Hulalove

I am often asked what makes Merrie Monarch in person different than what you see on tv. It is true that the cameras can capture angles from above that you won't get when you are in a fixed seat in the audience. It is also true that you do not get the enlightening commentary from Paula Akana, Kimo Kahoano or Kumu Hula Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele as you would on tv. However, I always say that attending the MM event is a multisensory experience.

Before the performances begin there is an electricity in the air as you would feel before a championship sporting event. The audience catches this spirit from the performers who are anxiously awaiting backstage for their turn. They may have been training for most of their young lives for this one performance. The hula dancer's mothers or fathers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunties or cousins might have danced on this same stage before them.

There was a gentleman right in front of me with a rope pikake lei, slightly faded it's true, but still so fragrant that it perfumed the air in all directions. You might be balancing a heavy Hawaiian plate of smoke meat, poi, lomi salmon, long rice, haupia and sweet potato from the "church tent". The church tent is a portable kitchen that used to be under a tent but now is a wooden structure that sets up shop across from the stadium every year. The tent is a fundraiser for Ka 'Uhane Hemolele Oka Malamalama Church. Hands down, they have the most varied Hawaiian menu in Hilo. There was one memorable year when they sold salmon laulau that sold out the first day.

This is an extremely knowledgeable and respectful audience made up of hula afficionados. Many are in halau, teach halau, are related to someone in a halau or are simply hula buffs. They may have come thousands of miles to be there that night or they might have caught a ride with a cuz just across town. They scrutinize every flower, every lei, every costume, every note, every word, every movement, every step, every line. They know the kaona, heck! they might even know the composer of the mele. They know hula. They will confidently declare their favorite halau a winner and avidly mark their programs all over with ink.

'Auana night is when the holoku, the lei your auntie made special for you, the Sig Zane, Tutuvi and Nake'u Awai designs in mu'u and aloha shirts, the elaborate upswept hairdos festooned with flowers and the armfuls of Hawaiian bracelets appear. Often during breaks between performances you can see the binoculars trained not on the stage but on the audience because everyone is checking out everyone else.

The best performances are those that are little stories. The dancers are so convincing that you really feel that you are watching a parade with colorful pa'u riders or a group of girls gaily pole fishing. You might be at a backyard luau with your 'ohana laughing with the teenage boys proudly struttin' their stuff. A Miss Aloha Hula contestant might actually be a goddess in dsiguise tempting a mortal. There is a glance, a raised eyebrow, a wink and a flirtation with the audience that might not be captured on camera.

On tv, you cannot smell the lei on the olapa, as you can in the audience. Pikake, plumeria, maile, puakenikeni, all these fragrances float down as the hula is performed on stage. When Robert Cazimero hits that high note it is a much more thrilling complement to the hula when you hear him live. You could reach out and touch the dancers as they leave the stage and proudly file past you in the aisle. Their heads high, so confident, so proud of their culture and their heritage.

And then there is the rain. Two sides of the Edith Kanaka'ole stadium, front and back, are open to the elements. Every couple of years gusts of wind blow rain onto row upon row of bleachers. You hear a commotion. It's strange to look back and up to the bleachers and see sheets of rain falling, umbrellas popping up and raincoats whipping out. Everyone laughs, especially those being rained on.

This is why I return year after year, to be a part of this special moment in time.

-the foodiewahine
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Merrie Monarch official website http://www.merriemonarchfestival.org

Hilo Memories and Volcano's Farmers' Market

There was a small kid time when going to Hilo meant staying with our beloved cousins, the Vances. In my mind's eye, I can still see their family of 6 lined up in front of the chain link fence at the old Hilo airport. There might even be a dog or two that came along for the ride. My cousins would be standing there with thick white and yellow plumeria lei and big smiles on their faces. They would have picked and sewn the lei just for us that very morning. No lei were ever more appreciated than those. Going to Hilo was the most anticipated event of our young lives. We'd count down the days until school was over for the summer.

My cousins no longer live in Hilo. I've developed a whole hanai'd Hilo 'ohana of my own that I also cherish. I stay at Paul Tallett and Evonne Bjornen's vacation rental at the Bjornen MacNut Farm just 5 minutes (2 miles) outside of downtown Hilo. It's a great feeling to come here and to be welcomed as family. There's no checking in or out, no porters, no hassle, just a well-appointed, very comfortable private room where one can come and go as one pleases. I wake to the sound of birds chirping in the macnut trees just yards from the house. The two adorable dogs, Mai and Greta, and the cat, Tor, are available for some instant animal loving.

I don't know of any other accommodation where the host, Paul, who is part-Hawaiian, would be able to tell you from their lanai whether Madame Pele is doing her thing, simply by observing the clouds above Pu'u O'o vent at Volcano. Or, where the host, Evonne, might obligingly cut out the weekly events of interest from the Hilo Tribune Herald and leave them on your bed.

Then there's my good friend, Ku'ulei, who lives in Volcano and with whom I enjoyed two wonderful Sunday morning brunches at the wildly popular Volcano Farmers' Market. Their website lists 8 am as the opening time but that's for wimps. Vendors set up at 6 or 6:30 am and some Volcano people are there at 5:30! The best of everything will be gone by 8:30. It may be misty and the temperature hovers around the high 50's. So you are forewarned! Last Sunday, I dragged myself out of bed in Hilo to hele over to Volcano after staying late at the stadium to watch the awards presented at Merrie Monarch. I got only 4 hours of sleep but it was well worth it.

