The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-26
PROF, TANNATT DOES
SOME PROMOTION WORK
Comprehensive Article on Hawaii in a Montana
Paper-volcanoes. Home Life, Sugar Industry
and Small Farming Are Treated.

vey the impression that but one dish
was known to the Hawaiians, at the
same time poi constituted the. and
does yet constitute, the principle
article of food among these people
It's manufacture is interesting. Taro,
the plant from which poi is made,
belongs to the lily family and is plant
ed in specially prepared beds of mud
EASY FARMING.
| In preparing these taro patches, a
| dixie is first formed and the earth
| within worked with water to the con-
| sistency of batter and to depth OF
| from two to four feet. 1t is not an
| uncommon sight to see the several
| members of an Hawaiian family waist
| deep in the mud, working with the toes
| and hands to remove the grass roots
and weeds preparing their taro patch.
| The little bulbs are planted in this
| mud and fresh water kept constantly
| flowing over the patch to the depth of
several inches. In the course of time
| the bulb grows to about the size of
| one g double fists, and is removed from
| the patch.
TIE root is cut from the stem and
the upper portion either used to make
is replanted for future growth. The
bulb is then washed, scraped and boiled
the same as we boil potatoes. The
man of the family, stripped to the
waist, gets his "poi FOUNDER and
board into some favored shady spot
and pounds the boiled roots, mixing
with little water, until the mass re-
sembles a dirty flour dough. This is
now fresh poi, although two thick for
general use; little more water and
from two to eight days of fermentation
improves the flavor to the Hawaiian s
taste. The American learns to like poi
in time, but at first it reminds him of
dirty flour paste. It's method of manu-
facture, when seen, does not improve
his appetite, as the climate produces
ready perspiration in the exercise
necessary to the manufacture of poi.
However, the food is very nourishing,
healthy and easily digested.
BILL OF FARE.
AT the feast the bill of fare is more
elaborate, upon which are roast pig,
dog Or chicken. cooked in pits filled
with hot stones, and although / am in |
clined to boast on the ability of our |
American cooks and housewives, I |
must admit that the Hawaiians can |
cook their fish, dog or chicken by this /
method par excellence. At the luau
we find baked sweet potatoes, raw fish,
seaweed, cocoanut taro pudding, a |
salad made of roasted kukui nuts and
red peppers, and many other savory
dishes, not altogether too inviting in
appearance. Many of these dishes take
both practice and experience for the
q WI 90 mo RI COT aIol lJr}
when limited to the Hawaiian knives
and forks, consisting of your hand ana
fingers. The amount of water in your
poi is regulated by your desire to have
one, two or three finger poi, depending
on the number of fingers necessary to
use to secure an ordinary mouthful
from the common poi bowl. AS the
case may be, one, two or three fingers
are extended and stuck in the bowl
and kept in motion in the poi until a
mouthful sticks to the fingers, which
is then carried by a peculiar motion
to the mouth, where the poi is sucked
from the fingers.
LAUNDRY WORK.
The method of washing in the Ha-
vaiian islands is also verv interesting.
The principal, and generally the only,
Shi VI tHc average nav l
woman is the ''holoku, - the national
costume, closely resembling the we'll
Known g Mother HUBBARD The feet !,
ire usually bare. When wash day !,
comes, and it comes eften, as the
1awaiians are a clearly people, the ,
adv of the house secures her washing {
md resorts TO some favored spot along ,
he bank of some stream. Here she :
las large, fat rock (well worn by re- i.
'eated use. Squatting in the water, she !
proceeds to work, forming ring of =
oapy water about her, and utterly re-
Fardless of her complexion. costume or
sunday frills. When finished, the
pushes make a handy clothes line, and +
generally her entire wardrobe is washed =
nd dried before the days work is =
one. the lady indulging in a swim +
ending the drying process. +
This last remark calls up the fact +
hat the Hawaiians are remarkable ;
winners. Almost my first sight of /
iawaiians were the little naked boys 9
winning about our steamer as it en- ;,