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long time without spoiling. The natives store it in wooden bowls 

 {iinieke) and eat it with the fingers. Large quantities are con- 

 sumed at a single meal. "Fish and poi" is a phrase among the 

 natives equivalent to the American "square meal." 



The succulent young leaves and petioles of the taro are cooked 

 and eaten like spinach and comprise the delicate vegetable called 

 luaii. The general use of luau at native feasts has caused the 

 feasts themselves to become known as luaus. The taro corm is 

 also eaten as a baked or roasted vegetable, and is often mixed 

 with breadfruit, coconut, sweet potatoes, and other foods. It 

 is never eaten raw, because of the irritating raphides that are 

 only dispelled by cooking. 



Due to the unsanitary conditions under w^hich hand-pounded 

 poi is often made, many persons, especially Americans, prefer the 

 machine-made poi. There are several factories in Honolulu ; the 

 process in brief is as follows : The corms are washed, boiled in 

 large drums by means of live steam under pressure, and peeled 

 by hand. The peeling is done by women, under sanitary condi- 

 tions. The peeled corms are passed through a massive machine 

 that resembles a huge meat-chopper set vertically. Water is 

 added as needed, and the paiai, of uniform texture, comes out of 

 the bottom of the grinder and is put into small barrels, ready for 

 sale. 



Experiments conducted at the College of Hawaii during the 

 past year afford instructive corroboration of the well-known high 

 food value of taro. Chemical analyses of the raw corms, con- 

 ducted according to standard technique, gave the following 

 results : 



Starch 34.12% 



Sugars 1.08 7o 



Fats 1.06% 



Proteins 72^0 



Ash 67% 



Crude fiber 507o 



Water 59.007o 



Taro has a much lower moisture content than either Irish or 

 sweet potatoes, its fat content is higher, its protein content is 

 lower. As to starch, taro has more than double the amount 

 possessed by Irish potatoes, and nearly 50% more than sweet 

 potatoes. 



The starch-grains of taro are exceedingly minute (1/25,000 to 

 3/25,000 in diameter), very much smaller than those of the com- 

 mon cereals, for example. For this reason taro and poi are easily 

 digested, and are commonly recommended for invalids, infants, 

 and aged persons. Taro flour or "taroena," manufactured from 

 the dried, ground corm, has been in local markets for a number 

 of years. 



^^'ith the many and profound economic changes that have tak- 



