The Hawaiian Archipelago - Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, And Volcanoes Of The Sandwich Islands By Isabella L. Bird
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She Wears Her Native Dress - A Large, Stiff,
Flat Cane Hat, Like A Tray, Fastened Firmly On Or To Her Head; A
Scanty Loose Frock Of Blue Denim Down To Her Knees, Wide Trousers Of
The Same Down To Her Ancles, And Slippers.
Her hair is knotted up;
she always wears silver armlets, and would not be seen without the
hat for anything.
There is not a bell in this or any house on the
islands, and the bother of servants is hardly known, for the
Chinamen do their work like automatons, and disappear at sunset. In
a land where there are no carpets, no fires, no dust, no hot water
needed, no windows to open and shut - for they are always open - no
further service is really required. It is a simple arcadian life,
and people live more happily than any that I have seen elsewhere.
It is very cheerful to live among people whose faces are not soured
by the east wind, or wrinkled by the worrying effort to "keep up
appearances," which deceive nobody; who have no formal visiting, but
real sociability; who regard the light manual labour of domestic
life as a pleasure, not a thing to be ashamed of; who are contented
with their circumstances, and have leisure to be kind, cultured, and
agreeable; and who live so tastefully, though simply, that they can
at any time ask a passing stranger to occupy the simple guest
chamber, or share the simple meal, without any of the soul-harassing
preparations which often make the exercise of hospitality a thing of
terror to people in the same circumstances at home.
People will ask you, "What is the food?" We have everywhere bread
and biscuit made of California flour, griddle cakes with molasses,
and often cracked wheat, butter not very good, sweet potatoes,
boiled kalo, Irish potatoes, and poi. I have not seen fish on any
table except at the Honolulu Hotel, or any meat but beef, which is
hard and dry as compared with ours. We have China or Japan tea, and
island coffee. Honolulu is the only place in which intoxicants are
allowed to be sold; and I have not seen beer, wine, or spirits in
any house. Bananas are an important article of diet, and sliced
guavas, eaten with milk and sugar, are very good. The cooking is
always done in detached cook houses, in and on American cooking
stoves.
As to clothing. I wear my flannel riding dress for both riding and
walking, and a black silk at other times. The resident ladies wear
prints and silks, and the gentlemen black cloth or dark tweed suits.
Flannel is not required, neither are puggarees or white hats or
sunshades at any season. The changes of temperature are very
slight, and there is no chill when the sun goes down. The air is
always like balm; the rain is tepid and does not give cold; in
summer it may be three or four degrees warmer. Windows and doors
stand open the whole year.
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