Here I have some examples of "Local Style" foods.
Poi is generally eaten as a side dish along with fish but is ono with just about any meal.
The root of the taro plant is mashed to a smooth consistancy with water and is sold fresh in bags like these.
Taro growing has become a bit of a rarity so poi has become something of a treat for many instead of a staple. I love my fish & poi!
This is a laulau, usually pork or fish wrapped in spinach then baked in ti leaves.
There is always one small chunk of fat put in there just for flavor as well.
This with some poi and you have one ono meal.
This is a musubi, and yes they're so tasty people will be snatching them up like there's no tomorrow!
This is made with sticky white rice, an ume inside (pickled plum) a slice of spam (or hot dog or tuna instead) all wrapped up in nori paper (seaweed paper). One or two of these makes for a nice lunch, and can be easily made at home or bought at a lunch stand, or at most grocery stores. Tasty!
These are examples of the ever popular pu-pu (snack) "Poke". The filet mignon of local snack foods. Fresh raw aku (bonito) or ahi (yellow fin tuna) cubed, spiced with hot pepper, limu (seaweed), salt, kukui, and green onions. Tako poke is made with raw octopus tentacles. Also, raw crab with garlic, hot red pepper and salt. There are other types of fish used, these being the more common and MY favorites. Poki, poi, some beer and you got it made!
Now this is called Opihi, found only in some of the most inacccessable shoreline rocks & cliffs, making opihi picking dangerous & often fatal. Eaten raw, you use one shell to scoop the meat of another out. Add some poi, it is a rich, broke da mouth pu-pu. We got this batch at an unusually low price, $10 a pound.
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