Spirit of Aloha | Features | January/February 2004

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News and notes from around the world

Pig Out
Our advice: Forget the Atkins Diet and the South Beach diet, and turn to chef Sam Choy's way with cooking. "There are three things you need to decide," he writes. "How many people are invited? Where will the party be? And how big is the pig?"

The collaboration on this new cookbook, A Hawaiian Lü'au: Recipes, Music and Talk Story (Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, 2003) brings Choy, the irrepressible Hawaiian chef/food ambassador, together, in harmony, with the beloved Makaha Sons in a lü'au recipe/musical venture that gives you everything you need for a successful Hawaiian-style potluck, traditionally held to celebrate a special occasion, except the guests and the pig.

Recipes for steamed mahimahi laulau, no-imu (cooking pit) kalua pig, baked coconut taro, mango-guava sorbet and Sam's North Shore smoothie-they're all here in happy splendor, along with stories to tell, songs to sing from the Makaha Sons' CD, which is included, a chowdown countdown, tempting photos by Douglas Peebles and directions on how to choose the pig ("a hundred-pound pig would dress out to 65 or 70 pounds, serving 120 persons").

One quick read and we predict you'll be out in your back yard digging an imu before you know it.

The Teller of Tales
The last six years of Robert Louis Stevenson's short, haunting life were spent sailing the waters of the Pacific, making friends of kings, princesses, islanders, traders and riffraff settlers that he met among the islands. Eventually, he settled in Upolu, Western Samoa, and died at the age of 44 at his home at Vailima, Western Samoa, of a brain hemorrhage. According to the compiler and editor of this lovingly produced collection (Robert Louis Stevenson: His Best Pacific Writings, selection, introduction and commentaries by Roger Robinson; foreword by Albert Wendt, Bess Press, Honolulu, 2003) much of Stevenson's Pacific writings are now neglected.

These full-bodied, red-blooded narrative essays and adventure stories were written by Stevenson when he sailed into the Pacific in 1888. Somewhere along the way, Stevenson wrote: "With my superstitious friend, the islander, I fear I am not wholly frank, often leading the way with stories of my own, and being always a grave and sometimes excited hearer." Fortunately, for those who love the Pacific, the work of this beloved teller of tales and his particular gifts for rousing understatement lives on.

Welcome to the Neon Hula
It was bound to happen: A Hawaiian Marketplace, complete with manmade banyan tree, a 17-foot statue of King Kamehameha, a fountain that comes to life as a volcano and a climate-controlled environment, is scheduled to open on the Las Vegas Strip in late March. The developers, a company called Torino Companies and the New York-based Flag Luxury Properties, claim that, with 35,000 ex-Hawai'i residents now living in Clark County, and many more traveling there every week, Las Vegas has already earned the unofficial title of "the Ninth Hawaiian Island."

Hawaiian Marketplace, a $140 million, 80,000-square-foot development, was inspired by Waikiki's venerable International Marketplace, and, according to the developers, will "fuse South Seas culture with Las Vegas glitz through its unique, highly themed, family-friendly entertainment." Need we add that this new addition to Hawaiian culture has been carefully located in the Clark County township of Paradise?

The Fine Art of Basket-Making
Judy Mulford, who lives in Carpinteria, Calif., has been teaching basketry for 25 years, documenting material culture in Micronesia since 1971 and, in 1991, published a book, Decorative Marshallese Baskets, which might well be considered the definitive work on the subject. Baskets are her business, a heady dose of searching, weaving, wrapping and stitching. Not everyone can make a good basket: it takes patience, prudence and prodigious gifts. Last September, she traveled back to Majuro, where the Outrigger Marshall Islands Resort hosted a remarkable, celebratory display of craft work from Majuro's neighboring islands of Jaluit, Mejit, Utrik, Arno, Mili, Ebon, Likiep and Ailuk. It was no surprise, she says, to discover that the Marshallese are still making what she considers to be the highest quality baskets in the world.

"You will want to know that, since the end of the Japanese occupation, Marshallese crafts have developed dramatically," she told Spirit of Aloha. "The Marshallese are best known for their beautifully executed baskets and wall plaques, which are rimmed in cowrie shells and have intricately woven center designs. The items that are now made have a marvelous range of designs, mainly crafted by women: purses, headbands, necklaces and earrings (some with local black pearls). Also, there are Christmas ornaments, flowers, wreaths, bridal bouquets and, from Likiep Atoll, extraordinary fans."

The core material for Marshallese baskets, trays, wall hangings and fans is the prepared coconut palm tree frond's great rib, called malwe. It is a flexible, flat material made by stripping, edging and scraping the great rib.

For generations, the production of baskets in the Marshall Islands has been a family affair, with entire groups involved in collecting and preparing the fibers, the sewing process and, finally, the marketing of the finished product. More information on the making or purchasing of these special handicrafts is available by contacting: Rebecca Lorennij, Acting Secretary of Ministry of Resources and Development, P.O. Box 1727, Majuro, Marshall Islands 96960, or e-mail tisd@ntamar.net.

The Perfect Harmony
Remember The Four Freshmen? Here's the perfect collection of music to make you remember, or even forget, them. Na Hoküpa carries on the tradition of beautiful four-part harmonies, evoking soaring palisades, rugged cliffs, soft tradewinds-all the things we love about Hawai'i. Pay particular attention to "Lei Pakalana" and "Twilight in Hawai'i."

Come and See ... Hawai'i
Na Kama's Brian Mersberg and Eric Lee are joined by guest artists, includ-
ing keyboard artist Kit Ebersbach and the Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus, in this appealing performance of contemporary Hawaiian music.

Hawaiian 105 KINE's "Aloha Morning Show" hosts Frank B. Shaner and Brickwood Galuteria put their heads together for this issue's list of recommended music from the Islands.

The World's Greatest Mai Tai
Nobody knows for sure who created the first mai tai, a potent, rum-based drink (the name is Tahitian for "out of this world," or "the best"), but everybody agrees it was first made in Hawai'i in 1953, about the time, according to knowledgeable mixologists, it began to appear on steamship drink menus and in Waikiki hotels.

In our modern world of less hard liquor, you might suppose the mai tai had seen better days. However, it had a colorful revival a few months ago at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott on Hawai'i's Big Island, where over 50 professional mixologists, using Bacardi rum for drinks judged on taste, overall appearance and presentation, competed in The Search for Hawai'i's Greatest Bacardi Mai Tai.

The winner, who scored 106.4 points out of a possible 125, was a professional mixologist named Jamin Margaretich, who works at the Korner Pocket in Kona. In the opulent spirit of this classic drink, his Easter Island Mai Tai was layered with Amaretto and a dash of orange and pineapple juice, Bacardi silver rum and other select dark rums, and a drop of Grenadine. It was served in a face of a Pacific chief carved from a pineapple.

Margaretich-who won a trip for two to Las Vegas and the honor of having his drink served at the Kaua'i Marriott Resort and Beach Club, the Renaissance 'Ilikai Waikiki Hotel and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott-had words to the wise after his triumph: "Amaretto stands out in my mai tai, which is all about Hawai'i. I serve it in the spirit of hello. My advice for making a great mai tai is to drink a lot of them first."
Go ahead and try it. Here is Margaretich's winning recipe:

Easter Island Mai Tai
1 shot light rum
1/2 shot triple sec
1/2 shot amaretto
3 oz. orange juice
1 oz. pineapple juice
A splash of sweet and sour
1/2 shot dark rum, and
Another float (one circle around the glass) of amaretto
A dash of grenadine

Directions: Serve in a hurricane glass with ice. Then mix in layers in order of ingredients and garnish with pineapple or cherry. One shot equals one ounce.

