October 2, 2025 • 52 mins
This week on Trivia Tangents, I sit down with my Auntie Sarah, who has lived in Waikīkī, O’ahu for the past six years, to explore some fun and fascinating pieces of Hawaii’s story. From blockbuster movies filmed on the islands, to the fiery legends surrounding volcanoes, to the controversial history behind Hawaii’s most famous fruits — it’s a mix of trivia and deeper conversations.
But this isn’t just a postcard version of paradise. We also look at the bigger picture: how movies often overlook native culture, why the pineapple industry was problematic, and the spiritual significance of the land itself. Sarah shares her enlightening experiences as a non-native Hawaiian resident, and we talk about the importance of cultural education, environmental awareness, and supporting community initiatives like Farm Link.
Hawaii is more than beaches and resorts — it’s a living culture with values rooted in respect for the land (mālama ʻāina). Come for the trivia, stay for the reminder that we can all learn something from the Hawaiian way of caring for community and environment.
✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:
🎬 Movies filmed in Hawaii (and how they often overlook native culture)
🌋 Pele, the goddess of fire, and the spiritual side of volcanoes
🌱 Living in Hawaii and raising environmental awareness
🥭 Local fruits like lychee and mango (plus the controversial pineapple industry)
🗣️ Hawaiian Pidgin and the art of “talk story”
📚 Why cultural education is so important for kids in Hawaii
🤝 Community initiatives like Farm Link that support local agriculture
🌈 Respecting the land (mālama ʻāina) as a core Hawaiian value
⛔ The forbidden island of Niʻihau
😷 Hansen’s disease (previously known as leprosy) in Moloka’i 1800’s
A note on language:
We do our best to honor Hawaiian language and names in this episode. We know we won’t get everything perfect, but our effort comes from a place of respect. If you have corrections, we welcome thoughtful feedback shared with kindness — it helps us to keep learning. You’ll also hear me briefly use the phrase “mainland” in this episode; since recording this in June 2025, I’ve learned that “continental U.S.” is a more accurate and respectful term, and I’ll be using that going forward.
Links
Finding Ohana Netflix Film
Moloka’i novel by Alan Brennert
Maia Kealoha (Lilo actress) with Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green Article
Hawaiian grocery delivery service Farm Link Hawaii
Best Lychee In O’ahu Sun Chong Grocery
***
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Trivia Tangents and Hawai'i
01:18 Hawai'i Disclaimer
05:08 Movies Filmed In Hawai'i
09:34 Lake Tahoe Giving Island Vibes
10:25 Live Action Lilo & Stitch
12:17 Sarah's Fav Movies
14:37 Living In Hawai'i
15:20 Bug Tangent
17:17 Diving into Hawaiian Mythology
17:43 Pele The Goddess of Fire
24:26 The Legend of the Naupaka Flower
26:59 Nature and Spirituality in Hawai'i
29:56 Sustainable Living and Local Initiatives
33:01 Fruits of
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
Welcome to Trivia Tangents, the podcast where we turn everyday
passions into surprising trivia deep dives.
I'm your host, Lena, and each week I quiz a friend or family
member on something they know way too much about.
Turning everyday passions into trivia gold.
We all know that on trivia night, the bigger the team, the
better you'll play. That's why I bring the team
together here on Trivia tangents.
(00:32):
Today's guest is my Auntie Sarah, who's here to talk all
about Hawaii. So get ready for some fun facts
you'll definitely want for your next trivia night.
Hi, Auntie, welcome to the podcast.
Hi, thanks for having me. So today we're obviously
(00:52):
discussing. Hawaii.
I'm definitely not an expert. I know, I know.
If she's not an expert, you've lived there for six years, but
you are definitely a local at this point, so you pretty much
know what you're talking about. 50% of the time and the other
50% of the time is unwarranted confidence that I just pretend
(01:13):
and hope nobody questions it. But it should be entertaining.
Yes, I think it will be entertaining nonetheless.
Is there anything that you want to like start with like
disclaimer about Hawaii in general?
Yes, definitely. Like you said, I'm not native
Hawaiian. I do maybe like to consider
(01:33):
myself local, but I don't know if other people who have like
born and raised would consider me local.
Hawaii's really unique and has areally, like, vast cultural
legacy and history. And it's been complicated that I
don't know if it's necessary to go into all of it.
But definitely, if you're interested to do some research,
(01:54):
it's super interesting on the history of Hawaii and like, the
monarchy and the overthrow and the illegal annexation into the
United States. So that's why, Yeah.
And I've only been there six years.
So if I say something wrong or incorrect or invalid, please,
listeners, check me. Also, I just want to say that
(02:15):
talk about like colonization andcontributing to like the
commercialization of the land and the people when meanwhile
I'm just another white person that has moved there and who's
technically contributing to the problem.
And yeah, that's not the best. SO one thing I think that I try
to do is get back to my community.
(02:37):
I'm a social worker, so I get back like that and try to teach
my kids and other kids on how important it is to steward the
land and respect the native culture and by small, local and
support like that. So yeah, I acknowledge that I'm
part of the problem. Yeah, I feel like, you know, and
that's the best you can do, right?
(02:58):
And later in the episode, we'll talk about, we'll talk about
Farm Link actually. One of my favorite things.
Yeah, totally. I'm always learning.
Same, me too, I feel like my pronunciation has gotten better
on certain aspects just because I did spend last summer over
there on island so I feel like I'm a little bit better at
(03:19):
pronunciation. I still thanks I it's forever
burned in my head. Papua Hanoa moko OKa.
Very good. And that wasn't even from On
Island, that was from your podcast, yes.
That was from the episode about Honu sea turtles.
Remind me, what was that word mean?
Or what did that word mean? It is a sea atoll which is like
(03:43):
a crater. Oh, that's right.
Like an island that started as avolcano crater, but it never
fully emerged above water. That's right.
And then like the sea turtles, like migrated from there or
something. Yeah.
They, they go there to give birth and it's like a really
nice sort of safe area for them and especially cause no humans
(04:04):
can go there and there's like nostupid tourists standing on the
reef, right? Which, you know, makes me really
mad. Do so cool.
Well, we'll be talking about a lot of fun Hawaii things today.
I have three sections. It was really hard to narrow
down to just three sections because there are so many things
to talk about in Hawaii like theanimals, the fruits, the
(04:25):
weather, the Hawaiian mythology,the pigeon, pigeon language,
local language, the food, the food, so many, so many different
things to talk about. But today we have 3 sections.
We're gonna talk about movies. We'll talk about a little
section on Hawaiian mythology, OK And then lastly, fruit,
(04:50):
because I know you love fruit I.Am I Do I'm like obsessed.
Yes, me too. So shall we dive into Section 1?
Yes, let's go. OK, trivia question one.
(05:11):
Which of the following films wasnot physically filmed in Hawaii?
OK A Pirates of the Caribbean B Forgetting Sarah Marshall C
Crazy Rich Asians or D The Hunger Games Catching Fire.
Oh. Well, I know for sure forgetting
(05:33):
Sarah Marshall was because therewas a spot on the North Shore
that I went to a birthday party at and it was right there.
OK, so I know that one for sure.Oh my God, So let's.
Did I stump you? Oh my God.
I thought you were going to get all these right.
No. Like I don't, I have like 0
(05:54):
short term memory so I'm really not surprised I screwed this one
up or I don't know the answer tothis one.
Let's just go with the Pirates of the Caribbean.
You're wrong. Not shocking.
The answer was Crazy Rich Asians.
Crazy Rich Asians was not filmedin Hawaii.
That makes a lot of sense, so. Hawaii is often a stand in for
(06:21):
other tropical locales in Hollywood.
So obviously Jurassic Park was shot there in Koala Ranch,
right? And then I also think Hawaii's.
The the Canyon? The Waimea Canyon?
Is that Waimea anyway the Canyon?
Anyway, and like Kuloa Ranch in eastern Oahu has this whole like
(06:42):
tourist attraction where people can come visit and I did it and
like, is it east? I think it's north, North, Yeah.
No, I. Think it's North Shore?
No 'cause we drove there. You can drive to the North
Shore. Yeah, I know.
Would not recommend. Walking takes a while.
Yeah, OK. Anyway, they're cooler.
(07:02):
Ranch, we can agree, is on Oahu.Yes, we can.
OK. They have a whole tour of
Jurassic, the Jurassic Park set.The film set of Course Lost was
filmed across Oahu. Pirates of the Caribbean hit up
Molokai. OK, so.
You know, lots of films were shot in Hawaii, obviously.
(07:25):
It's so beautiful. Like, how can you not?
But on the other end of it, it'slike these films often ignore
the native culture or, like, usethe land as a vague sort of
exotic backdrop, right? And a lot of these stories
aren't even based in Hawaii. But we have some good ones or
ones that do like positive things.
(07:45):
So we recently recently came outwas finding Ohana recently as in
like 4 years ago that you know, of course everything is slightly
problematic, nothing's perfect, but it definitely I feel like
depicted more of like local culture, which was really cool.
That's good. That's good.
(08:06):
Just to jump back, you mentionedPirates of the Caribbean was
filmed on Molokai, which is sucha cool island.
It was where they had the leper colony, so known as Hansen's
disease now. So it's not cool that they did
that, but it definitely has a lot of really interesting
culture and history. Yeah, yeah.
(08:29):
And then also the part up top, the regular island where like
the other people lived is super cool.
I went there for one afternoon. Really.
Only like 12 hours, so I don't didn't have a great like
expansive experience, but it wasreally cool.
It was. Pretty, that's awesome.
I started reading a book, it wasjust called Molokai.
Oh, was it about the little girl?
(08:50):
Yes, the little girl who got leprosy and was like sent away
to the island. Such a good book, so sad.
Yeah. I read it as a kid and then when
I moved to Hawaii I read it again and then I read another
book. I think the author is Alan
Brennert. It's a male I remember.
Yeah, it's probably not the right author, but anyway, he,
(09:10):
the author wrote a book called, I think it's called Honolulu
about a Korean picture bride that it was so interesting that
highly recommended. I don't even want to know what a
Korean picture bride is, that just sounds weird.
It is weird, but it's it's really interesting, OK.
Yeah, I never finished the Molokai e-book.
(09:32):
I found it. Slight tangent, but I was in an
Airbnb in Lake Tahoe and they had it and I was like, Oh my
God, this is so funny. Like how Lake Tahoe always has
Hawaii stuff. Yeah, like meanwhile, I moved
from Lake Tahoe to Hawaii. Yes, exactly.
And like one other example is the there's a hotel I think I
stayed at like Marriott at. Oh heavenly.
(09:56):
Yeah, and they have the restaurant Kalani or something.
Like that. Oh, my God.
Yeah. And then also the lotion they
provide in their hotel rooms is the Malay lotion that I
literally love. And that's where I discovered
it. And now every time I go to
Hawaii, I buy nice a new lotion because it's so good.
