Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Island Chronicles | May/June 2004

Island Chronicles

Dining with the Royals

Whether enjoying a leisurely brunch at the Bungalow across from 'Iolani Palace, taking lunch at their seaside cottage or celebrating after a coronation ceremony, King Kalakaua and his consort, Kapi'olani, ate in a fashion that suited nobility, as well as native taste. Breakfasts were lavish, meals at noon were sumptuous and dinners were gustatory extravaganzas prepared with attention to the smallest detail. As few as two made delightful company, although court companions and new acquaintances, foreign dignitaries, newly arrived naval officers and visitors often rounded out the colorful circle of guests invited by His Highness to share his table.

Offerings from a single breakfast menu might include fruit and a splendid array of fried mullet, broiled kumu (goatfish) or deviled crab, shrimp curry, beefsteak, veal cutlets, mutton chops, pork chops and kidneys with tomato sauce or brain. Broiled chicken, chicken salad or curry, plover or pigeon on toast, or roast pigeon and stewed duck were featured in the game course. Eggs were delicately poached or scrambled into sweet omelets. On occasion, potatoes were offered, either fried, mashed or stewed. Vegetables, such as tomato salad, asparagus or green peas, were served separately. A simple cheese course followed. Beverages were coffee, tea and chocolate. Ice cream sometimes appeared as the dessert item.

Invitations to a casual luncheon at His Majesty's Waikïkï cottage were not to be refused. This country residence stood amid coconut groves and gardens, lulled by ocean sounds and cooled by the trades. It was a charming, two-story, white house, complete with green verandahs offering views of the sea from each floor. One would be certain to find the king stationed on the entry steps to cordially greet each arrival.

On a particular November day in 1881, guests found him dressed in tropical white, with two lei of cheerful yellow blooms-one to grace his straw hat and the other worn proudly around his neck. He escorted his guests into a bright drawing room where the queen added her "aloha" by presenting a lei of six- or eight-strand pïkake (jasmine) or yellow ginger, roses, marigolds and other seasonal flora. The party then moved into the dining room, which was painted in white and pink and curtained in lace. Fresh Island flowers covered a table laden with a very tasty, fresh shrimp curry, and accompaniments of rice, limes, spicy mango chutney and other delicacies. Caviar on thin biscuits topped with a radish slice, ices served in lacquerware and fruit completed the midday meal.

His Majesty's dinners of state required meticulous planning and huge outlays of time and effort. Shortly after his 1883 coronation, Kalakaua held a royal ball and a supper of six courses, ranging from soup to liqueurs after dessert. Four to eight selections were available for each course; these were paired with beverages and vegetables. Soup choices came with a glass of sherry and included mulligatawny, turtle, Windsor or Soup à la Reine. Hock and Rhine wine arrived with the fish course, which included boiled uhu, ulua, 'ö'io, fried mullet, kumu, moi and crabs, served with anchovies and potatoes. Entrees consisted of wild duck with mushrooms, roasted pigeons, plover, pheasant, veal and mutton cutlets. Claret and burgundy were offered with entrees, along with sweet potatoes, taro, green peas, tomatoes or corn. Champagne accompanied boiled turkey with truffle sauce, boiled ham, beef, veal, duck, chicken pie and roast goose, which were served with asparagus or spinach. A light course (shrimp curry, duck, cheese and salad, coupled with beer) followed, and dessert was presented with port. Dessert was 'Iolani pudding, wine jelly, sponge cake, coconut, papaya, fruitcake, strawberries and ice cream. Tea and coffee were poured after the digestive liquors; fruit and bonbons were offered.

In addition to this formal dinner, the king arranged a coronation lu'au for the general public. Among Kalakaua's many congratulatory gifts came an immense quantity of ho'okupu (native tokens of respect for the chief) in the form of pork, fowl, fish and shellfish, as well as taro, sweet potatoes, breadfruit, watermelons, mangoes, coconuts, alligator pears and limes, to name a few. With these edibles, the kitchen staff prepared a huge Hawaiian feast capable of feeding countless waves of revelers. A steamed fish wrapped in ti leaf marked each place setting, along with raw fish, octopus and shellfish, roasted pig, taro, sweet potato, onion, kukui relish and fruit. Large calabashes of poi stood within easy reach of every four to six people. All had bottles of soda water beside their plates. As one seating finished, attendants cleared and reset places for the next seating until all were accommodated.

Whether the king was entertaining grandly in public or the queen was simply inviting a few favorites among the court ladies to take afternoon tea, the royal pair were undeniably hospitable, gracious and appreciative of the incomparable blend of interesting company and fine food.

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