I Like Poi!

For our last dinner in Hawai'i we walked to Tiki's Grill and Bar just a couple of blocks from our hotel in Waikiki. I was excited to see the Aloha Hawaiian Plate on the menu as it had all the things I had been meaning to try: kalua pig, lau lau, lomi salmon, yahi poke, mashed Okinawan sweet potato (the purple potato I had earlier in the week), coconut haupia...and poi.

Poi is not nasty, and I actually liked it! B thought it was okay, but didn't think it was awful or anything. It's somewhat bland (although it can be tangy if left to ferment) with a smooth creamy consistency. At a hula show a native Hawaiian asked an audience member what he thought poi tasted like. The guy replied, "Paste!" The Hawaiian said that was interesting, but that he didn't eat paste so he wouldn't know what that was like. Great comeback.

From what I've read, poi is a respected life-giving food, and it's kind of sad it's a joke here in Usaville, as one Hawaiian called the mainland. So try it. You may not like it, but it's always best to be nice about it.