It smells like mangoes. That's cool.
Yeah, there's definitely some cultural overlaps between Tahoe
people and Hawaii people. It's it's so funny how that
(10:19):
happens. OK, getting back on track here.
We were talking about films in Hawaii right now we're recording
in June 2025, and Lilo and Stitch recently came out.
The live action. Live action Lilo and Stitch.
Are you excited to see it? How do you feel about like live
action versus cartoon? I'm like meh, but I think my
(10:41):
kids are really excited to see it.
'Cause I forced them to watch the cartoon version when I visit
it. Yes, and they love it.
They love cartoons and everything, so I know they'll be
excited to see it, so it should be good.
There's definitely been a lot ofpromotion on Island.
I know. I actually saw it just the other
day that the little girl who plays Lilo was with the governor
(11:03):
and signed some sort of proclamation.
And it's definitely just a photoop, but I thought it was, it was
kind of cute. That's cute.
I I didn't even think about it. Like, she definitely lives on
island. Yeah, I think she does.
Like, that just makes sense, right?
Yeah. And.
There's also the aspect of, yeah, it's providing jobs and
(11:24):
providing innovation, and Hawaiian Airlines is doing a big
thing. Like I think there's a Lilo and
Stitch airplane, but right now, but also then there's a whole
side of it. It's like, oh, look, it's just
another time that like the native culture is being
commercialized. So everything is twofold, but
yes, we are excited to see the movie.
(11:44):
Yeah, me too. I'm excited.
I'm, like, waiting for it to come on Disney Plus because
like, if I have a choice betweenwatching it in a theater full of
screaming babies or in my own home for free, I'm gonna watch
it at home. So I'll wait.
I will go to the theater probably and provide a non
screaming baby. Yes, yeah, perfect.
(12:05):
And Disney Aulani in the North Shore is probably popping off
West side. Sorry West side.
Thank you Disney. Aulani is probably popping off
with the Lilo and Stitch. Oh, I'm sure.
So out of all the movies filmed in Hawaii that you've seen,
what's your fave? I don't know if I have a fave.
Well, you really perked up when I said forgetting Sarah
(12:27):
Marshall, so maybe that. That one only because that has
oh shoot, what's her name? That's Mila Kunis.
And when I was younger, people would be like, that's your
doppelganger. Yes, you like you, the eyes.
Yeah. And so I'm like, oh, that's my
special person. Yeah.
But now I don't think we look somuch alike.
And also maybe there's somethingproblematic going on with her
(12:49):
and Ashton Kutcher and P Diddy and all of that, but I don't
really know when I'm trying not to pay attention, so.
Oh. My God, she's part of the
Diddler. Maybe, maybe, I don't know,
maybe I don't know. But so yeah, that's why I
probably perked up. Yeah, that movie's really good,
but it also makes me sad. But it's like a classic.
I think I've only seen it one time really, maybe 2, I don't
(13:11):
know. My favorite movie that was
filmed in Hawaii. Oh my God, it's so hard to pick.
Out of these all all of these ones that we listed.
Pirates of the Caribbean is probably my fave.
I just, I'm obsessed with Jack Sparrow and the way he runs.
Like one time I met him in Disneyland.
Do they all have to run like that?
(13:32):
Well, I asked him. I was like, can you run for me?
Like, can I film you running? And he was like, oh, gladly.
And like he did it. The whole is it the drunk dance
running? And it's so funny.
That's so funny. I love it.
I need to go back and rewatch itnow, now that you told me it's
filmed on Molokai. Yeah, all of them are just the
first one. I don't know.
Let's see. You're being a girl that
(13:54):
googles. I'm a girl at Google.
OK, It looks like all of them were filmed, like somewhat
filmed in Hawaii, specifically in Molokai.
The Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End was filmed there,
specifically the scene where Will Turner bids farewell to
Elizabeth Swann before becoming the captain of the Flying
Dutchman. And that's actually a really sad
(14:15):
scene because she, like, he saysgoodbye to her basically
forever. Yeah, yeah, OK.
There you go. Go back and watch it.
Okay, cool, another question foryou auntie.
Do you think Hawaii ever gets stereotyped in movies?
Oh my gosh, yes, so much. It's like this perfect paradise
(14:37):
and Doug Morag. It's wonderful and I love it and
it's so amazing, but there's so much more to it with the culture
and the history and it's all very complex and nuanced and
also there's so many bugs. There are so many bugs.
So many bugs. I didn't believe you when you
first told me that, but after living there for a summer, I
(15:02):
believe you. Yeah.
I'm not gonna lie, like the first year I lived there, I had
a really hard time adjusting. And so whenever I'd come back to
visit or talk to somebody and they're like, Oh my gosh, how's
Hawaii? Must be so amazing.
I my first answer would always be, there's so many bugs.
Yeah. OK, So when I moved there, there
my son was really little and he was crawling.
(15:24):
And so we where we lived, there was an exterminator that'd come
like once a month. And after that, there'd always
be a ton of dead cockroaches around.
And so there was a time where I went to pick him up and he had
like, bunch of dead cockroaches stuck to his leg.
And it was the, it was the most disgusting thing ever.
And I was like, I don't, I don'twant to touch you like this.
I'm like, my poor baby, you're so cute.
(15:45):
And this is so gross. And so, yeah, Hawaii has a lot
of bugs because it's the tropics.
And that I was not prepared for that.
Yeah, so and obviously like in movies.
Yeah, they don't show that part.They don't, they don't show that
part. They're they're only going to
show the glamour side of it. Right.
But yeah, to name some bunks, cockroaches, fleas, red ants.
Centipedes, scorpions, cane spiders.
(16:09):
I've never seen one. I shouldn't say that out loud
because now I'm going to see one.
But yeah, you. And then there's the cost of
living. There is the whole encourage,
like what's the word not encouraging but like helping?
No anyway, like the whole. What are you trying to say?
I don't know. I lost it, OK.
(16:30):
But. Like priced out of paradise that
we're contributing, contributingto like, the exploitation of the
land and the people, in case it wasn't abundantly clear.
And one of those really annoying, like, woke people
that. Yeah.
It's not annoying. I think it's really good to be
aware of like gentrification. People that come to the island
(16:51):
and they're like, oh, people don't live in grass huts or walk
around in grass skirts all the time.
There's some really, yes, people, I think people.
Actually. Think that?
I think so. But no, it's a real place.
We've got real stores, real traffic, real everything, real
people. Yeah.
(17:17):
So I know that you already know that the goddess of fire, Pele
Pele. I knew you already knew that, so
I wanted to amp up the question to make it harder.
Oh no. And I'm gonna start by not
giving you multiple choice, and then if you need it, I'll give
(17:38):
it to you and I'll try to pronounce everything correctly.
Trivia Question 2 Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, is
most closely associated with which volcano?
OK, it's either Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa on the Big Island.
No, wait, maybe it's not. Well, those are the two.
(18:00):
Active One. No, Mauna Loa is active.
OK wait, give me my multiple choice.
Wait, now I want to double check.
OK, so here are your multiple choice options.
A Kilauea Kilauea Kilauea B Mauna Kea OK C Haleakala,
Haleakala Haleakala. Thank you, D.
(18:24):
OK. I don't think it's Haleakala.
OK, that one's on Maui. You said Mauna Kea, and that's
on Big Island. I do know there's controversy
and history about it. And telescope.
Anyway, look it up. Telescope stuff.
(18:47):
Hmm OK. Pele isn't older, sorry.
So I feel like it would have to be an older volcano.
Let's just go Mauna Kea. No, Wow, I really thought you
would get this right. I think the only like the reason
I know this is because I'm currently reading the book
called Hula and they Oh yeah, she her hula dance is about
(19:12):
Pele. OK, so I kept hearing about it.
Anyway, the answer is a kilauea.OK, Did I say that right?
I think so. I mean, I could also be saying
it wrong. True.
OK 'cause that the story that I was thinking of is the story
about like how on the top of 1 mountain there's the fire
(19:34):
goddess and then there's like a snow goddess and like racing
down the mountain to see who wins every winter or something
like that. I'm totally butchering it, but I
couldn't for the life of me remember.
Yeah, well, there you go. It's it's Kilauea.
OK, so to give you a little background here, just to sum up
her mythology into a short little paragraph, Pele is the
(19:58):
fierce, passionate goddess of fire and volcanoes.
She is said to live in the HalleMauma.
Oh, crater. Oh, that's the one.
That's. Currently erupting on Big
Island. Is it OK?
And that's not Mauna Loa, you'reright.
Yeah. So, yeah, and I've been there,
OK. And I've read the things where
like people stop leaving your offerings to Pele if they're not
(20:21):
very degradable. And so anyway, but yeah, I
didn't remember that, OK. Yes.
So she lives in the Halemaumau crater, which is on Kilauea, and
it is deeply respected by Hawaiians.
Obviously, her legends are woveninto natural events like
eruptions, lava flow, pads, and the transformation of the
(20:41):
landscape. Her fiery temperament also
symbolizes the creative and destructive forces of nature.
I'm really glad I know that, andI'm sure I'll forget it again,
but I'm glad I know it at the moment.
Yeah, there are also famous sightings of, quote UN quote,
Pele in disguise. OK, for volcano eruptions, it's
(21:03):
more like folklore. But like, for example, the
locals share tales of her appearing as, like, a hitchhiker
or a white dog or a flame. Oh, and it's also, like you
said, common to see people leaving offerings at her site
and in her honor. Yeah, but just make sure it's
biodegradable. Right.
(21:24):
Yeah. So how do these sorts of legends
shape how locals interact with the nature?
So there's malama aina or Aloha aina.
I love Malama aina. Right, which basically means
like care for the land and that you really need to respect it
because it's you're on an islandand everything is connected and
(21:48):
you know, it's you can't break one piece and then expect
everything else to work correctly.
And then also it's all woven into the culture as it is with
many like pretty much I think all indigenous cultures is they
see the connections, they understand it better that it's
it's taught in the school. So my kids school has a whole
Aloha Aina program. They have gardens, A lot of
(22:10):
schools have gardens. There was a new initiative
policy that passed about how certain amount of school lunches
needs to be provided from like locally sourced sustainable
food. And yeah, actually the even like
the Native Hawaiian origin storyfeatures the kalo plant as like
(22:31):
the ancest, one of the first children or ancestors, which is
really cool and just really shows that deep connection to
and the importance of the land. Yeah, I love that.
I love that they teach in schools.
And like as a kid, I'm sure it'sso much more interesting to hear
sort of like the back story, themyth, mythological, like legends
(22:55):
that kind of shape the way that you treat the land.
And even for me, like as an adult, like it just, I mean, I
obviously know to respect the land, the Rama Ina, but like it
just gives that it sort of like a deeper meaning to make you
feel more inclined to like actually follow through.
Agreed. Yeah.
(23:16):
So you live near Diamond Head. What's it?
Yes. It's so cool.
