The Joy of Poi
March 2, 2009 > MAUI TODAY No Comments |
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Old Stuff Day
HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY — Poi: Hawaiian staff of life, made from cooked taro (kale) corms pounded with water into a puree. (Protein: 0% – Fat: 0% – Carbs: 100%). PIDGIN WORD OF THE DAY— Kaikaim: Eat HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY — “There is no meat that doesn’t taste good with poi.” HAOLE SAYING OF THE DAY — “Good farmers have a good sense of humus.”
MARCH 2nd: Here at the Good ol’ Maui Almanac, we’re used to finding it difficult to locate a piece of history which either took place on Maui or directly impacted Maui – every day. Once in a while, we get a date where a few interesting things happened:
1911: All poi in Hawaii is ordered destroyed by the territorial government, as officials believe some poi contains cholera. The ban is throughout the islands. Evidence is sketchy, but it appears that until the next crop arrives, thousands of people lose weight.
1966: The satellite ESSA 2 becomes the first to take a picture of Hawaii and its weather. Sadly, no improvements are made to weather predictions in the next 42 years.
1967: Back in the day – before (shockingly to this writer) the majority of Americans were born — the airlines were severely regulated by the federal government. Desperate for tourism (ahem), the state of Hawaii sues the federal government and airlines demanding a set air fare to the islands, and the state wins. The two airlines serving the state – United and Pan Am – agree to set the round trip airfare from the west coast at $200. Using the Consumer Price Index to compare the dollar values, $200 in 1967 is worth $1, 207.19 today. People still come. Sigh.
1989: Exxon Houston runs aground in Hawaii, spilling 117,000 gallons of oil.
1999: The Pioneer Mill in Lahaina announces it will cease operations in 2000. In 2008, nobody misses it.
