Laulau Tales of the Hawaii Spearfishers
Laulau is one of the visitors must try foods and one that goes way back in many families. So much so that there are families that keep their ingredients of their Laulau from their lineage that is kept within a community of a near area. This is what led me to the discussions that took place with a multitude of Hawaii Spear Fishers and Free Divers to hopefully capture what were some of the Laulau that were kept in their families and what was important to pass down to the next group of sea swimmers with Seafood Laulau. Down on the docks there were a few Hawaiians that were having some maintenance done with their boat near the edge of Kaneohe's pier side area. I asked them what they were doing, because there was a large machine making a loud spraying noise and a bunch of fish they had caught... I only noticed them, because they were arguing with another person of polynesian ethnicity. This other guy didn't seem apart of their group and looked like he wanted to go fight with the other guys working on the boat. Being nosy I went over to ask what the problem was with the intention of learning a bit about the oceans connection to the land and figured they might know a thing or too, since they fish. The friends seemed to appear to be Hawaiian-chinese man, Filipino-Japanese man, and a big Samoan Tita. The Hawaiian chinese man told me that he was with his crew coming back from spearfishing and there was a young man who followed them on his own boat to their spot. The young polynesian man started to pick a fight with the crew telling them that they all dumbasses and that the Hawaiians don't know shit because of their lack of displacement and that the race of Hawaiians working with locals who immigrated to the islands was weak. This got the crew heated as they stated that the land was respected by the mult-ethnical groups who had respected the land and that it wasn't a ethnic argument. The man who then seemed to be Micronesian from his next statement shouted that the displacement of Micronesia's people is far more important then the exploration of the Hawaiians. The Filipino-Japanese man had said that the ancestors of Hawaiian families and immigrants who had to build their lives from the plantations had to be trained in respecting the land and that the young micronesian man should do the same. The Filipino-Japanese man and the Micronesian looked like they was getting ready to trade blows as they were running at one another, but the Samoan lady put his hands in front of both individuals to intervene. The lady told both of the men to stop and that there will be nothing but endless fighting if this isn't settled. She explained that to be a fisherman in Hawaii is to be a keeper of the streams and the ocean for both their own family and the community. Continuuing she stated that from her sister-in law who was portuguese-hawaiian had told her that it was a very important job and that there would be no fish to pass on, no shellfish to collect, no seaweed to eat, and no ocean to enjoy if sustainability was not the value of all who take from the ocean. I thought she may have been referring to the I'a. The micronesian man said it was his ocean because he lived there with a loud shout, however the samoan lady responded that it is no one individual alone to have the ocean for themself! She said we are all drawn to the ocean and it speaks to us, but we have to take only what we need, and know how to take care of the ocean, because we only have one ocean! leaving the man with a loss of words. She said that even if she was not Hawaiian there are things that can be passed down to future generations and important values that can be learned by the children, some ethnical and some from where they are from, not all traits are biological in nature and this is proven from ohana. Give Back to the Hawaiian Land The Hawaiian-chinese man said that it was sad to see that overfishing has become something to worry about in the modern day world. He said that the fisherman must take pride in knowing the preservation of the natural resources and in an attempt to make it relevant he asked the Micronesian man about the freezer. The micronesian man just answered that he had one. The Hawaiian-chinese man said that there are many people here and that he could easily call the police about the overfishing of undersized Uhu "Parrotfish", but he was going to let him go and learn from his mistakes. He contemplated and said to the boy to make sure to freeze each fish he caught and eat them gradually... learn about the land and grow some cabbage... and maybe learn from others how to make the best use of rice. The Filipino-Japanese man said to the Hawaiian Chinese man that is he really letting him go? and he said yes, because he knew the micronesian boys uncle and that he would call him and tell him to give him cracks (to beat him up) if the boy doesn't learn. The Hawaiian-Chinese man said it is difficult to teach kids when their head is as hard as stone, but they know when they are doing land to the people and the land. He said this is an embarrassment to his family and he may continue, but the lesson will keep on coming back to haunt him until he learns it. The Gift of shared Mana'o After the conflict I walked up and stated that I couldn't help but overhear the conversation about food from the ocean being connected to the streams and the ocean itself. Luckily he was able to tell me a bit of the importance of the foods and how he as a spear fisherman thought of it. Since I didn't know anything he schooled me on "Hawaii Fish Identification", minimum size catch, and seasons before going into the importance of food from the ocean. He said that the importance of the relationships from the ocean, such as meeting a stranger such as myself is a great take away, and it continues simple conversations and interactions that are genuine in nature to share one anothers mana'o "thoughts". Something that is difficult to gain when selfishly taking from the ocean and not having other people on a journey of fishing. He said the activity in itself can be the catalyst of what will trigger all the smaller special events of life that happen along the way. Lawai'a Laulau I learned that the Lau Lau had a sort of recipe that uses all fish and sometimes is referred to as "Lawai'a Laulau". Lawai'a Laulau, can have a few exceptions with placing in fat from pigs, chickens, and other sources, or a root vegetable as a filler. Traditional Lau Lau is known as a form of cooking and not a specific dish, but it has become known to many as a second definition as a dish in Hawaiian restaurants popularity of the classic Pork Belly, Pork Roast, and Butterfish. The cooking method involves chunks of a fatty meat, salted fish, wrapped in taro luau leaves. What the fat meat does is add flavor the the laulau leaves as it melts into the leaves themselves and the leaner meat becomes soft as well. The salt that is used is known as "Alaea Salt" which is used for purification and adding flavors for a earthy and savory taste in seasoning meats, especially seafood. Using salt on Hawaiian dishs has been done for generations. Another method is by using a pressure cooker which is concealed. The concealed lid allows for less steam to escape like the in foil wrapping, but it does one extra thing. The pressure from the pressure cooker intensifies the flavor, melts more of the fats, and the salt effects are increased for an even tastier Laulau. Finding out types of Lawai'a Laulau Various fish can be used in making Laulau from fisherman families from all over. A few he has heard of involved: Uhu Parrot Fish, Butterfish, Kala, Pualu, Nenue, Weke, Palani, and Salmon. He told me that if I understand the people who fish I will learn more about the different sorts of Laulau and each family I come in contact with shall bring with them their own knowledge. This could be from the area, for example he had a recipe for Weke Laulau that would include pork belly and sweet potato, another family he had fished with was on Maui which had a Mahi Laulau (mahi mahi, butterfish, pork belly), and a resident in Hilo used Beef Fat and Tombo Albacore Tuna with a beef roast.
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