Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1905-04-20
POI SUPPLY FAILING
END OF HAWAIIAN NATIONAL
DISH SEEMS NEAR.
Small Insect Working Haovc with the
Plant from Which Famous Delicacy
Is Made-PopuIar Both with the Ma
tives and Visitors.

"Poi, the famous Hawaiian national
DISH" said George P. Cooke of Homo
lulu, Yale student, who was born in
the island paradise, as also were his
parents and grandparents, 'is becom-
| ing less and less eaten and viii. soon
be thing only of tradition. The
quality of the article we are now able
to get is far below that of former
years.
in the use of poi is small insect
which has lately made its appearance
in the islands. These insects have at
| tackled the roots of the taro plant,
| from which the poi is made, with al
| most as disastrous effects as those left
upon cotton in the South by the boil
weevil, and, as is the case with the
cotton pest, it is equally difficult to
| handle.
"In the past poi has been the prin-
cipal vegetable food not only of the
| natives but of the American and Eu-
ropean families as we'll. In fact, SO
| general has been it's use that it has
| largely taken the place of bread. No
| meal has been considered complete
without POI, and it makes it's appear
ance on the table three times day,
like rice in China or grits in the South.
"The American families prepare it
by first pounding it into a pulp and
then baking it in an oven or frying it
in small cakes. The usual native style
Of preparation is by boiling.
"They first pound it into pulp and
| then set it out to dry, when it becomes
fine flour. This flour will keep Tor
several weeks, and when the native
| wishes to dine he brings forth Gala
bash, holding perhaps half gallon,
and to the poi flour adds water until 1t
reaches the desired consistency. The
natives eat little else besides poi.
'"They always eat it with their fin
gers, and would speedily lose caste il
they used fork or spoon. The Ha'
waiian Classics poi in three grades
one-finger, two-finger and three-fnger
The three-finger variety is quite thin
and requires extreme deXterity, being
attempted only by experts in this style
| Of eating.
''The veriest novice could success
fully negotiate the one-fnger grade, il
having the consistency of paste. The
two-finger poi can be eaten by any
body after little practice, and is the
vogue.
| wit q
fingers, too, just like the natives, thai
is, if they are camping out. But O.
course at home it is served in the
ordinary way.
"The taro plant grows with compare
lively little care, which just suits thu
native Hawaiian, who is proverbial TO
being the LATEST man on earth. 1t ha
been cheap and within the reach o
all, but the inroads of the insects hav'
been so great that it is getting quit
scarce, and the native elIes out hi
supply by mixing flour with it, which
has injured the original flavor.
Nothing that we have in this cour
try occurs to me that will convey a.
idea of the taste of this delightful dist
1t is trifle sour, perhaps resemblin
yeast to certain extent, but with
flavor peculiarly it's own, and one TO
which it is not hard to acquire an al
petite. Newcomers or tourists to tn
islands are not long there before the
eat it with as much relish as the NJ
tives themselves"
| Like a Caverock In the Lift.