Foods From our Fiftieth State:
Bills to admit Hawaii as a state were introduced into the U.S. Congress as early as 1919. Additional bills were introduced in 1935, 1947 and 1950. On August 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation making Hawaii our fiftieth state. The official holiday is the third Friday in August, this year August 15th.
In the referendum election where the voters of Hawaii voted overwhelming in favor of statehood, it should be remembered that by 1959 the population of Hawaii was comprised predominantly of people of non-Hawaiian ancestry. Many of those with Hawaiian blood were not in favor of statehood. |
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A good way to learn about a people is through their food. If you wish to celebrate the admission of our fiftieth state you might enjoy doing it with a Hawaiian menu. Most Haoles, (Caucasians) when thinking of the foods of paradise, conjure images of baskets of succulent tropical fruit, crisp roasted pork with a pineapple glaze, poi, (although most haven’t the vaguest idea what poi is) and giant clam shells filled with crab or lobster salad, all accompanied by sweet rum drinks served in a coconut shell. Now this may indeed be what is served at a contemporary commercial “Luau,” with the exception of the poi, it has little to do with traditional Hawaiian food.
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If attending a traditional Luau of some fifty years ago most Haoles would probably turn just a little ill when presented with raw fish, steamed pig, limpets, diced raw liver and seaweed. For the uninitiate, truly traditional Hawaiian food could be pretty daunting. Now I did attend my first Luau some fifty years ago, in 1956, in the company of my first husband and his parents. They were a typical Hawaiian family of multiple cultural backgrounds. His father was of Hawaiian/Chinese decent and his mother was a redhead boasting predominantly Irish ancestry. Having been raised with an adventuresome spirit when it comes to food, my new in-laws were amazed and pleased that I dug in with gusto and enjoyed myself immensely. |
Just for the fun of it, I am presenting you with two Luau menus. The first is for a traditional Luau of a time now lost forever. A time before cane fields were boozed to make room for golf courses and condos. It was a time however after the arrival of the “Pake,” (Chinese) and the “Haole,” yet before either had made irrevocable inroads into Hawaiian culture. For the most part you will not be able to reproduce the dishes in a contemporary kitchen on the mainland (the contiguous forty-eight states.) However, those of you with an adventurous spirit may well enjoy experimenting.
I have also listed a menu for a pseudo Luau, comprised of dishes you can make in any kitchen, and comprised of ingredients more appealing to the average Haoles taste, yet with a feel and flavor suggestive of the exotic tropics.
Traditional Luau:
Mainland Haole Pseudo Luau:
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If you are planning a Hawaiian Luau or Polynesian themed party or dinner, and you don’t live in Paradise, it is likely that, first, you will not have the facilities with which to prepare traditional Hawaiian foods, second, you will have difficulty finding the ingredients to prepare traditional Hawaiian foods and third, that many of your guests would be less than enthusiastic about eating them. Therefore I suggest that you design your menu around the following recipes, tasty and with a Polynesian feel but mostly not traditional. |
Poi
If you can find it, do get it. Your guests may be disappointed in it, but they will non the less expect it.
Lau Lau
Do try to make Lau Lau. No need to dig an Imu. The recipe I offer can be made in any Haole’s kitchen.
Pork and Pineapple Kebabs
Sweet Chile Baked Chicken
Coconut Prawns
Tropical Rice
Tropical Fruit Salad
Good luck and have fun.
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