What's Up With All Those Vowels

When we found out that the Hawaiian language uses only 12 letters, which includes 5 vowels (AEIOU) and 7 consonants (HKLMNPW), we began to understand why it is difficult for us to pronounce street signs, menu items, town names, beaches and understand some of the local people. In addition words that include an upside ' apostrophe note a glottal stop, and / is a stress mark that can appear over vowels, which serves to mark the vowel sound making it slightly longer. Hawaii is the only state that has two official languages English and Hawaiian.  However, a 3rd unofficial language is widely spoken called Pidgin. It is a slang combining words from many sects of the island life and cultures.

When Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian Island in 1778 he found out the island's language was oral not written. The missionaries then took it upon themselves to create an alphabet. In 1839 King Kamehameha established the Hawaiian language constitution. 

Check out some of these Hawaiian names. And I think the residents might be in trouble if they played the game of Scrabble in Hawaiian.
Towns: Ele'ele, Ha'ena, Kalihiwai
Beaches: Hanakapi'ai Beach, Po'ipu Beach
Streets: Nawilliwi Road, Akukini Road

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Hawaiian Banana Bread

Cook’s note: Be sure to toast the nuts and coconut for best flavor. Toast on a cookie sheet @ 400 but watch carefully so they do not burn. Use a spatula to turn over a few times in the toasting process. Banana bread is quite a popular sweet treat on the islands. This one is delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 sticks softened butter (3/4 cup)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 TB. cinnamon
• ½ white sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• 1-2 TB. lemon zest
• 4 large very ripe bananas mashed (use a cuisenart)
• 3 TB.  sour cream
• ¾ cup chopped macadamia nuts-lightly toasted and cooled
• 1 cup coconut-lightly toasted and cooled

Directions:

• Grease and flour two loaf pans
• Sift dry ingredients
• Cream butter and sugar till fluffy-add in vanilla and eggs one at a time-blend well
• Add in zest, sour cream and creamed bananas-mix well
• Fold creamed mixture into dry ingredients but blend only till combined
• Stir in nuts and coconut
• Cook @350 but check at 40 minutes