What's it like living near a sacred volcanic land?
It's really cool and it's amazing to like walk out my
door, take my kids to school or go to the grocery store and I
look and I can see Diamond Head and it's right there.
(23:37):
But then of course, anytime thatyou live somewhere that it's
really easy to take these amazing things for granted.
So sometimes I catch myself and I look at it and I was like, Oh
my gosh, wow, that's so cool. I live right here or oh, look,
it's been raining a bunch and I can tell because the slopes of
Diamond Head are really green atthe moment.
And, you know, right now, I'm sure when I get home, because
(24:00):
it's summer, they will be brown again.
Yeah, but it's pretty cool. That's awesome.
So we were talking about how legends sort of shape the way
you interact with nature, yes. And you mentioned your kids.
Yes, They learn all about this in school.
Do you know if there's any specific Hawaiian myth or legend
(24:23):
that they were taught? They were taught so many, but
the first one that pops into my head is the story of these
flowers. So there's a one of them that
grows by the ocean and there's another one that grows more like
mountain. So it's the same type of flower,
but it's half of 1 and half of the other.
(24:47):
Oh, my God. Sadie was telling me about this,
and I was like, Oh my God. I remember she was telling me
this last summer and I didn't believe her.
Yeah. I was like, no, I don't think
that's possible. No.
So it. Is and it's really cool.
And I can't think of what the flowers are called.
Oh, look it up. And I think it's about lovers
who were separated. I'm sorry Sadie, I know you've
(25:10):
told me this story numerous times and it's a really cool
story. That's amazing.
Is it the legend of the Napaka? That sounds right.
Oh my God. So real quick, what is it?
Napaka, the napaka flower. OK.
The Hawaiian legend tells the story of how Princess Nalpaka
(25:31):
and Kohli star crossed lovers who could never be together.
The flowers, which only bloom with half petals.
Yeah, that's the one. Symbolizes their separation and
the yearning for reunion. One version of the story has
Nalpaka and Kohli being separated by the gods and
Nalpaka tearing a flower in half, giving Kohli one part as a
(25:53):
parting gift. Another version involves Goddess
Pele. Oh interesting, the goddess of
fire interfering with their love, leading to their
separation and the creation of the half flower.
Very. Cool this is crazy to me.
This is so full circle because in the book I'm reading called
Hula, the family are called the Nalpaka family.
(26:18):
Are they torn apart Star Crest lovers too?
No, but like the main character she like goes off to Maui and
like escapes for a little bit and like it's this whole thing
and then she comes back and likethey keep referencing this
version with Pele where they where Pele is interfering it
like it goes back and forth between the story and then this
(26:41):
like mythical short story. Well, then it's a good thing you
looked it up. Yes, and I have chills right
now. This is crazy.
Oh my God. OK, cool.
Well, thanks for sharing that story and sounds like Sadie
needs to tell you the story again.
Yes, now pack of flour. Yes.
Cool, love it. OK, one final question for
Section 2. Do you feel like living in
(27:02):
Hawaii has changed how you thinkabout nature or spirituality?
Yes, absolutely. But also to be fair, while I've
lived in Hawaii, so I have definitely immersed myself in
the culture, but I also went back to school and got a
community health worker certification, my bachelor's in
social work and my master's in social work.
(27:23):
Round of applause, yes. Thank you.
Just graduated and so I've had this whole growth mindset
process of just learning more about systematic oppression and
all those things. So would I maybe have gotten
this without living? In a way, maybe.
But also what? I've even went to school.
(27:44):
It's a whole rabbit hole. But yeah, I do think it has
changed how I think and interactwith land and people, yeah.
So I agree for me too, even though I haven't even I didn't
even like physically live there for that long.
And like I was basically a visitor.
But also I wanna call out my yoga teacher here in San
Francisco. Her name is Lucia.
(28:06):
She spent the last three years on Big Island and her first yoga
class that she taught here with the first one I took like she at
the end, we were all doing, you know, tree pose, classic yoga
pose, right? And she's like, oh, look at this
beautiful forest. And like, she went on a
monologue about like, respectingthe land and, and I was like,
(28:28):
wow, this is so cool. And this is, I feel like
something that I've felt has been missing from living here in
San Francisco, like something that I missed from Hawaii.
And then I went up to her after class and I was like, I really
loved this class. Like, I really especially loved
your part about Malama Aina. And like, her face lit up when I
said that. And she's like, can I give you a
(28:49):
hug? And I was like, yes.
That's so sweet. Yeah.
One thing that I noticed living there is that, you know, there's
a whole giant Pacific garbage patch, which is terrible.
Yeah, in the ocean. Yes, in the ocean and I know
there's other ones, but I've always lived in California or
the California coast and so talked about but I didn't see it
(29:12):
as much like it didn't because of the way the currents run.
It's you don't see as much trashwashed up on the beach.
In California. In California, but in Hawaii you
do. Really.
It's it's really tragic. And so that really contributed
to how I felt about, like, environmentalism and caring for
(29:32):
the land and cutting down on single waste and all of that
stuff because it's just stares you right in the face and
there's no avoiding it. Wow.
Yeah. That's that's really good.
Like more people need to know about that.
And in Hawaii, they have amazingprograms and ways to get
involved. They do, and one of them's farm.
(29:53):
Link farm link where you. Can order your groceries direct
from the farm. Right, yes, more or less.
So there's a lot of different options there's and it's similar
to ACSA box, which I don't remember what that stands for,
but certified I don't know. Anyway, it's where you can get
(30:14):
groceries delivered straight from the farm.
So this one's a little bit different.
It's a a virtual storefront thatpartners with a bunch of
different local farms, small local producers across all the
Hawaiian Islands to get the products to the people at like
an affordable cost and efficientto really encourage buying local
(30:36):
sustainable. But one thing if I'm like does
and it's it's a new nonprofit and I'm just in love with them
and I want them to succeed, is that they partnered with the
Bucks, which is a local program that basically says if you are
on food stamps or EBT, it's alsoknown as EBT, that if you buy
(31:01):
local produce, basically everything is 50% off.
So your money goes further because what produce is always
more expensive than chips and then buying local is always more
expensive than buying imported, which is silly, but so it's to
encourage that. And the other thing that Farm
Link does is they take EBT, which is fantastic.
(31:26):
And so because I work in social work, I know some of the
hospitals as part of their discharge planning, they go and
see if people need connection toresources.
And some of the resources that are offered are normally helping
you sign up for EBT food stamps.And one of the, at least one of
the hospitals I know of now offers to help people sign up
for Farm Lake so we can get people access to those
(31:48):
groceries. Yeah.
Healthy, local, sustainable. Yeah.
So I think it's really great. And they have mango and lychee
and lay and all sorts of wonderful things.
And they get bring it right to your door, which makes your life
so much easier. And this is just the whole now,
just the whole episode is just going to be a farm like
commercial. I love it.
(32:08):
Maybe I'll send it to them and hopefully they can repost.
But yeah, when the they drop it off like the people, the
delivery guys are so nice. They're so nice.
They're wonderful. Yeah.
And actually they just had an update last week that now before
people who had got food stamps, you had to be home that time of
delivery, and they just passed it.
So you no longer have to be home, which just makes it that
(32:31):
much more accessible for people.But then you can't interact with
the one delivery guy you. Can still be home if you want to
because not saying you have to leave.
OK. Chess is another option that
makes things that much more. I love it for people which.
I love it. We stand farm link, so that's a
great segue into Section 3, which is about fruit.
(32:59):
Are you ready for Trivia Question 3?
Yeah, I mean, I haven't been doing great, so I hope I got
this one right. Yeah.
You're over 2, but I'm I'm confident in you Auntie I I have
AI have a strong feeling you're going to get this one right.
And I'm. I don't even think you need the
multiple choice. OK, let's see.
Trivia question 3. Which fruit, though widely
(33:21):
associated with Hawaii? Pineapple.
Yes. OK, finish the question.
Which fruit, although widely associated with Hawaii, is not
native to the islands? Pineapple.
Correct. Good job.
Surprise. Yay.
Pineapple is originally from South America, not Hawaii.
(33:43):
They were introduced to the islands in the early 1800s.
However, they became a major industry thanks to Mr. James
Dole. And that's a whole thing, not.
Sure, how we feel about him. Not great, no not great.
But basically he started the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 19
O1 by mid 20th century which is like 1950s.
(34:08):
K. Hawaii was responsible for over
80% of the world's pineapple supply.
Today, pineapples are no longer a dominant crop, but they're
still a strong symbol. Like, you think tropical, you
think pineapple, right? Right.
I know you probably have a lot. Of thoughts here I have so many.
Go ahead. OK, first of all, the why we're
(34:29):
like we don't know how we feel about Doll is because he was one
of the businessmen that contributed to the.
The banning of hula. No.
Well, yes, in sense, but the illegal overthrow of the
Hawaiian government and monarchy, he was part of the.
That's so. Business then, yeah, so
problematic. And then the whole exploitation
(34:51):
of the land and all that stuff. Now, the people who own it at
this very moment, are they them?No, but that doesn't.
It's all very complicated. But to be fair, the pineapple
that it's grown in Hawaii is thebest pineapple that exits.
Like, you know, when you're eating pineapple, most of the
time it hurts your tongue. It's because of like some enzyme
(35:14):
or not bacteria. I think it's some enzyme.
It's like. 2 Citrusy. Yeah.
And so often when you get the pineapple that's grown in Hawaii
and eat it in Hawaii because it's had more time to ripen, I
think it's so much better. Yeah, so good.
I think we can all agree the anyfruit grown well tropical fruits
grown in Hawaii are better if you're in Hawaii because they
(35:39):
have longer time to ripen. Yeah, I think that's part of the
push to buy local, eat local, wherever, Yeah, is because
things are always better. Yeah, fresher and given the
appropriate time to ripen instead of trying to be shipped.
Yep, I went on deep down a rabbit hole the other day about
bananas. Oh, really?
And how the shipping of bananas.I didn't do this by myself.
(36:03):
OK. This was I didn't find the
YouTube videos. Thanks, Sean.
You found them. But yeah.
And then there's the whole banana Wars, but that's a
different tangent. That's a different episode.
Well, you have a banana tree. I do have a banana.
Ice cream. Banana.
I yes, which is super cool and Ilove it and it makes me really
happy. Yeah.
(36:24):
And to actually to, I didn't notice know this at first, but
each banana stock, it grows super fast because it's like a
weed. It's hollow on the inside and
we're like bamboo. And so each stock only fruits
once I knew that. And then you have to chop it
down, which is really sticky. It's a yes.
Yeah. So I didn't know that.
And then the plant just keeps expanding and expanding and
(36:45):
expanding and taking it from my yard.
I know. But I love it.
And it makes me really happy. And I was going to say something
else about fruit. Oh, when?
So before the banana, not banana, pineapple industry,
like, super crashed or it just stopped being as popular.
I know a bunch of people who like That was their first job.