This is a country market since there are dog flea collars and white elephant finds mixed in with the outstanding produce. But it's also quite sophisticated in the vendors' selling of the freshly made cream puffs with the most decadent custardy filling, the andagi, the steaming Thai long rice soup with sambal topping, Joyce's handmade pastries which are all pau by 8, locally grown coffee to drink or beans to take home, homemade tropical jams, jellies, and pies, mango lip balms, beaded jewelry, freshly blended wheatgrass, colorful knitted mohair caps, even intricately etched naturally colored eggs.

I went to two other farmers' markets on the Big Island and I haven't even begun on the Merrie Monarch Festival itself or the legendary craft fairs. More to come.
-wahine foodie
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You can contact the Bjornen MacNut Farm at e.bjornen@hawaiiantel.net for availability. They have one room for vacation rental. It accommodates 2. The rental has a private entrance, its own bathroom with shower, a kitchenette and views of the macnut farm surrounding the house. There is a pool, hot tub and ocean view from the lanai. Very peaceful. It's $100. per night or $600. for a week plus taxes. More info at http://www.gohawaii.com/listing?id=6359 (Don't ask, it's mine for Merrie Monarch week!)

Volcano Farmers' Market's info on http://volcanogallery.com:80/volcano_farmers.htm

Aloha to Merrie Monarch

I'll be writing about Hilo on the Big Island for the next couple of posts, having just returned today from the weeklong 44th Annual Merrie Monarch ("MM") Hula Festival. I never like to leave Hilo but the feeling of longing is always more intense after experiencing a solid week of the best hula imaginable. Hula starts with the opening ceremonies on Easter Sunday and continues with daily performances at the hotels on Banyan Drive. For the first time, 'Imiloa, Hilo's new, world class astronomy center, hosted daily educational talks that are related to some aspect of the hula traditions. These talks are an educational addition to the MM offerings.

Wednesday night is the free Ho'ike/Exhibition night, the highlight of which is always the hometown favorite and host halau, Halau o Kekuhi, whose two kumu hula are the daughters of Edith Kanaka'ole. The stadium where the main performances are held are named after Auntie Edith.

Thursday marks the individual women's competition for Miss Aloha Hula. There are women's and men's halau kahiko (ancient) performances on Friday. Saturday, are the women's and men's halau 'auana (modern) performances culminating with an awards ceremony.

I'm going to work backwards and tell you stories of my last week starting with this morning. I always make one last stop at Kuhio Grill before the airport for a breakfast of eggs, corned beef hash and red velvet cake. Yes, they are the only restaurant that I know of, in the whole State, that will bring a dessert tray to your table upon request for breakfast. Also notable are their one pound laulau, fried rice with anything )my personal favorite is with loco moco) and peanut butter mochi.

As often happens I ran into someone I knew at KG's. This morning I was overjoyed to see my Auntie JoJo whom I'd seen at the beginning of my trip and with whom I'd spent overnight in Volcano. She was taking her brother, Koma, and sister-in-law, Barb, to the airport. They showed me some of their finds from the many craft fairs held all week around Hilo: two lauhala hats with colorful hat bands for their mo'opuna and a large quilted bag with an ipu print. All of our laughter was interspersed with a showing of photos including commentary of their two granddaughters. So typical of JoJo's family that Koma tried to press on me omiyage of Taro Chips which I had to sadly refuse indicating with a gesture to my head that I was full to the brim with omiyage.

While I was returning my rental car I noticed a very popular singer and musician, Hoku Zuttermeister (who just came out with his first CD) at the next counter. I went to thank him for the beautiful music he played to accompany the dancers. I recognized Ale'a, Ho'okena, some of the members of Na Palapalai, Lopaka Kanahele, Hoku Zuttermeister and both of the Brothers Caz, among many other exceptional musicians performing for the different halau's 'auana entries. They never announce the musicians who play for the halau because for MM, the emphasis is completely on the hula.

Once in flight I heard alot of laughter farther up the aisle and there was a cluster of flight attendants acting very much like ordinary fans around a MM musician, Lopaka Kanahele, the great-grandson of Edith Kanaka'ole. You have to understand that twentysomething Lopaka, cute as he is, has attained rock star status in Hawaii for his singing and his hula. The flight attendants were all atwitter, smiling, giggling and really spending waaay more time with Lopaka than the passengers.

Finally, one flight attendant got on the PA system and announced "We never do this, but since we are ending the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, Lopaka Kanahele has agreed to sing for us". Lots of cheering from the locals and lots of cameras suddenly popping up from the seats to catch a photo or video. Lopaka slips a flower behind his ear and he, a capella, sings a song from the CD that won a Hoku award. Major full-body chicken skin.

At the end of his song people are yelling "Hana Hou" but I also wanted Hoku Z. to sing so I was chanting his name. Hoku is too ha'aha'a or humble and pretends he doesn't hear his name being called out. He had his camera out too, snapping away, even though he was sitting with and talking to Lopaka moments before.

So, that's my very sweet aloha from Hilo and the Merrie Monarch. I think God sent me that experience to ease the homesickness for Hilo.

-wahinefoodie
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CDs by Hoku Zuttermeister (his " 'Aina Kupuna" debut is #1 at Borders Ward Centre) and Lopaka Kanahele are available at amazon.com and locally at music stores.