Big Taro Leavesthe Hawaiian "staff of life"
"What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?"
Lin Yutang
Birds in Frame!
"How strange that Nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!"
Emily Dickinson, letter to Mrs. J.S. Cooper, 1880
Lum Yip Kee & Sky"If you cannot be a poet, be the poem."
David Carradine
No Tourists in Town!
That's right. We call them "visitors" as in Hawaii Visitors Bureau.
That's right. We call them "visitors" as in Hawaii Visitors Bureau.
I've always liked that old fashioned way of thinking about folks from elsewhere. It speaks of our local pride, identification with our island home & our traditional spirit of welcome. Yes, they all manage to hang on somehow – even in our topsy-turvy day.
It's called Aloha!
Yes, the real Waikiki, the genuine Hawaii, they do still exist.
Some visitors are fooled by our modern tempo and amenities, but for those with a heart to see more deeply, there is authenticity.
The key (as always) to finding it, is to bring your own along with you. . .
Actually, I've made my peace with tourism.
It used to bother me to see visitors shopping at chain stores, eating in chain restaurants, spending their days on
"Activities"
and never tasting, or even glimpsing,
the authentic treasures
that I love about my
unique Honolulu Town.
Now I realize that "authentic experience" is not the same
for everyone.
Some folks just want to lie on a beach,
and have drinks with umbrellas in them.
That's cool.
I've stopped judging them
or wondering at their
in-curiosity.
To each their own!
And I'm certainly grateful to each one who does visit us.
But if you want living history,
a wide palate of food choices,
people & places unique in all the world,
then you will find all that here in Honolulu
and MORE.
If you want a package deal,
that product called a
"vacation"
you can find that here
too.
One of the best you ever had!
If you Comfort Spiralers would like to look at some authentic Hawaiian fabrics,
perhaps to make some lovely Spring/Summer clothes,
visit this website for Fabric Mart.
Check out their hula implements too!
The world's premier Hula event,
the Merrie Monarch Festival,
begins next week
for the 45th year.
And many of the dancers will be clad in Fabric Mart patterns!
But more about that laters!
(Including information about watching it on line!)
Aloha to each of YOU
my friends
!
Hello Cloudia
ReplyDeleteIn some parts of Australia the word is 'Traveller'
How do you really feel about the visitors to your country?
Cathy
Yo Cloudia -- I didn't know taro leaves were that big. (My view was from the Hana highway looking down on a patch.) How many gourds of taro are under that one big bundle of leaves? I love the term "visitors" instead of tourists. DrumMajor
ReplyDeletei like that!
ReplyDeletenamaste
aloha!!!
You are a great advocate for your 'traditional' Hawaii Cloudia, a place I want to see when I eventually get there. :)
ReplyDeleteDown my way on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, we tend to say holidaymakers. Many people here have permanent "escape" homes and caravans or come here each Christmas to camp by the sea. Our community changes like the seasons.
ReplyDeleteLove that Carradine quote!
ReplyDeleteA lot of folks don't really want to step too far outside their comfort zone. I must confess at times I'm that way myself, although I try not to be.
ReplyDeletecrete survives off tourism - whether they are visitors or tourists, we need 'em!
ReplyDeleteI'm saving my pennies, Cloudia, and will happily be a visitor some day (and not a tourist).
ReplyDeleteWe plan to come back. We did the touristy Road to Hana when we were on Maui and were very glad we did. There was a local taro festival going on and we met and ate traditional food with locals, some of whom hardly ever made it to the other side of the island. There was all sorts of local arts and crafts, and food we never had anywhere else. It was a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteAloha, Cloudia.
Cathy: We LOVE them. Hospitality is a real thing called Aloha. Of course some people aren't happy anywhere -but we try!
ReplyDeleteDrum Major: Big Taro leaves, yeah!
Don't know much about it myself, but thrilled to see YOU here.
Magic Eye: Thanks!!!
Ake: The aloha already lives in your heart.
Gemma Greyscale: Thanks for that linguistic tour of your paradise!
Tricia: Because YOU are a poem.
Charles: Comfort zones are important - especially these days.
Med Kiwi: Aloha, Sistah! Crete sounds a MUST-see place as you present it.
Gran: You are a native of earth.
Granspa: That sounds a marvelous experience!
Aloha my friends!
Oh, I'm a patriot in that case :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I know what you mean about incurious beach tourists...never did quite understand that so much, but nor do i understand tripping around and not resting :)
xx
YOU are my authentic Hawaiian experience. If I ever get there, I will look in the ways you teach!
ReplyDelete