So Mike's mother-in-law, that was her first job.
(37:06):
My friend Lonnie, a lot of different people.
That was everyone's first job, either picking pineapple or
working in the cannery. Yeah.
And then I think we're probably gonna get to it.
Is then how that contributed to local culture?
And pigeon. So am I jumping ahead?
No, I honestly, I didn't outlinepigeon, but we I would love to
(37:30):
talk about it. OK.
So basically because of pineapple and sugar cane and the
other agricultural industries that I'm probably forgetting,
there was a lot of like people who moved away from the
Philippines, from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, yes.
(37:52):
To come and work on the plantations, yes.
And because everyone spoke different languages in order to
communicate, to work together, the pigeon language was created.
Hawaiian pigeon. Yes.
And I personally think pigeon languages are super fascinating
languages out of necessity. So there's so many different
(38:13):
versions. There's like a Louisiana pigeon.
Whoa. There's Yiddish, which is the
Eastern European, like Jewish pigeon.
What? It's all combinations of
different languages. But there's also Creole.
So a pigeon and a Creole are both like combination languages.
But basically a pigeon language isn't an official language, it's
(38:35):
just like a language hybrid necessity.
But a Creole is when a pigeon language turns into a real
language, which means like it has its own grammar rules, it
has first generation speakers, it stops just being a mash up
and becomes its own thing. Yeah.
(38:56):
So even though Hawaiian pigeon is called pigeon, it's actually
a Creole. So it's actually a real
language. And I think it's really cool.
That's cool. What's your favorite pigeon
word? I think when we use a fair
amount, well obviously I use keiki, but I don't think that's
a pigeon word. I think that's Hawaiian.
Hawaiian. Yeah.
(39:17):
And so that's my, one of my things I run into is I don't
know if something's a pigeon word or Hawaiian word.
So one thing that I think we usethe most in my house is shishi.
Yes, which means to go pee, go to the bathroom.
Which sounds better than pee, honestly.
Shishi, right? And it is not Hawaiian.
(39:37):
I don't know what I know. I looked it up before but I
don't remember if it what what language it's from.
Well, in Chinese she she means Guardian Lion.
So probably not Chinese. And let's see, the one where we
always talk about too is lychee versus lychee.
Let's make that the poll, you guys.
Is it pronounced lychee or is itpronounced lychee?
(40:00):
Lychee, Lychee, Lychee, Lychee. Yeah, everyone who lives in
Hawaii is gonna need to go and vote.
Can I vote multiple times just to?
Make no, but you can make your kids vote.
Okay, and that will be 3 more votes, 33 total.
Yeah, perfect. I used to say lychee, and then I
(40:20):
moved to Hawaii, and people are like, huh, Yeah.
And so now because of that need to, like, fit in and appreciate
the culture, I now say lychee. Yeah.
And then my kids will correct people who say lychee, which I
know you have experienced. Lena Oh, yeah, Sadie has been
like, actually lychee, It's not lychee.
And I explained to her, look, onthe mainland we say lychee.
And she's like, well, you're wrong.
(40:40):
Yeah. Also I was correct or advised
more recently that it's better to more PC to say continent than
mainland, but I'm still adjusting to doing that so I
only remember to do it like 50% of the time because.
Because you know. It's saying that like, Oh well,
this the continent is Maine, it's more important than damn
(41:04):
it, I know. And then there's also outer
islands versus neighbor islands to say Honolulu versus the other
or Oahu versus. I know it's always a learning
and growing process. And I think all the things
probably that we think we're getting right now in a few years
will be like, actually we're really inappropriate.
And we're like, we're just trying our best.
(41:25):
Yeah, we're always learning, right?
Transferring us back to the fruit discussion, which was this
section favorite. On the topic of fruit, we cannot
forget to mention the fave mango.
Mango, I love them so much. You know, I before I moved to
white, I didn't think I liked Mango.
Yes. Because here they're different,
(41:46):
right? The continent.
Yes. Oh, nice.
Well done. Thanks.
And then my neighbor where I live now has this amazing mango
tree and I think she must have just given them to me or
something. I don't know how I remember
eating like decided to eat 11 time and Oh my gosh, they're so,
(42:06):
so good. Yeah, Even with the other
mangoes I've tried, this is my favorite type of mango.
I think it's the Hayden mango, but I'm really not 100% sure.
And it's, it's so good. Yeah, it's crazy.
Like it's a different sensation eating the Hawaiian mango or a
mango from Hawaii grown in Hawaii than continental mango.
(42:28):
It's like so juicy. It's like, imagine, when you're
imagine the movie Jungle Book, do you remember when Mowgli is
climbing on the tree and he eatsa mango on the tree and it's
like just all over his face. It's dripping on his face.
It's so much juice. It's so flavorful.
(42:48):
He looks so satisfied. I never thought that that was
real, right? But it's real.
It is. Are you talking about like when
we I introduced you to the concept of a beach mango?
Yes. Beach mango and also because you
always make your kids eat fruit outside.
Because it gets so messy, yes, but yeah.
Beach Mango When did you decide the best place to eat a mango
(43:08):
was at the beach? I think it was probably one of
those times that I had way too many mangoes on my counter for
my neighbor and like, oh, no, I need to Polish through a bunch
of these and eat them before they all go bad.
Yeah. So I just tossed a couple in my
beach bag to go to the beach. And then I was like, oh, shoot,
I don't have a knife or anythingto cut this.
OK. I'm gonna peel it like an apple.
(43:29):
And I know like, a banana. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Like a banana.
It's like, I know technically you can eat the skin, but meh, I
don't want to. Yeah.
So the hate and mango are reallynice because they have a thick
enough skin that you can peel itlike a banana and mostly stays
intact. But it's so messy and there's
just juice everywhere, all over your face.
(43:49):
I feel like the feral creature, like Mowgli.
Yes, when I eat it, which is fine because you're at the beach
and you can either be standing in the water, yeah, eat it, or
just get in the water after and rinse yourself off because you
will be covered in sticky orangejuice and they're so bad.
So good. And then after rinsing off, you
have this, like, hybrid flavor of salty mango all over your
(44:14):
skin. Yeah.
And it totally does stain your skin.
It does, and you're some soup potentially.
Yeah, it's amazing. So out of all the fruits in
Hawaii, even if they're not native, right, what's your
favorite overall? Lychee.
The lychee. It all comes back to the lychee.
We're in lychee season. We are.
(44:36):
It's a really short season and Iheard it's not such a good
season this year because of weather I think.
So it's basically just started like a week or two ago and it'll
go almost to what's the holiday at the end of the summer,
Memorial Day. They are insane.
Labor Day, I think Labor Day, OK.
(44:56):
It'll more or less go to that. Most of the ones in Hawaii are
grown on Big Island. They're so good there's because
it has such a limited season andlimited growing area.
They're so expensive. I will blow my whole shopping
budget, but again, not so much because of farm link.
Thank you guys. So when we were there or when I
(45:20):
was visiting you, we went to Chinatown and we went to what
was, what's that place called? They're my favorite.
My bag that I use is a bag from them with mangoes all over it.
They're women, owned. I love that family run.
Sun Chong. OK, Sun Chong.
Sun Chong Grocery, Yes, amazing.But don't say we didn't worry
(45:42):
you. We spent $40 in a bag.
How many lichi? Lichi.
How many lichis were in that bag?
You think? I don't know.
It was, it was must have been less than £2.
I don't know, let's say 50 zero concept.
I'm so terrible at math. OK.
No, I think there was at least like 80 OK in there, 80 lychee,
(46:06):
40 dollars, $2.00 lychee each lychee.
Am I doing the math wrongs? Math is wrong.
I think that would be $0.50 a lychee more or less.
Anyway, lights, you're expensive.
Crazy expensive. So good.
So good, so worth it. Lychee are also a great beach
snack because they're super juicy and like squirt all over
(46:27):
you so you can just go rinse offin the ocean.
Yes, there's also a long gone and Rambutan which are similar
love. See my opinion.
I'm like, no, don't, no, you're just going to be disappointing
because you're not lychee. I like the long guns, but yeah,
like I I know when I eat too many lychee I get a sore on the
(46:49):
top of my mouth, so I have to pace myself.
That's wise. Yeah.
Cool. Well those were all of my
topics. Shall we wrap up into the the
conclusion? Wait, I have a question.
For you. Oh my God, is this a trivia
question? It is.
But I OK, hold on, I'm ready. OK, I was about to say, oh, I
(47:09):
didn't think of multiple choice that I totally OK.
What island is known as the Forbidden Island?
Oh my God, it starts with. An N yes.
And I said that wrong. Yeah, that sounds.
Chinese. Maybe that's.
(47:31):
How I say it, yes, that's the forbidden island.
They no one's allowed on it. Right.
Except for the family that owns it, which is I think called the
Robinson family, maybe white people, right, who have owned it
for a really long time, like 100years, I think maybe more
(47:52):
definitely, yeah. And then descendants of the
people who lived on it when the land was purchased.
Right. Who knows what's going on there?
They recently got electricity onthe island within the last few
years. It's really cool, you should
look it up. Yeah, that could be a whole
episode in itself. Right.
(48:13):
It's I got obsessed with it one day when I was doing a research
paper about abortion access in the state of Hawaii and like,
oh, can you access this on everyisland?
And I didn't want to be really doing what I was supposed to be
doing. So I went on a whole deep dive
about Niihau. And the answer is you can't
really get abortion access to abortion on Niihau.
(48:35):
You have to leave the island. Oh, I see, I see.
But it was purchased by RobinsonFamily OK for I believe it was
$10,000 and a grand piano. Oh my God.
And like, that family doesn't even live there.
There's two living descendants left, 2 male heirs.
(48:57):
I think they're in the 70s or 80s or botanists maybe?
OK. And I don't know if they live
there, but maybe they go back and forth.
But it's definitely very controlled and interesting and
problematic. But there's also something to be
said for that. They've it's a time capsule of
Hawaiian culture, which is cool.For the native people there, are
(49:20):
there native people there? Yes, OK.
Yeah. So and so like the Ololo, the
Hawaiian dialect on Niihau is very different from the Lilo
Hawaiian spoken today. Elsewhere, it's much more
similar to the one that was likefrom that period of time.
Which was early 1900s. Or earlier, I don't know.
(49:42):
Someone should look that up and let me know.
OK. And so like, that's a really
interesting time capsule and like the way of life, but also
it's still owned. Like everything, everything I
feel like we've said about Hawaii, it's it's very nuanced.
Like there's so many facets to it.
Yeah. OK, let's do a wrap up.
(50:06):
Thank you for that fun trivia question reversal on me.
What was your favorite thing that you learned during this
chat or talked about since I guess you already knew all these
things? No, you guys got all the yeah.
You've got questions wrong, 22 questions wrong, So it was the
your favorite thing that you learned.
