Tongan Feast
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 10 Nov 2013 23:57
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Tongan Feast at ‘Ene’io Botanical Garden
 Haniteli came to pick us up at half past
eleven to take us to ‘Ene’io to sample a Tongan feast. His
van is coming quite close to entering the ‘One Careful Owner’
competition, but for now, we experienced a dust storm coming through the gap in
the door.
 A German lady spent an hour painting ‘happy things’ last week.
 Compared to our Friday visit the sea looked remarkably calm. (Vegetarians read no
further)........
  Outside, the suckling
pig was almost ready, an absolute at any feast.
 Bear settled
himself to a couple of beers.
   At one o’clock, Haniteli said a few words
and grace, whilst Soni (the assistant chef) began to
carve the puaka
tunu.
  We helped ourselves to salati vesitapolo (tossed salad) and
kumara (similar to potato).
 
 Kale moa (spicy
chicken biryani, labeled here as briyani curry, boiled
rice, lu kapapulu (corned beef or it can be
fish, wrapped in taro leaves and simmered in coconut milk) and lo’I kaloa’a (shellfish simmered in coconut cream) were our
other dishes. Well this suited Bear down to the ground, he is an ideal candidate
for becoming a Tongan. Ten pounds per person, including transport – Marvelous...........
 
 An enthusiastic
Bear dug into his first course, I was happy to stick with the one.
  Bear went on to attack seconds AND thirds.
 
 I settled for a piece of keke sokoleti (chocolate cake), and managed to try a small
piece of keke niu (coconut cake), with coconut
custard. Bear manfully managed chocolate cake and coconut
custard.
 
Haniteli kept us amused with his stories for the rest of the
afternoon.
  Along the beach were over a hundred people
of all ages, enjoying a Seventh Day Adventist family day
out, the singing was lovely.
 We saw some
lovely traditional outfits.
 So elegant.
  I went for a stroll along the
beach, on my return I asked what the very definite shapes,
cut in the coral were. “Oh they were cut and used as lids for the royal
tombs in days gone by.” .
 A
tern came to snuffle about for small crabs and
shells.
 One last look at ‘Ene’io beach before heading home, hope to be back next
year.....
ALL IN ALL A VERY NICE
SUNDAY
REALLY
ENJOYABLE |