Humor

DANGER! No can try hide yo giggles!
In Hawaii humor can come in many forms and styles. All the cultural groups bring their style of humor to throw into the pot. It starts with the Hawaiians who have this child-like fun that is infected with giggling. In the seventies there grew a local cadre of comedians that included Rap Reiplinger, Andy Bumatai, Frank DeLima and even Pat Morita (the karate kid's master). Much mileage was made by each about all the cultural groups and their frailties.

One Memorial day weekend Aunti Heidi and I escaped from the tourists by staying on Molokai along with locals from Oahu and Kauaii. I joined a golfing group of kamaaina (locals) and have never had a funnier time playing Golf. It was constant giggles and jokes the whole way around. I didn't have time to get mad at my game!

Cooking with Aunti Marialani
With you blogwatchers rating the food entries so highly we now give you a cooking show for today's recipe. Here is Rap Reiplinger as seen on local TV from back in the day. This will also help you practice understanding pidgin. 



Singing in Hawaiian
Aunti Heidi says - Not long after we moved to Hawaii I came to know the Lord. I joined the choir at my church. The choir director was also a transplant and told the following story...

She accepted the position with our church and moved to Hawaii. The pastor picked her up at the airport. While driving to the church he told her that they needed her to sing at a wedding that afternoon. "Oh, and you will need to sing in Hawaiian", he added. Well she didn't know any Hawaiian!. The pastor assured her that she would recognize the melody and, anyway, that it was a haole (white) wedding.

So as they traveled to the church she started reading and memorizing all the street signs she could see. When she got up to sing, her voice was beautiful and warm as she sang "Aloha ha oe Kamaaina ke o ole, Napilii Kahului na ke Kahahumanu a oe...." (filled with locations on Maui). The people applauded. Everyone seemed pleased and the pianist just kept her mouth shut!

Flowers
Hawaii is one of the best places to see orchids. Orchids are notoriously hard to grow on the mainland as they need the right moisture level along with a temperate climate. My late brother-in-law, John, used to try to grow them in the shower stall in Southern California, with limited success. On Maui, uncle had an old Japanese-American customer who was world renowned grower of orchids. Instead of a greenhouse or a shower stall he just had a backyard full, as he lived on the rainy side of the island, in Wailuku.

 Video
Here is a video featuring one of the best Slack Key guitarist of today, Ledward Kaapana. Besides showing a mastery of the song, he demonstrates the playfulness that is typical of the Hawaiian people. Starting and ending with a giggle he plays around while delivering a thorough performance of a wonderful song, Manoa Slackkey.

Some one once asked him how to play slack key guitar and he replied "jus press". It is now embroidered on the front of a cap he often wears.