OK, so let's see, I learned about Pirates of the Caribbean,
(50:27):
and I learned and was reminded about Pele at the Kilauea
volcano. But you know what?
The thing I am determined to remember from what This is the
Nalpaka flower, Yes. Because yeah, I've been told it
so many times and this is going to be the time that I remember
(50:48):
the name. Yes.
Perfect. Nalpaka I will never forget
because those are the people in my book.
OK, and I need to read this bookalso.
When you're done, yes. 100% OK Did you have fun?
Yes. Good.
Did you have fun? Nope, this was the worst one.
Ever. I'm so glad to hear that that
(51:08):
was what that was my goal. Did it traumatize you at all?
I'm traumatized. Great, because now more job
security for me. Thank you.
No, I'm just kidding. This was really fun.
Thank you for listening to the show.
This is Trivia Tangents, where we cover various trivia topics.
We have new episodes released every Thursday, which I like to
call Trivia Thursday. Hi, I'm Lena and special thanks
(51:30):
to our guest Auntie Sarah for sharing her awesome insights and
trivia tangents about Hawaii, Farm Link, mangoes, all other
aspects of Hawaii. We loved it.
Thanks for listening. And learning.
If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a five star
rating or thumbs up. Follow or subscribe and share
(51:51):
with a friend for bonus content.You can find trivia tangents on
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and of course all podcast platforms
under Trivia Tangents Podcast. Check out our website at
triviatangentspodcast.com to purchase trivia starter packs
based on these episodes, perfectfor hosting your very own trivia
night.
Welcome to Trivia Tangents, the podcast where we turn everyday
passions into surprising trivia deep dives.
I'm your host, Lena, and each week I quiz a friend or family
member on something they know way too much about.
Turning everyday passions into trivia gold.
We all know that on trivia night, the bigger the team, the
better you'll play. That's why I bring the team
together here on Trivia tangents.
(00:32):
Today's guest is my Auntie Sarah, who's here to talk all
about Hawaii. So get ready for some fun facts
you'll definitely want for your next trivia night.
Hi, Auntie, welcome to the podcast.
Hi, thanks for having me. So today we're obviously
(00:52):
discussing. Hawaii.
I'm definitely not an expert. I know, I know.
If she's not an expert, you've lived there for six years, but
you are definitely a local at this point, so you pretty much
know what you're talking about. 50% of the time and the other
50% of the time is unwarranted confidence that I just pretend
(01:13):
and hope nobody questions it. But it should be entertaining.
Yes, I think it will be entertaining nonetheless.
Is there anything that you want to like start with like
disclaimer about Hawaii in general?
Yes, definitely. Like you said, I'm not native
Hawaiian. I do maybe like to consider
(01:33):
myself local, but I don't know if other people who have like
born and raised would consider me local.
Hawaii's really unique and has areally, like, vast cultural
legacy and history. And it's been complicated that I
don't know if it's necessary to go into all of it.
But definitely, if you're interested to do some research,
(01:54):
it's super interesting on the history of Hawaii and like, the
monarchy and the overthrow and the illegal annexation into the
United States. So that's why, Yeah.
And I've only been there six years.
So if I say something wrong or incorrect or invalid, please,
listeners, check me. Also, I just want to say that
(02:15):
talk about like colonization andcontributing to like the
commercialization of the land and the people when meanwhile
I'm just another white person that has moved there and who's
technically contributing to the problem.
And yeah, that's not the best. SO one thing I think that I try
to do is get back to my community.
(02:37):
I'm a social worker, so I get back like that and try to teach
my kids and other kids on how important it is to steward the
land and respect the native culture and by small, local and
support like that. So yeah, I acknowledge that I'm
part of the problem. Yeah, I feel like, you know, and
that's the best you can do, right?
(02:58):
And later in the episode, we'll talk about, we'll talk about
Farm Link actually. One of my favorite things.
Yeah, totally. I'm always learning.
Same, me too, I feel like my pronunciation has gotten better
on certain aspects just because I did spend last summer over
there on island so I feel like I'm a little bit better at
(03:19):
pronunciation. I still thanks I it's forever
burned in my head. Papua Hanoa moko OKa.
Very good. And that wasn't even from On
Island, that was from your podcast, yes.
That was from the episode about Honu sea turtles.
Remind me, what was that word mean?
Or what did that word mean? It is a sea atoll which is like
(03:43):
a crater. Oh, that's right.
Like an island that started as avolcano crater, but it never
fully emerged above water. That's right.
And then like the sea turtles, like migrated from there or
something. Yeah.
They, they go there to give birth and it's like a really
nice sort of safe area for them and especially cause no humans
(04:04):
can go there and there's like nostupid tourists standing on the
reef, right? Which, you know, makes me really
mad. Do so cool.
Well, we'll be talking about a lot of fun Hawaii things today.
I have three sections. It was really hard to narrow
down to just three sections because there are so many things
to talk about in Hawaii like theanimals, the fruits, the
(04:25):
weather, the Hawaiian mythology,the pigeon, pigeon language,
local language, the food, the food, so many, so many different
things to talk about. But today we have 3 sections.
We're gonna talk about movies. We'll talk about a little
section on Hawaiian mythology, OK And then lastly, fruit,
(04:50):
because I know you love fruit I.Am I Do I'm like obsessed.
Yes, me too. So shall we dive into Section 1?
Yes, let's go. OK, trivia question one.
(05:11):
Which of the following films wasnot physically filmed in Hawaii?
OK A Pirates of the Caribbean B Forgetting Sarah Marshall C
Crazy Rich Asians or D The Hunger Games Catching Fire.
Oh. Well, I know for sure forgetting
(05:33):
Sarah Marshall was because therewas a spot on the North Shore
that I went to a birthday party at and it was right there.
OK, so I know that one for sure.Oh my God, So let's.
Did I stump you? Oh my God.
I thought you were going to get all these right.
No. Like I don't, I have like 0
(05:54):
short term memory so I'm really not surprised I screwed this one
up or I don't know the answer tothis one.
Let's just go with the Pirates of the Caribbean.
You're wrong. Not shocking.
The answer was Crazy Rich Asians.
Crazy Rich Asians was not filmedin Hawaii.
That makes a lot of sense, so. Hawaii is often a stand in for
(06:21):
other tropical locales in Hollywood.
So obviously Jurassic Park was shot there in Koala Ranch,
right? And then I also think Hawaii's.
The the Canyon? The Waimea Canyon?
Is that Waimea anyway the Canyon?
Anyway, and like Kuloa Ranch in eastern Oahu has this whole like
(06:42):
tourist attraction where people can come visit and I did it and
like, is it east? I think it's north, North, Yeah.
No, I. Think it's North Shore?
No 'cause we drove there. You can drive to the North
Shore. Yeah, I know.
Would not recommend. Walking takes a while.
Yeah, OK. Anyway, they're cooler.
(07:02):
Ranch, we can agree, is on Oahu.Yes, we can.
OK. They have a whole tour of
Jurassic, the Jurassic Park set.The film set of Course Lost was
filmed across Oahu. Pirates of the Caribbean hit up
Molokai. OK, so.
You know, lots of films were shot in Hawaii, obviously.
(07:25):
It's so beautiful. Like, how can you not?
But on the other end of it, it'slike these films often ignore
the native culture or, like, usethe land as a vague sort of
exotic backdrop, right? And a lot of these stories
aren't even based in Hawaii. But we have some good ones or
ones that do like positive things.
(07:45):
So we recently recently came outwas finding Ohana recently as in
like 4 years ago that you know, of course everything is slightly
problematic, nothing's perfect, but it definitely I feel like
depicted more of like local culture, which was really cool.
That's good. That's good.
(08:06):
Just to jump back, you mentionedPirates of the Caribbean was
filmed on Molokai, which is sucha cool island.
It was where they had the leper colony, so known as Hansen's
disease now. So it's not cool that they did
that, but it definitely has a lot of really interesting
culture and history. Yeah, yeah.
(08:29):
And then also the part up top, the regular island where like
the other people lived is super cool.
I went there for one afternoon. Really.
Only like 12 hours, so I don't didn't have a great like
expansive experience, but it wasreally cool.
It was. Pretty, that's awesome.
I started reading a book, it wasjust called Molokai.
Oh, was it about the little girl?
(08:50):
Yes, the little girl who got leprosy and was like sent away
to the island. Such a good book, so sad.
Yeah. I read it as a kid and then when
I moved to Hawaii I read it again and then I read another
book. I think the author is Alan
Brennert. It's a male I remember.
Yeah, it's probably not the right author, but anyway, he,
(09:10):
the author wrote a book called, I think it's called Honolulu
about a Korean picture bride that it was so interesting that
highly recommended. I don't even want to know what a
Korean picture bride is, that just sounds weird.
It is weird, but it's it's really interesting, OK.
Yeah, I never finished the Molokai e-book.
(09:32):
I found it. Slight tangent, but I was in an
Airbnb in Lake Tahoe and they had it and I was like, Oh my
God, this is so funny. Like how Lake Tahoe always has
Hawaii stuff. Yeah, like meanwhile, I moved
from Lake Tahoe to Hawaii. Yes, exactly.
And like one other example is the there's a hotel I think I
stayed at like Marriott at. Oh heavenly.
(09:56):
Yeah, and they have the restaurant Kalani or something.
Like that. Oh, my God.
Yeah. And then also the lotion they
provide in their hotel rooms is the Malay lotion that I
literally love. And that's where I discovered
it. And now every time I go to
Hawaii, I buy nice a new lotion because it's so good.
It smells like mangoes. That's cool.
Yeah, there's definitely some cultural overlaps between Tahoe
people and Hawaii people. It's it's so funny how that
(10:19):
happens. OK, getting back on track here.
We were talking about films in Hawaii right now we're recording
in June 2025, and Lilo and Stitch recently came out.
The live action. Live action Lilo and Stitch.
Are you excited to see it? How do you feel about like live
action versus cartoon? I'm like meh, but I think my
(10:41):
kids are really excited to see it.
'Cause I forced them to watch the cartoon version when I visit
it. Yes, and they love it.
They love cartoons and everything, so I know they'll be
excited to see it, so it should be good.
There's definitely been a lot ofpromotion on Island.
I know. I actually saw it just the other
day that the little girl who plays Lilo was with the governor
(11:03):
and signed some sort of proclamation.
And it's definitely just a photoop, but I thought it was, it was
kind of cute. That's cute.
I I didn't even think about it. Like, she definitely lives on
island. Yeah, I think she does.
Like, that just makes sense, right?
Yeah. And.
There's also the aspect of, yeah, it's providing jobs and
(11:24):
providing innovation, and Hawaiian Airlines is doing a big
thing. Like I think there's a Lilo and
Stitch airplane, but right now, but also then there's a whole
side of it. It's like, oh, look, it's just
another time that like the native culture is being
commercialized. So everything is twofold, but
yes, we are excited to see the movie.
(11:44):
Yeah, me too. I'm excited.