No Ifs, Ands or Butts
Beginning Feb. 1, 2004, Big Island restaurants, by law, become smoke-free, making all of Hawai'i's restaurants full of clean air. Nightclubs and stand-alone bars are exempt from the law, which was passed by the Hawai'i County Council in 2003 to protect workers from second-hand smoke. Bar areas that are part of a restaurant and are not stand-alone have until Sept. 1 to comply with the law, according to the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawai'i. The National Cancer Institute claims that most smokers accept smoke-free policies and 70 percent want to quit smoking anyway. Now they can come to Hawai'i and quit in a relaxed environment.

A Rap with Rap
Among people who know and love Hawai'i well, Rap Reiplinger's comic genius will live forever. To make sure that it does, The Mountain Apple Co. has recently released a first-time DVD of Reiplinger's Emmy Award-winning television show. All the great routines are here, including "Merdie Murdock Used Cars," "Candidate Willie Maunawili," "Mahalo Airlines" and "Puka Shell Tour Guide." Take our word for it: You don't have to be Hawai'i-born and -raised to love this guy or laugh out loud at his character-driven humor. Look for Rap's Hawai'i wherever videos are sold, or visit Mountain Apple at www.mountainapplecompany.com.

Cheese Whiz
It takes a strong heart and plenty of goats to be an artisan cheese maker on Maui, but German expatriates Thomas and Eva Kafsack, of the Surfing Goat Dairy in Kula, have apparently got it right. At a recent press conference, which they proudly called their first, the Kafsacks announced the launch of a new cheese called "Purple Rain," a fresh chevre, with Maui lavender from Nanea A'okula, and a 202 percent increase in wholesale and retail cheese revenues in 2003. From their 42-acre ranch on the leeward side of Maui's Haleakala volcano, where pastures are lush and the goats can enjoy a relatively dry climate, the Kafsacks are now producing and selling about 50 pounds of cheese a day, in 28 different varieties, many with unusual and exciting ingredients and tantalizing names, such as "Udderly Delicious," "Garden Fantasia," "Maui's Secret," "Pirate's Desire" and "Ping Pong Balls." They are available in many Maui food shops, hotels and restaurants, and as far away as the Fairway Market and Village Cheese Shops in New York.

Cheese making on Maui is an expensive business. Many cheese-making procedures had to be adapted to Hawai'i's fickle climate and consumers. According to Kafsack, the cost of producing a pound of cheese in Hawai'i is $16, compared to an average of $5 on the Mainland. A bail of alfalfa hay is $19.90 on Maui, and only $3.90 in Oregon. Thus, Surfing Goat Dairy helps subsidize its cheese making by operating farm tours, a business that's also growing, and bed-and-breakfast activities. Japanese visitors, especially, love the tours. The Norwegian Cruise Lines has put the dairy on its Upcountry tour list for passengers and every Grand Tour of the dairy, held on Saturdays since August 2002, has sold out.

You can go to the Surfing Goat Dairy's Web site for ordering information, at www.surfinggoatdairy.com, or call 808-878-2870.

A Season of Art and Culture
For as long as most visitors can remember, Hawai'i has been known as a place to play and frolic, or relax and sit back in the sun, but it has not always been known as a place of great art and culture. This perception is now certain to change. What will be known as the first Hawai'i Arts Season, a rich and varied program of special events statewide, will begin in the spring of 2004 and last until May 2. The season will run for 10 weeks, and offers what the organizers say is "something for everyone, from hula to circus to visiting ballet."

The program will open with a performance at the Hawai'i Opera Theatre of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow on Feb. 27. Other special performances will include the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust, a circus from China, Sir James Galway and the Honolulu Symphony, the Galliard String Quartet, an International Jazz Festival and varied programs with an "East-meets-West" flavor.

The marketing director of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Frank Haas, has pointed out that "Hawai'i is rich with arts and cultural offerings, but not many visitors are aware of them. Traditionally, these events have not been promoted strongly. The Hawai'i Arts Season program is a way to creatively package these year-round events and encourage travel to Hawai'i."

More details of the various events - an extremely long list from island to island - are available from Tim Bostock Productions, the managers of the program. They can be reached at 808-521-9699 or by e-mail at Andrew@artsatmarks.com.

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