Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Books | May/June 2003

Books
By Bob Dye

Spirited Spaniard

Don Francisco de Paula Marin was a restaurateur, distiller, horticulturist and friend of Kamehameha I

A block from Chinatown, at the end of straight and narrow Marin Street, is Honolulu's "Irish Corner." This crossroads is so dubbed because two pubs-Murphy's and O'Toole's-face off there.

Times and tastes change.

This spot of land on the old shore of Honolulu Harbor in the early 19th century was the site of an eatery famous for its Andalusian cuisine and its locally made white and red wines-some of them fortified.

Don Francisco de Paula Marin, who hailed from Jerez de la Frontera (where sherry is made), was proprietor of the best place for haole (Caucasian) food in Hawai'i. He designed and built a two-story stone structure and called it America, probably to attract Yankee sea captains and supercargoes eager for a taste of home. A pier jutting into the harbor served as a "parking lot" for the small boats that carried them to the restaurant and adjoining lodging accommodations.

Marin's neighbor, chief benefactor and fishing buddy was Kamehameha the Great, a man of sophisticated tastes, especially for fine wines. The best Hawaiian food in the kingdom (sometimes prepared by Marin) was served at the king's palace nearby, a fortified compound of grass huts.

Marin had vineyards, gardens, pastures and pens in Nu'uanu, Pauoa and Pearl Harbor. He made butter and cheese, beer, wine, brandy and clear spirits; extracted honey; processed sugar; and planted whatever would grow. Also, he had three wives of record and a number of fine children.

The life and times of Marin (a.k.a. Marini and Manini) is documented in a double volume-Don Francisco de Paula Marin: A Biography, by Ross H. Gast, and The Letters and Journal of Francisco de Paula Marin, edited by Agnes C. Conrad. Originally published in 1973 by the Hawaiian Historical Society, the book was recently reissued as a paperback by the society in conjunction with the University of Hawai'i Press.

Marin's journal is fascinating reading. It not only gives an insight into the lifestyle of the ali'i-royalty-of the time, but also detailed information on the plants that Marin introduced to Hawai'i.

Don Francisco de Paula Marin: A Biography, by Ross H. Gast, and The Letters and Journal of Francisco de Paula Marin, edited by Agnes C. Conrad. Hawaiian Historical Society and University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 2002. $20.

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