I'm, like, waiting for it to come on Disney Plus because
like, if I have a choice betweenwatching it in a theater full of
screaming babies or in my own home for free, I'm gonna watch
it at home. So I'll wait.
I will go to the theater probably and provide a non
screaming baby. Yes, yeah, perfect.
(12:05):
And Disney Aulani in the North Shore is probably popping off
West side. Sorry West side.
Thank you Disney. Aulani is probably popping off
with the Lilo and Stitch. Oh, I'm sure.
So out of all the movies filmed in Hawaii that you've seen,
what's your fave? I don't know if I have a fave.
Well, you really perked up when I said forgetting Sarah
(12:27):
Marshall, so maybe that. That one only because that has
oh shoot, what's her name? That's Mila Kunis.
And when I was younger, people would be like, that's your
doppelganger. Yes, you like you, the eyes.
Yeah. And so I'm like, oh, that's my
special person. Yeah.
But now I don't think we look somuch alike.
And also maybe there's somethingproblematic going on with her
(12:49):
and Ashton Kutcher and P Diddy and all of that, but I don't
really know when I'm trying not to pay attention, so.
Oh. My God, she's part of the
Diddler. Maybe, maybe, I don't know,
maybe I don't know. But so yeah, that's why I
probably perked up. Yeah, that movie's really good,
but it also makes me sad. But it's like a classic.
I think I've only seen it one time really, maybe 2, I don't
(13:11):
know. My favorite movie that was
filmed in Hawaii. Oh my God, it's so hard to pick.
Out of these all all of these ones that we listed.
Pirates of the Caribbean is probably my fave.
I just, I'm obsessed with Jack Sparrow and the way he runs.
Like one time I met him in Disneyland.
Do they all have to run like that?
(13:32):
Well, I asked him. I was like, can you run for me?
Like, can I film you running? And he was like, oh, gladly.
And like he did it. The whole is it the drunk dance
running? And it's so funny.
That's so funny. I love it.
I need to go back and rewatch itnow, now that you told me it's
filmed on Molokai. Yeah, all of them are just the
first one. I don't know.
Let's see. You're being a girl that
(13:54):
googles. I'm a girl at Google.
OK, It looks like all of them were filmed, like somewhat
filmed in Hawaii, specifically in Molokai.
The Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End was filmed there,
specifically the scene where Will Turner bids farewell to
Elizabeth Swann before becoming the captain of the Flying
Dutchman. And that's actually a really sad
(14:15):
scene because she, like, he saysgoodbye to her basically
forever. Yeah, yeah, OK.
There you go. Go back and watch it.
Okay, cool, another question foryou auntie.
Do you think Hawaii ever gets stereotyped in movies?
Oh my gosh, yes, so much. It's like this perfect paradise
(14:37):
and Doug Morag. It's wonderful and I love it and
it's so amazing, but there's so much more to it with the culture
and the history and it's all very complex and nuanced and
also there's so many bugs. There are so many bugs.
So many bugs. I didn't believe you when you
first told me that, but after living there for a summer, I
(15:02):
believe you. Yeah.
I'm not gonna lie, like the first year I lived there, I had
a really hard time adjusting. And so whenever I'd come back to
visit or talk to somebody and they're like, Oh my gosh, how's
Hawaii? Must be so amazing.
I my first answer would always be, there's so many bugs.
Yeah. OK, So when I moved there, there
my son was really little and he was crawling.
(15:24):
And so we where we lived, there was an exterminator that'd come
like once a month. And after that, there'd always
be a ton of dead cockroaches around.
And so there was a time where I went to pick him up and he had
like, bunch of dead cockroaches stuck to his leg.
And it was the, it was the most disgusting thing ever.
And I was like, I don't, I don'twant to touch you like this.
I'm like, my poor baby, you're so cute.
(15:45):
And this is so gross. And so, yeah, Hawaii has a lot
of bugs because it's the tropics.
And that I was not prepared for that.
Yeah, so and obviously like in movies.
Yeah, they don't show that part.They don't, they don't show that
part. They're they're only going to
show the glamour side of it. Right.
But yeah, to name some bunks, cockroaches, fleas, red ants.
Centipedes, scorpions, cane spiders.
(16:09):
I've never seen one. I shouldn't say that out loud
because now I'm going to see one.
But yeah, you. And then there's the cost of
living. There is the whole encourage,
like what's the word not encouraging but like helping?
No anyway, like the whole. What are you trying to say?
I don't know. I lost it, OK.
(16:30):
But. Like priced out of paradise that
we're contributing, contributingto like, the exploitation of the
land and the people, in case it wasn't abundantly clear.
And one of those really annoying, like, woke people
that. Yeah.
It's not annoying. I think it's really good to be
aware of like gentrification. People that come to the island
(16:51):
and they're like, oh, people don't live in grass huts or walk
around in grass skirts all the time.
There's some really, yes, people, I think people.
Actually. Think that?
I think so. But no, it's a real place.
We've got real stores, real traffic, real everything, real
people. Yeah.
(17:17):
So I know that you already know that the goddess of fire, Pele
Pele. I knew you already knew that, so
I wanted to amp up the question to make it harder.
Oh no. And I'm gonna start by not
giving you multiple choice, and then if you need it, I'll give
(17:38):
it to you and I'll try to pronounce everything correctly.
Trivia Question 2 Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, is
most closely associated with which volcano?
OK, it's either Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa on the Big Island.
No, wait, maybe it's not. Well, those are the two.
(18:00):
Active One. No, Mauna Loa is active.
OK wait, give me my multiple choice.
Wait, now I want to double check.
OK, so here are your multiple choice options.
A Kilauea Kilauea Kilauea B Mauna Kea OK C Haleakala,
Haleakala Haleakala. Thank you, D.
(18:24):
OK. I don't think it's Haleakala.
OK, that one's on Maui. You said Mauna Kea, and that's
on Big Island. I do know there's controversy
and history about it. And telescope.
Anyway, look it up. Telescope stuff.
(18:47):
Hmm OK. Pele isn't older, sorry.
So I feel like it would have to be an older volcano.
Let's just go Mauna Kea. No, Wow, I really thought you
would get this right. I think the only like the reason
I know this is because I'm currently reading the book
called Hula and they Oh yeah, she her hula dance is about
(19:12):
Pele. OK, so I kept hearing about it.
Anyway, the answer is a kilauea.OK, Did I say that right?
I think so. I mean, I could also be saying
it wrong. True.
OK 'cause that the story that I was thinking of is the story
about like how on the top of 1 mountain there's the fire
(19:34):
goddess and then there's like a snow goddess and like racing
down the mountain to see who wins every winter or something
like that. I'm totally butchering it, but I
couldn't for the life of me remember.
Yeah, well, there you go. It's it's Kilauea.
OK, so to give you a little background here, just to sum up
her mythology into a short little paragraph, Pele is the
(19:58):
fierce, passionate goddess of fire and volcanoes.
She is said to live in the HalleMauma.
Oh, crater. Oh, that's the one.
That's. Currently erupting on Big
Island. Is it OK?
And that's not Mauna Loa, you'reright.
Yeah. So, yeah, and I've been there,
OK. And I've read the things where
like people stop leaving your offerings to Pele if they're not
(20:21):
very degradable. And so anyway, but yeah, I
didn't remember that, OK. Yes.
So she lives in the Halemaumau crater, which is on Kilauea, and
it is deeply respected by Hawaiians.
Obviously, her legends are woveninto natural events like
eruptions, lava flow, pads, and the transformation of the
(20:41):
landscape. Her fiery temperament also
symbolizes the creative and destructive forces of nature.
I'm really glad I know that, andI'm sure I'll forget it again,
but I'm glad I know it at the moment.
Yeah, there are also famous sightings of, quote UN quote,
Pele in disguise. OK, for volcano eruptions, it's
(21:03):
more like folklore. But like, for example, the
locals share tales of her appearing as, like, a hitchhiker
or a white dog or a flame. Oh, and it's also, like you
said, common to see people leaving offerings at her site
and in her honor. Yeah, but just make sure it's
biodegradable. Right.
(21:24):
Yeah. So how do these sorts of legends
shape how locals interact with the nature?
So there's malama aina or Aloha aina.
I love Malama aina. Right, which basically means
like care for the land and that you really need to respect it
because it's you're on an islandand everything is connected and
(21:48):
you know, it's you can't break one piece and then expect
everything else to work correctly.
And then also it's all woven into the culture as it is with
many like pretty much I think all indigenous cultures is they
see the connections, they understand it better that it's
it's taught in the school. So my kids school has a whole
Aloha Aina program. They have gardens, A lot of
(22:10):
schools have gardens. There was a new initiative
policy that passed about how certain amount of school lunches
needs to be provided from like locally sourced sustainable
food. And yeah, actually the even like
the Native Hawaiian origin storyfeatures the kalo plant as like
(22:31):
the ancest, one of the first children or ancestors, which is
really cool and just really shows that deep connection to
and the importance of the land. Yeah, I love that.
I love that they teach in schools.
And like as a kid, I'm sure it'sso much more interesting to hear
sort of like the back story, themyth, mythological, like legends
(22:55):
that kind of shape the way that you treat the land.
And even for me, like as an adult, like it just, I mean, I
obviously know to respect the land, the Rama Ina, but like it
just gives that it sort of like a deeper meaning to make you
feel more inclined to like actually follow through.
Agreed. Yeah.
(23:16):
So you live near Diamond Head. What's it?
Yes. It's so cool.
What's it like living near a sacred volcanic land?
It's really cool and it's amazing to like walk out my
door, take my kids to school or go to the grocery store and I
look and I can see Diamond Head and it's right there.
(23:37):
But then of course, anytime thatyou live somewhere that it's
really easy to take these amazing things for granted.
So sometimes I catch myself and I look at it and I was like, Oh
my gosh, wow, that's so cool. I live right here or oh, look,
it's been raining a bunch and I can tell because the slopes of
Diamond Head are really green atthe moment.
And, you know, right now, I'm sure when I get home, because
(24:00):
it's summer, they will be brown again.
Yeah, but it's pretty cool. That's awesome.
So we were talking about how legends sort of shape the way
you interact with nature, yes. And you mentioned your kids.
Yes, They learn all about this in school.
Do you know if there's any specific Hawaiian myth or legend
(24:23):
that they were taught? They were taught so many, but
the first one that pops into my head is the story of these
flowers. So there's a one of them that
grows by the ocean and there's another one that grows more like
mountain. So it's the same type of flower,
but it's half of 1 and half of the other.
(24:47):
Oh, my God. Sadie was telling me about this,
and I was like, Oh my God. I remember she was telling me
this last summer and I didn't believe her.
Yeah. I was like, no, I don't think
that's possible. No.
So it. Is and it's really cool.
And I can't think of what the flowers are called.
Oh, look it up. And I think it's about lovers
who were separated. I'm sorry Sadie, I know you've
(25:10):
told me this story numerous times and it's a really cool
story. That's amazing.
