FIND YOUR PARADISE
AT KAUNA‘OA BAY.
The natural white sands of
this crescent-shaped beach
inspire true relaxation.
Kauna‘oa is also the perfect
launching point for adventure
on or under the water —
from riding an outrigger canoe
to stand-up paddling,
snorkeling or even swimming
with manta rays.
Enjoy complimentary daily
breakfast and 5th night free
with our Fall Into Winter special.
OnlyMaunaKea.com
PRHR-12022-2_Marin.indd 1 8/5/16 4:52PM
JA
C
K
WO
L
F
O
R
D
Destinations / GO EATS
LET’S GET ONE thing straight: It’s pronounced poh-KAY. Hear it. Say it aloud. Remember it, Marinites, because poke is likely heading your way if it hasn’t already arrived.
And if you insist on saying it incorrectly,
you’ll force local restaurateurs to add an acute
accent (accent aigu, in French) over the final e
(à la poké) on their signage as a concession to
your ignorance of the Hawaiian language, just
as poke purveyors from San Diego to Santa
Barbara have already done. And if you visit
Hawaii ill prepared to properly order ahi poke,
be ready for a good-natured mocking, haole.
Now that you can say it, let’s define it.
That’s harder to do, at least nowadays, as just
about anything cut into cubes and served
raw might be called poke. Traditionally —
i.e., starting around the time Captain Cook
stumbled across the Hawaiian Islands in
1778 and probably much earlier — poke was
a preparation of cubed raw reef fish mixed
with sea salt, limu (seaweed) and inamona
(roasted ground kukui, or candlenuts). The
word “poke” means “to cut crosswise” in
Hawaiian, though it’s possible that the term
wasn’t used to describe the dish until about
the mid-20th century. This “Hawaiian
sashimi,” as poke is sometimes miscalled,
was a staple for early Polynesians. It isn’t
thought to have been particularly diverse,
making use as it did of the comparatively
limited pantry of local ingredients.
Contact with the world beyond Hawaii
and the influx of immigrants from Japan,
Portugal, China, the Philippines and the
United States brought new flavors — soy
sauce, rice, chili, onion, avocado, sesame,
Poke Is Here
The best places to find the fresh
and light island treat. BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO
