Evening star., 1898-10-22
But Poi Does Not Appeal to Every
Palate.
EACH KIND WORSE THAN THE OTHEB
One Writer'S Opinion of This
Famous Native Dish.
A DISCoURAGING DELICACY
Mabel Loomis in the Independent.

Maoel Looms IN the lndcpendent.
As rice is the national dish Of Japan. 80
certain vegetable called poi has that hISb
honor i'm the Hawaiian Islands. Prepar.a
In variety Of ways. each. to the average
foreign visitor, is less appetizing than the
last.
When 4 native family is seen hanpily
clustered about a large central bowl din
Nrg therefrom with two fingers a s,Ib-
stance of nondescript color which seems
largely composed of an Indifferent ouaiIt,,
OF mucilage, one may be more than toler-
ably sure they are indulgfng in the delight :
OF this delicacy. Leprosy is said 10 he
largely transmitted through this custom.
when all the members OF a family. clean
and unclean. thrust their fingers into the
common receptacle
trip of something over go miles last
summer on one of the native inter-js, and
steamers from Honolulu to Hawaii was
The occasion Of my first memorable expert
ehoe with the delectable pot Having mere
ly tasted it before. and without marked
satisfaction. l NOTICED a friend seated near
me on the deck, herself an old resident of
the islands. engaged in drinking from "A
glass something evidently cold and poSsfb',,
good. Wishing always to experience novel
sensations whenever available, I ordered a
slmlIar beverage from the obliEing Httla
japanese steward. When the glass ar1i,- I
1t was found to contain a gray and .l,stfs
n aterial, indescrIbably sour and alarmint,
In flavor.
Has It's Drawbacks
had eaten black bread in Germany with
accessories unnamed. raw fish in Japau
with unclassified crustac, ans and shoots OF
bamboo and national dishes in a variety
Oh regions; but IL required every kind OF
cosmopolitanism I could summon to re-
Train from Inseemly demonstration after
one draft of this liquid or fluid or yiscoys
POL IL IL dtScouraging GelicaCy.
renewed Interest arose in the scenery.
which happily at this point offered as lis
chlet attraction the monument to Can't.
Cook, surrounded by fence OF chains and
ole cannon. Cliffs over 5pD feet high rise
here straight up from the sea and around
The bay. where the water is as clear and
green as an emerald, nestles the little town
of kaawaloa.
The site of the astronomical Observatory
established by Captain Cook near by. was
not seen. but 1t was an Interesting Thought
that instruments had once been set up and
Observations made in this far-away Ha-
waiian harbor.
tshered in a New Era
His discovery of the islands in l77S was
certainly the turning point in their history
ushering in a new era of progress and pros
perity. The second visit of the great uayi-
gator was in the autumn of the same year
and in January Of 1873 he anchored in
healakeakua bay. His murder in February
80 affected the world at large that for over
seven years no foreign vessels attempted Ia
anchor there. And now. nearly a century
and quarter later a few Americans were
looking curiouSly toward the little village
from the deck of modern steamer prepar-
ing to go ashore and telephone across the
large island.
| wonder if the unfortunate mariner was
given poi to eat, in addition to his other
disasters.
The monument itself was erected in 1Sa5
by Lord Byron, commanding the frigata
Blonde, in the name of Captain Cook $
countrymen. on land presented by the Prin-
cess Likelike.
Poi Once More.
a day or two later a delightful opportuni-
ty to take poi again. and perchance reverse
the sad Judgment against Il nations staple
food. occurred at lovely ranch-an oasis
of verdure in the midst of volcanic desola-
tion on the slopes of Mauna Loa, the great
est volcano in the world.
When its outer gate was nassad brfpht
green grass and a few old trees gr,-fad
eyes wearied with endless masses Of pahoe-
hoe, as the natives call the smoothly flow
ing lava, now cold and stiffened in era WI
ing curves. The house nestled in its ear-
dens IKE some great tropical flower. Fuch-
sias hung their brilliant blossoms many
feet above our heads, avenues bordered by
tail coleus not less than SIX feet high led
INTO labyrinth of bloom and beauty where
hearty welcomes waited in the shade
For the benefit of the guests unarcus-
toned to Hawaiian customs everything at
this poi luncheon" was done as entirely
after the native manner as might be con-
sistent with comfort.
Native Cooking.
Beyond the garden young pigs and chick
ems were still roasting in an underground
oven (umu), where for three or four hours
they had lain, delcately wrapped in XII tor
tD leaves against red-hot stones. layers of
vegetables between, and the whole covered
with earth and stones.
Native servants. experts in an art now
dying ont, were ged in removing the
various edibles from the pit. SO daintily
cooked that they hardly held in shane
while being carried to the house.
Later this most delicious luncheon was
served en- the wide veranda. or lanai. each
chair draped with wreaths and garlands of
flowers, which were thrown over the shouI-
ders of the guests al the conclusion of the
feast Roses We're everywhere for thai
undesirable insect by which the HOnoiu ia
roses are destroyed had not, last summer,
reached Hawaii, the largest island
Poetic Only i'm Retrospect.
To be thoroughly native the company
should have had no chairs, but a conces-
sion was made to American backs. and sit
ting on the floor was omitted from the pol
ceremonies. The luncheon was so lavish,
irrespective Of this vegetable that
thought of 1t more kindly, and learned 10
IL IN the true "two-fingered"
method. Sill, l could not but regard poi
with lingering suspicion. Its color is against
ii. Granite gray is not an attractive tint
in an article of diet.
Tales of old court life filled the pleasant
afternoon, as the shadows grew long across
the grass, and at last the kindly host and
his family gathered at the gate when
alohas drifted out to us far down the read
as the uncertain stage bore us once more
to the outer barren.
Surrounded by friends and flowers a
deep-blue tropical sea, vast volcanic noun
tain slopes and the soft, sweet atmosphere
Of enchanted Hawaii. even poi has become
poetic in retrospect.
The Cherche Midi Prison.
From the London News.
The Charche Midi prison. In which Col.