Meleana and Kani go to a lu'au

Today was a celebration of local food, drink, and customs. We started out with a little fresh pineapple juice and fresh coconut milk from Natural Hawaiian at the International Markeplace. It was 'ono, mikomiko!!! Very delicious. 

In the mid-afternoon, a bus took us to Paradise Cove, on the west side of the island, for a luau. We were greeted with beautiful orchid leis and mai tais, which of course got things off to a great start. We ditched our English names at the door and took on new Hawaiian names (Meleana and Kani). Since it was my birthday, Kani made me a really nice "crown" from coconut leaves and orchids, and I wore it proudly, along with my purple orchid lei and a lovely floral bracelet given to me by a nice lady who worked at Paradise Cove.

(To find out your Hawaiian name, visit this link.)

We were served with some traditional luau food, such as Lomi Lomi Salmon (as a pupu or appetizer), Kalua pork (cooked in an underground pit called an imu), chicken, white fish with mango, steamed rice, poi, green beans, and taro dinner rolls. For dessert, we got coconut cake, chocolate cake, and Haupia, a sort of coconut pudding. Then came the entertainment!

The music and dance represented not only Hawaii but various other islands in Polynesia, from Tonga and Samoa to the Land of the Long White Cloud (Aotearoa, also known as New Zealand). There was even a Samoan fire dancer. He caught himself on fire a time or two, but was fortunately always able to put the fire out. 

It was late when we got back to the hotel, and I couldn't get online to post this entry. So I'm a day late! Oh, well. Guess I really am on Hawaiian time. :-)