BACKGROUND - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 705

English, the majority remaining illiterate. They were billeted in the worst housing, per-
formed the most menial jobs, and were the last hired and first fired.
One big difference between Filipinos and other groups was that the men brought no
Filipino women to marry, so they clung to the idea of returning home. In 1930 there were
30,000 men and only 360 women. Many of these terribly lonely bachelors would feast and
drink on weekends and engage in their gruesome but exciting pastime of cockfighting on
Sundays. When some did manage to find wives, their mates were inevitably part Hawaii-
an. Filipino workers continued to be imported, although sporadically, until 1946, so even
today there are a few old Filipino bachelors who never managed to get home.
Other Groups
About 10 percent of Hawai'i's population is a conglomerate of small ethnic groups. Of
these, one of the largest and fastest growing is Korean, with 25,000 individuals. About
30,000 residents consider themselves Puerto Rican. 22,000 residents identify as black.
Another fast-growing group is Samoans, with 16,000 currently settled in Hawai'i and with
more on the way. Other lesser represented ethnic groups include 3,500 Native Americans,
4,000 Tongans, 7,000 other Pacific Islanders, and 8,000 Vietnamese.
FOOD
Although modern Hawaiian food is extremely meat based, traditionally Hawaiians were
nearly vegetarian, reserving meat for celebrations rather than daily meals. Traditional
Hawaiian food can still be found—your best bet would be at a lu'au —but a lot if it now is
simply considered “local food” and blended with food from other cultures.
With ancient Hawaiians the ocean was a great source of food. Yet they still cultivated
successful land crops such as taro, sweet potatoes, breadfruit, and sugarcane. They raised
pigs and chickens for celebratory meals, although they wouldn't make use of the eggs.
The taro root was the staple crop, and it was the first thing they got going when settling
the island. Taro would be mostly be pounded into poi, which is another meal staple of-
ten eaten with other foods. Taro is nutritious and starchy. Women avoided the starch while
pregnant in hopes of avoiding growing a large baby.
Another treat is haupia , a custard-like substance made from coconut usually served as
a dessert. Lau lau is a lu'au food that is served as a small package of meat, fish, or veget-
ables all wrapped in ti leaves and then baked or steamed. For fish, a local favorite is ahi
poke, a dish which is served at many delis and supermarkets mixed with soy sauce, onions,
seaweed, and other flavors and enjoyed as a snack or a meal.