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By Request
Betty Shimabukuro
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Wahiawa honors the pineapple
THE pineapple is not native to Hawaii, but it may as well be, considering how firmly the state's sense of identity is attached to the prickly, sweet-sour fruit.
PINEAPPLE FESTIVAL
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (parade starts at 9 a.m.)
Place: Wahiawa District Park on California Avenue
Admission: Free
Call: 227-8229
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Case in point: the Pineapple Festival, a celebration of the plantation lifestyle and a tribute to the taste and versatility of the fruit, taking place this weekend in Wahiawa.
Pineapple specialties will be served by chef Alan Wong -- who once worked at the cannery and has adopted the fruit as a symbol of his restaurants. He'll be joined by chefs Fred DeAngelo, Elmer Guzman and Randal Ishizu, and culinary students from Leeward Community College.
Also on tap: trolley tours of Wahiawa, music, crafts, a reunion for field and cannery workers, a baking contest, kids' activities and plantation-era contests such as pineapple "flipping," a harvest technique.
In celebration, raise a glass of a pineapple punch, ideal for a spring affair -- a graduation party, for example, where the many celebrants will be below drinking age. It is made more party-worthy by the inclusion of a sugary iceberg to cool things down.
The recipe comes from "Hawaii's Favorite Pineapple Recipes" (Mutual Publishing, 2002, $19.95), which will be sold at the festival in part to benefit the organizers.
Tropical Fruit Punch
2 cups water
1-1/3 cups sugar
4 cups ginger ale
2 cups club soda
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 bananas
2-2/3 tablespoons lemon juice
Orange and lemon slices
Combine sugar and water in nonreactive pan; bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Cool, then pour into mold and freeze (see note).
Remove frozen sugar solution from mold and place in punchbowl. Pour half the ginger ale and club soda into bowl.
Combine fruit juices and banana in blender and pulse until smooth. Add to punchbowl; stir. Add remaining sodas; stir. Garnish with orange and lemon slices. Makes about 3 quarts (12 cups).
Nutritional information unavailable.
Note: A shallow gelatin mold works best. Make sure it fits in your punchbowl.
Send queries along with name and phone number to: "By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. Or send e-mail to
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com