A Thanksgiving Luau

I was overjoyed to learn recently of a Thanksgiving luau in Hawaii.

Shipwreck Beach at sunset, on Poipu in south Kauai

It’ll be on the island of Kauaʻi, which is the oldest, and most scenic of the Hawaiian islands. It’s also one of the more remote islands – though not as far as Midway – and with 90 miles of coastline containing 552 square miles, it is the last, largest island in the chain. Nearly 60,000 people call Kauai home, and it is the fourth largest island in the state.

While the traditional baked or roasted turkey or duck will be served on tables throughout the USA, we will be having another dish.

Crabs, sea urchins and turtles, as well as many types of seaweed have been wonderful, traditional dishes served in Hawaii, as is poi – which in Hawaii is called kalo. No doubt, there’ll be pineapple, coconut, mango, papaya, bananas, guava, and more fruits and vegetables common to the area, including macadamia nuts. One common dish is the sweet potato!

Waimea Canyon, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, is 10 miles long, a mile wide and about 3,600 feet deep. Mark Twain called it "the Grand Canyon of the Pacific."

And then, there’s mahi-mahi, a fish also found in those area’s waters, including the Pacific blue marlin, pink snapper, grouper, swordfish, yellowfin and albacore tuna. As well, squid, octopus, shrimp, conch, crab, and a veritable host of other sea creatures have been, and continue to be found upon Hawaiian plates.

Of course, there are the wonderful tropical drinks, such as the Blue Hawaii, Mai Tais, the Hurricane, the Chi-chi, Piña Colada, and Kava (Piper methysticum), an ancient herbal drink which was the beverage of choice for royal families in the South Pacific.

Also located on Kauai is Mount Waialeale, which on average receives over 466 inches of rain annually, making it one of the wettest spots on Earth.

Mount Waialeale, in central Kauai

Instead, they’ll be serving a short-legged, muscular quadruped, approximately 1 metre (39 in) in length which has a short, stubby tail.

And while a pig roasted over an open spit would be a marvelous porcine prize – and is an historically traditional dish – pork will not be on the menu.

No… instead there’ll be something entirely different.

Rather than the traditional turkey, they’ll be serving wombat.