Is it the legend of the Napaka? That sounds right.
Oh my God. So real quick, what is it?
Napaka, the napaka flower. OK.
The Hawaiian legend tells the story of how Princess Nalpaka
(25:31):
and Kohli star crossed lovers who could never be together.
The flowers, which only bloom with half petals.
Yeah, that's the one. Symbolizes their separation and
the yearning for reunion. One version of the story has
Nalpaka and Kohli being separated by the gods and
Nalpaka tearing a flower in half, giving Kohli one part as a
(25:53):
parting gift. Another version involves Goddess
Pele. Oh interesting, the goddess of
fire interfering with their love, leading to their
separation and the creation of the half flower.
Very. Cool this is crazy to me.
This is so full circle because in the book I'm reading called
Hula, the family are called the Nalpaka family.
(26:18):
Are they torn apart Star Crest lovers too?
No, but like the main character she like goes off to Maui and
like escapes for a little bit and like it's this whole thing
and then she comes back and likethey keep referencing this
version with Pele where they where Pele is interfering it
like it goes back and forth between the story and then this
(26:41):
like mythical short story. Well, then it's a good thing you
looked it up. Yes, and I have chills right
now. This is crazy.
Oh my God. OK, cool.
Well, thanks for sharing that story and sounds like Sadie
needs to tell you the story again.
Yes, now pack of flour. Yes.
Cool, love it. OK, one final question for
Section 2. Do you feel like living in
(27:02):
Hawaii has changed how you thinkabout nature or spirituality?
Yes, absolutely. But also to be fair, while I've
lived in Hawaii, so I have definitely immersed myself in
the culture, but I also went back to school and got a
community health worker certification, my bachelor's in
social work and my master's in social work.
(27:23):
Round of applause, yes. Thank you.
Just graduated and so I've had this whole growth mindset
process of just learning more about systematic oppression and
all those things. So would I maybe have gotten
this without living? In a way, maybe.
But also what? I've even went to school.
(27:44):
It's a whole rabbit hole. But yeah, I do think it has
changed how I think and interactwith land and people, yeah.
So I agree for me too, even though I haven't even I didn't
even like physically live there for that long.
And like I was basically a visitor.
But also I wanna call out my yoga teacher here in San
Francisco. Her name is Lucia.
(28:06):
She spent the last three years on Big Island and her first yoga
class that she taught here with the first one I took like she at
the end, we were all doing, you know, tree pose, classic yoga
pose, right? And she's like, oh, look at this
beautiful forest. And like, she went on a
monologue about like, respectingthe land and, and I was like,
(28:28):
wow, this is so cool. And this is, I feel like
something that I've felt has been missing from living here in
San Francisco, like something that I missed from Hawaii.
And then I went up to her after class and I was like, I really
loved this class. Like, I really especially loved
your part about Malama Aina. And like, her face lit up when I
said that. And she's like, can I give you a
(28:49):
hug? And I was like, yes.
That's so sweet. Yeah.
One thing that I noticed living there is that, you know, there's
a whole giant Pacific garbage patch, which is terrible.
Yeah, in the ocean. Yes, in the ocean and I know
there's other ones, but I've always lived in California or
the California coast and so talked about but I didn't see it
(29:12):
as much like it didn't because of the way the currents run.
It's you don't see as much trashwashed up on the beach.
In California. In California, but in Hawaii you
do. Really.
It's it's really tragic. And so that really contributed
to how I felt about, like, environmentalism and caring for
(29:32):
the land and cutting down on single waste and all of that
stuff because it's just stares you right in the face and
there's no avoiding it. Wow.
Yeah. That's that's really good.
Like more people need to know about that.
And in Hawaii, they have amazingprograms and ways to get
involved. They do, and one of them's farm.
(29:53):
Link farm link where you. Can order your groceries direct
from the farm. Right, yes, more or less.
So there's a lot of different options there's and it's similar
to ACSA box, which I don't remember what that stands for,
but certified I don't know. Anyway, it's where you can get
(30:14):
groceries delivered straight from the farm.
So this one's a little bit different.
It's a a virtual storefront thatpartners with a bunch of
different local farms, small local producers across all the
Hawaiian Islands to get the products to the people at like
an affordable cost and efficientto really encourage buying local
(30:36):
sustainable. But one thing if I'm like does
and it's it's a new nonprofit and I'm just in love with them
and I want them to succeed, is that they partnered with the
Bucks, which is a local program that basically says if you are
on food stamps or EBT, it's alsoknown as EBT, that if you buy
(31:01):
local produce, basically everything is 50% off.
So your money goes further because what produce is always
more expensive than chips and then buying local is always more
expensive than buying imported, which is silly, but so it's to
encourage that. And the other thing that Farm
Link does is they take EBT, which is fantastic.
(31:26):
And so because I work in social work, I know some of the
hospitals as part of their discharge planning, they go and
see if people need connection toresources.
And some of the resources that are offered are normally helping
you sign up for EBT food stamps.And one of the, at least one of
the hospitals I know of now offers to help people sign up
for Farm Lake so we can get people access to those
(31:48):
groceries. Yeah.
Healthy, local, sustainable. Yeah.
So I think it's really great. And they have mango and lychee
and lay and all sorts of wonderful things.
And they get bring it right to your door, which makes your life
so much easier. And this is just the whole now,
just the whole episode is just going to be a farm like
commercial. I love it.
(32:08):
Maybe I'll send it to them and hopefully they can repost.
But yeah, when the they drop it off like the people, the
delivery guys are so nice. They're so nice.
They're wonderful. Yeah.
And actually they just had an update last week that now before
people who had got food stamps, you had to be home that time of
delivery, and they just passed it.
So you no longer have to be home, which just makes it that
(32:31):
much more accessible for people.But then you can't interact with
the one delivery guy you. Can still be home if you want to
because not saying you have to leave.
OK. Chess is another option that
makes things that much more. I love it for people which.
I love it. We stand farm link, so that's a
great segue into Section 3, which is about fruit.
(32:59):
Are you ready for Trivia Question 3?
Yeah, I mean, I haven't been doing great, so I hope I got
this one right. Yeah.
You're over 2, but I'm I'm confident in you Auntie I I have
AI have a strong feeling you're going to get this one right.
And I'm. I don't even think you need the
multiple choice. OK, let's see.
Trivia question 3. Which fruit, though widely
(33:21):
associated with Hawaii? Pineapple.
Yes. OK, finish the question.
Which fruit, although widely associated with Hawaii, is not
native to the islands? Pineapple.
Correct. Good job.
Surprise. Yay.
Pineapple is originally from South America, not Hawaii.
(33:43):
They were introduced to the islands in the early 1800s.
However, they became a major industry thanks to Mr. James
Dole. And that's a whole thing, not.
Sure, how we feel about him. Not great, no not great.
But basically he started the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 19
O1 by mid 20th century which is like 1950s.
(34:08):
K. Hawaii was responsible for over
80% of the world's pineapple supply.
Today, pineapples are no longer a dominant crop, but they're
still a strong symbol. Like, you think tropical, you
think pineapple, right? Right.
I know you probably have a lot. Of thoughts here I have so many.
Go ahead. OK, first of all, the why we're
(34:29):
like we don't know how we feel about Doll is because he was one
of the businessmen that contributed to the.
The banning of hula. No.
Well, yes, in sense, but the illegal overthrow of the
Hawaiian government and monarchy, he was part of the.
That's so. Business then, yeah, so
problematic. And then the whole exploitation
(34:51):
of the land and all that stuff. Now, the people who own it at
this very moment, are they them?No, but that doesn't.
It's all very complicated. But to be fair, the pineapple
that it's grown in Hawaii is thebest pineapple that exits.
Like, you know, when you're eating pineapple, most of the
time it hurts your tongue. It's because of like some enzyme
(35:14):
or not bacteria. I think it's some enzyme.
It's like. 2 Citrusy. Yeah.
And so often when you get the pineapple that's grown in Hawaii
and eat it in Hawaii because it's had more time to ripen, I
think it's so much better. Yeah, so good.
I think we can all agree the anyfruit grown well tropical fruits
grown in Hawaii are better if you're in Hawaii because they
(35:39):
have longer time to ripen. Yeah, I think that's part of the
push to buy local, eat local, wherever, Yeah, is because
things are always better. Yeah, fresher and given the
appropriate time to ripen instead of trying to be shipped.
Yep, I went on deep down a rabbit hole the other day about
bananas. Oh, really?
And how the shipping of bananas.I didn't do this by myself.
(36:03):
OK. This was I didn't find the
YouTube videos. Thanks, Sean.
You found them. But yeah.
And then there's the whole banana Wars, but that's a
different tangent. That's a different episode.
Well, you have a banana tree. I do have a banana.
Ice cream. Banana.
I yes, which is super cool and Ilove it and it makes me really
happy. Yeah.
(36:24):
And to actually to, I didn't notice know this at first, but
each banana stock, it grows super fast because it's like a
weed. It's hollow on the inside and
we're like bamboo. And so each stock only fruits
once I knew that. And then you have to chop it
down, which is really sticky. It's a yes.
Yeah. So I didn't know that.
And then the plant just keeps expanding and expanding and
(36:45):
expanding and taking it from my yard.
I know. But I love it.
And it makes me really happy. And I was going to say something
else about fruit. Oh, when?
So before the banana, not banana, pineapple industry,
like, super crashed or it just stopped being as popular.
I know a bunch of people who like That was their first job.
So Mike's mother-in-law, that was her first job.
(37:06):
My friend Lonnie, a lot of different people.
That was everyone's first job, either picking pineapple or
working in the cannery. Yeah.
And then I think we're probably gonna get to it.
Is then how that contributed to local culture?
And pigeon. So am I jumping ahead?
No, I honestly, I didn't outlinepigeon, but we I would love to
(37:30):
talk about it. OK.
So basically because of pineapple and sugar cane and the
other agricultural industries that I'm probably forgetting,
there was a lot of like people who moved away from the
Philippines, from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, yes.
(37:52):
To come and work on the plantations, yes.
And because everyone spoke different languages in order to
communicate, to work together, the pigeon language was created.
Hawaiian pigeon. Yes.
And I personally think pigeon languages are super fascinating
languages out of necessity. So there's so many different
(38:13):
versions. There's like a Louisiana pigeon.
Whoa. There's Yiddish, which is the
Eastern European, like Jewish pigeon.
What? It's all combinations of
different languages. But there's also Creole.
So a pigeon and a Creole are both like combination languages.
But basically a pigeon language isn't an official language, it's
(38:35):
just like a language hybrid necessity.
But a Creole is when a pigeon language turns into a real
language, which means like it has its own grammar rules, it
has first generation speakers, it stops just being a mash up
and becomes its own thing. Yeah.
(38:56):
So even though Hawaiian pigeon is called pigeon, it's actually
a Creole. So it's actually a real
language. And I think it's really cool.
