the luau sits eross-legged, Turk
ish fashion, on elegantly woven grass
ma Is about the edge of the area of II
leaves and food. The meal is in one
course. and the feaSter eats as he likes
There are no knives or forks. Ones
fingers are good enough for dining pur-
poses at a luau. The feast usually
continues several hours. The fattest
EanakaS can sit with their legs doubl-
ed mp beneath them all day and night
ana never have n suggestion of an
ache, but it is positive torture to an
American or European who is eating
his first luau, when the feast has pro-
crossed about an hour
Meat is seldom eaten by the Kama
kas and is seldom served at a luau,
unless the Americans predominant.
Fish is served in abundance. The
waters of the blue ocean all about the
Hawaiian islands TEEN with a score of
varieties of mullet and mackerel, and
the KanakaS have an inordinate liking
for fish. A peculiar thing about the
Kanakas is their fondness for raw and
half-baked fish. 1 have seen the late
King Kolokaua MUNICH the flesh of a
mullet that had been swimming three
minutes before. The largest fish in |
Hawaiian waters is a species of shark |
Its weight is generally about thirty |
pounds. 1t holds the place of honor |
at big luau. just as turkey does at |
an American Thanksgiving dinner. |
II is cooked about ten minutes only |
Then the tough skin is peeled off, and
the steaming, odoriferous flesh is cut |
up and put ON ii leaves for the feast
ers. Some raw fishes of the mullet
family are a delicacy at Il Kanaka
lUau. 1t has often tr1ed the nerves of
an American guest at one of these
feaStS ito see Il gorgeouSlX decked
young Kanaka woman reach into one
of the wooden bowls of water arrang-
I'd at intervals about the ii leaves and
snatching therefrom a wrTthfng null
let about twice the size of a Sardine,
bite off ifs head and MUNICH the fish
Down. Often half-dozen live mullets
from an aquarium are eaten by each
Individual at a luau. Some of the
more dainty Kanaka women who have
observed the expressions of amaze
nent on the faces of the Dale-faced
quests may select merely minnow,
md will content themselves by rolling
t under their tongues.
Live Squid is partaken of at 1uau
is n sort of entree. The fish is not
'asiIy caught, and is. thereforee deli
.acy. There are sQuid epicures among
he Kanakas. just as there are terra
lin epicureS in New York and Balti-
more. On the island of Kauai there
re dozens of great ponds of salt water !
where squids-a small species of the
uttle f1sh-are cultivated. EX-Queen {
had a pond some two I
ores in area on her estate where
ono f1,n 6
here was in the sale of them and for {
or own private feastS. The sQuid that {
he natives like is a dark. Shiny. s
Iuirmfng thing, with a strong fishy =!
neil and a great staring eve. Hold n /
We Squid up before an aSSemblage of l
-anakas and the effect is magical a
Ou Will see a movement of the lips b
f every one who looks upon the fish.
t n luau the SquidS are held upon the {
leaves by strings attached to small
eights A feaster will reach over
ow and then and break off a tentacle :
'om Il squid. and while the poor :
.ea ture doubles and expands in pain =
t its ACKNOWLEDGMENT. the Kanaka =
i'll chew the meat down with a grin =
pleasure. !,
Raw shrimps are luxury also in U
ie Kanaka diet. They are never pre- q a
lred there by boiling. 1t takes some :
arve to see a bewitching native girl -
"av-coIored muslin, With wreath ~
flowers about her shoulders and
,odigiouS hirsute decorations, put -
II swart hand into wooden bowl of :"
lrimpS and bring forth a handful of y
ay. wriggling creatures and stuff a.
EN- in her mouth. I remember being .
a luau given by the Princess Liliuo- W W
lani cater queen when Robert Louis l.
evenson had his first Introduction to "
e love of raw fish by the Kanakas- u
smile still at the memory of how as d
nished he looked in spite of his eff ~ TX
rts to appear unmoved when a very q
ndsome, jolly young lady opposite IN IN
m grabbed a mass of live shrimps II
d stuffed a handful into her mouth 81
it'll unmistakable evidence of relish. e
led seaweed. chopped with savory 80 90
uce of peppers and served as a salad u
another entree. Then there are doz- .e
$ of fruits served In many ways on n, n.
Q ii leaves. while poi is served in III III
@e bowls to every guest tn. Y. Dis III
Jch. q.
til
SHOOTING AT MAMMOTH. br