Ethnobotany

 When I used to spend time on Native American reservations I was occasionally introduced to someone who was described to me as an ethnobotanist. I got the idea that these individuals had acquired knowledge of plants that had medicinal properties and could be used in teas and poultices to combat different health issues. While medicinal uses of plants is part of what is included as ethnobotany, this would be a narrow perspective. The term explains the connection between people indigenous to an area and the plants native to that area. Some of the food preparations we have experienced (e.g., lau lau) would be another example. The culture of Native Hawaiians is obvious in Hawaii and references to agriculture are frequently mentioned, but I am guessing the remnants of ethnobotanical practices exist in many places if you look. Perhaps it is the effort to preserve this knowledge and share it that differs.

This is noni. The image doesn't offer perspective so I would compare the size to a lemon or lime. We explore botanical gardens when we visit different locations. There are likely many examples scattered throughout this travel blog. Here, noni would be pointed out as a food and medicine. I have seen food trucks advertise noni juice as a beverage. The juice is thought to have antioxidant properties.

One of the arguments made in the gardens committed to preventing indigenous plants from going extinct is the value of the scientific investigation of chemical substances from such plants for potential medical applications. The connection between this scientific study and the medicinal practices of ethnobotany are obvious, but there is also concern when substances are consumed without consideration of side effects or dosage. 

Cook Pine

 

These are Cook Pines (I think). It has a very interesting appearance with branches that seem further apart than the pines familiar to those of us from the midwest. A closeup of the branches show that the "needles" also have a different appearance.

The tree is obviously popular as a tree for the yard and it just seems strange mixed with palm trees. I have also noticed some cell towers camouflaged as Cook pines.

There is a specific tree that has attracted my attention over the past several weeks. It seems to put the home next to it in a precarious position and because I noticed this tree along my walk route I assumed something had changed to create this situation. I am used to pines toppling over as I think they have a shallow root system and a heavy wind after a heavy rain can sometimes drop a healthy tree. I finally went to the location of this tree to see if this was the case and it was not. The trunk of the tree just seems to be bending. I am surprised the home owner has not had the tree taken down.

Kama'aina

Kauai is one of those places where everything is expensive and you cannot see many things being produced. Maybe coffee, but with that exception everything seems to revolve around the beautiful setting and the tourists who visit to enjoy. Just how expensive is it? I think in terms of the cost of a cup of coffee. Maybe this is just me. The basic 12 ounce cup of coffee is $3. Adjust everything else accordingly and you have the basic idea. You get to the point making purchases is like using play money - just tap your credit card and don't think about it.

There seem similarities between Kauai and our lake place in northern Wisconsin. Here it is coffee and there it is lumber, but you wonder how everyone else gets by. Folks in general don't seem panicked and most just enjoy their environment. I am certain life is tough for some.

Hawaii has something they call Kamaʻāina. The word means "people of the land", but for practical purposes it translates as anyone with a Hawaiian drivers license. Kama'aina means an establishment offers a price break on goods and services for locals. I remember my first encounter with Kama'aina. It was on the Big Island and it happened in the Green Flash coffee shop. I visited so often that the Barista recognized me and one day announced I would receive Kama'aina. This has not happened here, but there too many people and with COVID you don't sit in the same shops day after day. 

The age of the tourists has changed visibly in the past week. More younger people and families. Spring break has arrived. Our own family members will be coming soon. 

Limahuli Garden

 The Limahuli Garden is one of a collective of tropical botantical gardens seeking to preserve and educate about tropical vegetation (see McBride and Allerton Gardens). We have explored this garden in previous visits and we have noticed that this garden like other "attractions" seems to have benefited from the lack of tourists because of COVID. We noticed several upgrades to the infrastructure and the grounds seemed to be in excellent condition. Limahuli attempts to capture the culture and to emphasize the native plants before the islands were colonized.

Taro, Poi, and Lau Lau

 Taro, see yesterdays post, is cultivated as a food source\. The croms (roots) and leaves are edible. After trying it in several forms, I have decided it must be an acquired taste or eaten for cultural significance. If the Norwegians can eat lutefisk and claim they like it, some of the dishes derived from Taro seem reasonable as a commitment to cultural identity. 

Poi is this weird custard like pink stuff you can purchase in grocery stores. Taro is starchy and when cooked and then pounded into a paste you get poi. The paste must be get cold or it will turn sour. You find it in grocery stores in these bags or plastic containers. 

The starchy taro can also be used as a flour. Like a potato it can be made into chips (not a historical form). The taste is a little different from corn or potato chips, but chips are just an excuse for the salt or nachos so easy enough to eat.

Finally, there is lau lau. Native Hawaiians convinced us we had to give lau lau a try. It was one of the common local foods we had yet to sample in our multiple trips to the islands. We found some in a grocery store followed the suggestions for cooking (you steam it), and gave it a try. Again, edible, but not a dish I would consume on a regular basis. Maybe some poi would have helped.

Lau lau consists of a meat, usually pork but we selected chicken, wrapped in taro leaves and then wrapped in ti leaves. The ti leaves are tough and just hold the individual servings together while cooking. The taro leaves are eaten and tasted like spinach to me. There is more in the center than chicken, but the meat is the main ingredient. 

Lau lau as shown on the plate has yet to be opened and the outside layer of leaves is not eaten. The bright green vegetable is sea weed.