That's cool. What's your favorite pigeon
word? I think when we use a fair
amount, well obviously I use keiki, but I don't think that's
a pigeon word. I think that's Hawaiian.
Hawaiian. Yeah.
(39:17):
And so that's my, one of my things I run into is I don't
know if something's a pigeon word or Hawaiian word.
So one thing that I think we usethe most in my house is shishi.
Yes, which means to go pee, go to the bathroom.
Which sounds better than pee, honestly.
Shishi, right? And it is not Hawaiian.
(39:37):
I don't know what I know. I looked it up before but I
don't remember if it what what language it's from.
Well, in Chinese she she means Guardian Lion.
So probably not Chinese. And let's see, the one where we
always talk about too is lychee versus lychee.
Let's make that the poll, you guys.
Is it pronounced lychee or is itpronounced lychee?
(40:00):
Lychee, Lychee, Lychee, Lychee. Yeah, everyone who lives in
Hawaii is gonna need to go and vote.
Can I vote multiple times just to?
Make no, but you can make your kids vote.
Okay, and that will be 3 more votes, 33 total.
Yeah, perfect. I used to say lychee, and then I
(40:20):
moved to Hawaii, and people are like, huh, Yeah.
And so now because of that need to, like, fit in and appreciate
the culture, I now say lychee. Yeah.
And then my kids will correct people who say lychee, which I
know you have experienced. Lena Oh, yeah, Sadie has been
like, actually lychee, It's not lychee.
And I explained to her, look, onthe mainland we say lychee.
And she's like, well, you're wrong.
(40:40):
Yeah. Also I was correct or advised
more recently that it's better to more PC to say continent than
mainland, but I'm still adjusting to doing that so I
only remember to do it like 50% of the time because.
Because you know. It's saying that like, Oh well,
this the continent is Maine, it's more important than damn
(41:04):
it, I know. And then there's also outer
islands versus neighbor islands to say Honolulu versus the other
or Oahu versus. I know it's always a learning
and growing process. And I think all the things
probably that we think we're getting right now in a few years
will be like, actually we're really inappropriate.
And we're like, we're just trying our best.
(41:25):
Yeah, we're always learning, right?
Transferring us back to the fruit discussion, which was this
section favorite. On the topic of fruit, we cannot
forget to mention the fave mango.
Mango, I love them so much. You know, I before I moved to
white, I didn't think I liked Mango.
Yes. Because here they're different,
(41:46):
right? The continent.
Yes. Oh, nice.
Well done. Thanks.
And then my neighbor where I live now has this amazing mango
tree and I think she must have just given them to me or
something. I don't know how I remember
eating like decided to eat 11 time and Oh my gosh, they're so,
(42:06):
so good. Yeah, Even with the other
mangoes I've tried, this is my favorite type of mango.
I think it's the Hayden mango, but I'm really not 100% sure.
And it's, it's so good. Yeah, it's crazy.
Like it's a different sensation eating the Hawaiian mango or a
mango from Hawaii grown in Hawaii than continental mango.
(42:28):
It's like so juicy. It's like, imagine, when you're
imagine the movie Jungle Book, do you remember when Mowgli is
climbing on the tree and he eatsa mango on the tree and it's
like just all over his face. It's dripping on his face.
It's so much juice. It's so flavorful.
(42:48):
He looks so satisfied. I never thought that that was
real, right? But it's real.
It is. Are you talking about like when
we I introduced you to the concept of a beach mango?
Yes. Beach mango and also because you
always make your kids eat fruit outside.
Because it gets so messy, yes, but yeah.
Beach Mango When did you decide the best place to eat a mango
(43:08):
was at the beach? I think it was probably one of
those times that I had way too many mangoes on my counter for
my neighbor and like, oh, no, I need to Polish through a bunch
of these and eat them before they all go bad.
Yeah. So I just tossed a couple in my
beach bag to go to the beach. And then I was like, oh, shoot,
I don't have a knife or anythingto cut this.
OK. I'm gonna peel it like an apple.
(43:29):
And I know like, a banana. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Like a banana.
It's like, I know technically you can eat the skin, but meh, I
don't want to. Yeah.
So the hate and mango are reallynice because they have a thick
enough skin that you can peel itlike a banana and mostly stays
intact. But it's so messy and there's
just juice everywhere, all over your face.
(43:49):
I feel like the feral creature, like Mowgli.
Yes, when I eat it, which is fine because you're at the beach
and you can either be standing in the water, yeah, eat it, or
just get in the water after and rinse yourself off because you
will be covered in sticky orangejuice and they're so bad.
So good. And then after rinsing off, you
have this, like, hybrid flavor of salty mango all over your
(44:14):
skin. Yeah.
And it totally does stain your skin.
It does, and you're some soup potentially.
Yeah, it's amazing. So out of all the fruits in
Hawaii, even if they're not native, right, what's your
favorite overall? Lychee.
The lychee. It all comes back to the lychee.
We're in lychee season. We are.
(44:36):
It's a really short season and Iheard it's not such a good
season this year because of weather I think.
So it's basically just started like a week or two ago and it'll
go almost to what's the holiday at the end of the summer,
Memorial Day. They are insane.
Labor Day, I think Labor Day, OK.
(44:56):
It'll more or less go to that. Most of the ones in Hawaii are
grown on Big Island. They're so good there's because
it has such a limited season andlimited growing area.
They're so expensive. I will blow my whole shopping
budget, but again, not so much because of farm link.
Thank you guys. So when we were there or when I
(45:20):
was visiting you, we went to Chinatown and we went to what
was, what's that place called? They're my favorite.
My bag that I use is a bag from them with mangoes all over it.
They're women, owned. I love that family run.
Sun Chong. OK, Sun Chong.
Sun Chong Grocery, Yes, amazing.But don't say we didn't worry
(45:42):
you. We spent $40 in a bag.
How many lichi? Lichi.
How many lichis were in that bag?
You think? I don't know.
It was, it was must have been less than £2.
I don't know, let's say 50 zero concept.
I'm so terrible at math. OK.
No, I think there was at least like 80 OK in there, 80 lychee,
(46:06):
40 dollars, $2.00 lychee each lychee.
Am I doing the math wrongs? Math is wrong.
I think that would be $0.50 a lychee more or less.
Anyway, lights, you're expensive.
Crazy expensive. So good.
So good, so worth it. Lychee are also a great beach
snack because they're super juicy and like squirt all over
(46:27):
you so you can just go rinse offin the ocean.
Yes, there's also a long gone and Rambutan which are similar
love. See my opinion.
I'm like, no, don't, no, you're just going to be disappointing
because you're not lychee. I like the long guns, but yeah,
like I I know when I eat too many lychee I get a sore on the
(46:49):
top of my mouth, so I have to pace myself.
That's wise. Yeah.
Cool. Well those were all of my
topics. Shall we wrap up into the the
conclusion? Wait, I have a question.
For you. Oh my God, is this a trivia
question? It is.
But I OK, hold on, I'm ready. OK, I was about to say, oh, I
(47:09):
didn't think of multiple choice that I totally OK.
What island is known as the Forbidden Island?
Oh my God, it starts with. An N yes.
And I said that wrong. Yeah, that sounds.
Chinese. Maybe that's.
(47:31):
How I say it, yes, that's the forbidden island.
They no one's allowed on it. Right.
Except for the family that owns it, which is I think called the
Robinson family, maybe white people, right, who have owned it
for a really long time, like 100years, I think maybe more
(47:52):
definitely, yeah. And then descendants of the
people who lived on it when the land was purchased.
Right. Who knows what's going on there?
They recently got electricity onthe island within the last few
years. It's really cool, you should
look it up. Yeah, that could be a whole
episode in itself. Right.
(48:13):
It's I got obsessed with it one day when I was doing a research
paper about abortion access in the state of Hawaii and like,
oh, can you access this on everyisland?
And I didn't want to be really doing what I was supposed to be
doing. So I went on a whole deep dive
about Niihau. And the answer is you can't
really get abortion access to abortion on Niihau.
(48:35):
You have to leave the island. Oh, I see, I see.
But it was purchased by RobinsonFamily OK for I believe it was
$10,000 and a grand piano. Oh my God.
And like, that family doesn't even live there.
There's two living descendants left, 2 male heirs.
(48:57):
I think they're in the 70s or 80s or botanists maybe?
OK. And I don't know if they live
there, but maybe they go back and forth.
But it's definitely very controlled and interesting and
problematic. But there's also something to be
said for that. They've it's a time capsule of
Hawaiian culture, which is cool.For the native people there, are
(49:20):
there native people there? Yes, OK.
Yeah. So and so like the Ololo, the
Hawaiian dialect on Niihau is very different from the Lilo
Hawaiian spoken today. Elsewhere, it's much more
similar to the one that was likefrom that period of time.
Which was early 1900s. Or earlier, I don't know.
(49:42):
Someone should look that up and let me know.
OK. And so like, that's a really
interesting time capsule and like the way of life, but also
it's still owned. Like everything, everything I
feel like we've said about Hawaii, it's it's very nuanced.
Like there's so many facets to it.
Yeah. OK, let's do a wrap up.
(50:06):
Thank you for that fun trivia question reversal on me.
What was your favorite thing that you learned during this
chat or talked about since I guess you already knew all these
things? No, you guys got all the yeah.
You've got questions wrong, 22 questions wrong, So it was the
your favorite thing that you learned.
OK, so let's see, I learned about Pirates of the Caribbean,
(50:27):
and I learned and was reminded about Pele at the Kilauea
volcano. But you know what?
The thing I am determined to remember from what This is the
Nalpaka flower, Yes. Because yeah, I've been told it
so many times and this is going to be the time that I remember
(50:48):
the name. Yes.
Perfect. Nalpaka I will never forget
because those are the people in my book.
OK, and I need to read this bookalso.
When you're done, yes. 100% OK Did you have fun?
Yes. Good.
Did you have fun? Nope, this was the worst one.
Ever. I'm so glad to hear that that
(51:08):
was what that was my goal. Did it traumatize you at all?
I'm traumatized. Great, because now more job
security for me. Thank you.
No, I'm just kidding. This was really fun.
Thank you for listening to the show.
This is Trivia Tangents, where we cover various trivia topics.
We have new episodes released every Thursday, which I like to
call Trivia Thursday. Hi, I'm Lena and special thanks
(51:30):
to our guest Auntie Sarah for sharing her awesome insights and
trivia tangents about Hawaii, Farm Link, mangoes, all other
aspects of Hawaii. We loved it.
Thanks for listening. And learning.
If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a five star
rating or thumbs up. Follow or subscribe and share
(51:51):
with a friend for bonus content.You can find trivia tangents on
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and of course all podcast platforms
under Trivia Tangents Podcast. Check out our website at
triviatangentspodcast.com to purchase trivia starter packs
based on these episodes, perfectfor hosting your very own trivia
night.
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