The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-07
POI IS POPULAR
In HAWAII
BUT IT DOES NOT APPEAL TO
EVERY PALATE.
Each Kind Worse Than the Other.
One Writer'S Opinion of This Fam
Gus Dish-A Discouraging Deli
cncv-

cacy.
Mabel Loomis, in the Independent.
As rice is the national dish Of Japan,
so a certain vegetable called poi has
that high honor in the Hawaiian
| Islands. Prepared in a variety of
ways, each, to the average foreign
visitor, is less appetizing than the last.
When a native family Is seen hap
PLY clustered about n large central
| bowl, dipping therefrom with two
| fingers a substance of nondescript col
or which seems largely composed Of
an Indifferent quality of muci!agc, one
may be more than tolerably sure they
are indulging in the delights of this
| delicacy. Leprosy is said To be large
| ~ transmitted through this custom,
when all the members of family,
clean and unclean, thrust iheir fingers
into the common receptacle.
a trip Of something over 250 miles
| last summer on one of the native inter-
! island steamers from Honolulu TO
| Hawaii was the occasion of my first
| memorable experience with tho delect-
| = bic poi. Having merely tasted it be-
fore, ana without marked satisfaction
! J. noticed & friend seated near me on
| the deck, herself an old resident of the
| islands, engaged in drinking from u
glass something evidently cold and
| possibly good. Wishing always to CX-
! perienCc novel sensations whenever
| available, l ordered Il similar beverage
from the obliging little Japanese stew
ard. When the glass arrived it was
found to contain gray and elastic
| material. indcscribably sour and
alarming in flavor.
had eaten black bread in Germany
with accessories unnamed, raw fish in
Japan with unClassitled crustac"aus
and shoots of bamboo, and national
dishes in Al Variety Of regions; but it
required every kind of CosnopOlitan-
ism l could summon To refrain from
! ungcCmly demonstration after one
draft Of this liquid or fluid or viscous
poi. 1t is Il discouraging delicacy.
Renewed interest arose in the seem
cry, which happily at this point otter
cd as its chief attraction the munu-
mcut to Captain COOIt surrounded by
u fence Of chains and old cannon.
Clius oyer 500 feet high rise here
straight up from the s"a and around
the bay, whore the water is as clear
aud green as an emerald, nestlos the
little town of Eaawaloa.
The site of the astronomical cbaor-
| y&tuly. established by Captain Cools
roaTDy, was not seen. but 1t was an
| interesting thought that instruments
haG omcc been set up and observations
made i'm this fur-dWay Hawaiian h@r-
bOr.
USHERED IN \ NEW ERA.
His discovery Of the islands in l77S
was certainly the turning poirt in
THAR history. uShering in new era Of
progress ana prosperity. The second
visit of the great navigator was in
thc autumn Of the same year, FanG in
January Of lI15 he anchOlcd i4 Kcal-
akeukuu bay. His murder in February
so affected the world ut large thIt for
over seven years no foreign vessels
attempted to anchor there. And low,
nearly century ana u quarter later,
q few Americans were looking curious
ly toward the little village from the
deck Of a modern steamer, preparing
to go ashore and telephone across the
large island.
! | wonder if the unfortunate mariner
was giy'a poi to eat, in addition To his
other disasters.
The monument itself was erected in
lS2j by Lord Byron, commanding the
frigLt2 Blonde, IN the name of Cap
tain Cooks CountIymCn, on land pre-
scented by the Princess LikellIe.
\ day or two later u delightful op-
pOrtumty to take poi again, and per,
chance reverse the sad judgmcn
against q nations staple food, OcCurreC