Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [26]
On the Big Island, the Kona Village Resort’s luau (Click here) is considered one of the best, and we spoke with the resort’s longtime Hawaiian Cultural Historian and luau hostess Lani ’Opunui. Winner of a 2008 ‘Keep It Hawai’i – Lehua Maka Noe’ award, Lani researches Hawaiian and Polynesian culture, and consults with other practitioners, to ensure she presents ‘the dance and the culture from which it comes as accurately as possible.’ The luau producers also try to match performers with dances appropriate to their heritage, but ‘it’s always a struggle. There’s always a push to do the Waikiki-type show, the driving-it-home kind of show.’ Kona Village’s Wednesday-night luau ‘has more meat to it,’ she says. ‘I go through the changes that affected Hawaiian hula, but the fire knife is the big show.’
And how authentic is that dramatic finish? Lani laughs: ‘I used to explain this bit of history. It was developed by a Samoan in San Francisco. He combined fire twirling with juggling the ancient knife.’ So, call it authentic Samoan entertainment.
Lani suggests that the best way to judge a good luau is by its food. When deciding where to go, compare luau menus, and choose the one with the greatest number of Hawaiian and local dishes – and skip any that don’t cook a pig in an imu (underground earthen oven).
Even here, though, judging what’s ‘authentic’ is tricky. At everyday luaus, Lani says, ‘two of the most popular dishes besides kalua pig are chicken long rice and lomilomi salmon (minced, salted salmon, diced tomato and green onion). Except for chicken, neither have any Hawaiian ingredients. Even the word kaukau – as in, “We go kaukau” or “Let’s go eat” – is not Hawaiian. It has a Chinese root. Also, I know it’s sacrilegous, but sometimes I’ll put sugar on my poi.’
Lani says, ‘Hawaiians are not above adjusting. We’re a very adaptive people. That’s why we survived like we have.’
In regular life, luaus are thrown ‘for graduation, major birthday, first birthday of a kid – or baby luau – weddings. They are not everyday and they’re expensive.’ Typically, it’s a three-day event, with family and helpers cooking the day before and cleaning the day after, with an enormous party in the middle. While there’s music and hula, it’s casual and everyone joins in. The main focus is eating and celebrating. As one local told us, ‘an “authentic” luau is when you and your friends make the food.”
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And yet, no matter what difficulties arise, finding someone who’d actually prefer to live somewhere else is hardest of all.
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ECONOMY
For decades the Hawaii economy has rested on four main pillars: tourism; construction and real estate; the military; and agriculture. Tourism is Hawaii’s leading employer and accounts for 20% of all economic activity, and since 2002 it’s enjoyed a spectacular boom – that is, until the 2008 recession brought it, and the state economy, to a screeching halt.
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Hawaii leads the nation in shared housing: 6.6% live with parents or relatives, compared with 2.6% nationally.
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Perhaps ‘halt’ is overstating it, since in 2008, 6.8 million people visited the islands and spent $11.3 billion. But this was the first year since 2004 that visitation dropped below seven million, and visitor spending dropped $1.2 billion from 2007. Similarly, construction job growth galloped at 8% annually up until 2008, when it reported its first decline in six years. Home foreclosures also shot up: in 2007, the state ranked 43rd nationwide for fewest foreclosures; by fall 2008 it was ranked 20th.
Hawaii currently has no