My introduction to Waiahole Poi Factory’s poi

A friend in Kaaawa offered to stop at Waiahole Poi Factory and pick up poi for me.

Never having tried their poi, although driving past almost daily during the 27 years or so that we lived in Kaaawa, I couldn’t say “no.”

She dropped it off on Wednesday.

These are my first unguarded reactions.

Color. I have never seen such light colored poi, almost white.

And its taste matched the color. About as mild as you can possibly get. Under other circumstances, I might describe it as so mild that it is almost tasteless.

I understand that Waiahole draws on different local farmers, and the variety of taro used may differ between these batches. I’ll have to find out more about that.

But this poi is a tough sell for me. I like my poi on the sour side. When I buy a bag of Taro brand poi at Times, I’ll just leave the bag on the counter for a week or longer, and just wait for it to develop more flavor.

That seems to be the opposite of the Waiahole poi experience.

I’ll be interested in the comments of others more familiar with the Waiahole Poi Factory’s product.

Time to be giving back

Well, there’s nothing like close brush with one’s mortality to remind that it’s time to start letting loose of the purse strings.

Meda retired from the University of Hawaii in 2020 after a startling 50 years on the university payroll, starting when she was still a grad student and continuing through her years teaching at Honolulu Community College and on to the Manoa Campus. At that time, we followed my mother’s lead and created an endowed scholarship fund in College of Social Sciences by initially contributing just enough to establish the fund, which provides scholarships to students in the UH Women’s Studies Program. We’ve added to it modestly over the past several years, with the plan that it will eventually be boosted with a larger infusion of cash from our estates.

Using funds my mother inherited as a beneficiary of the estate of George Galbraith, she had previously established two different scholarship funds to benefit University of Hawaii community college students, one in her name and one in her mother’s name.

And we are just wrapping up the process of setting up the Chesney Lind Scholarship Endowment at Whitman College, where we both graduated in the Class of ’69. This will be the first scholarship intended to benefit Whitman students from Hawaii. We took advantage of an offer of matching funds to establish an endowment they expect to generate nearly $10,000 a year for scholarship aid.

Now we’ll take a breath and hope these scholarships will make a difference in the lives of future students at both institutions!

Feline Friday returns!

The cats are back this week after being absent last week due to my last round of medical commuting between Honolulu and San Francisco!

There is healing power in cats, although it’s a power likely shared by animal companions of all kinds.

Being home sharing time with them adds a needed layer of stress relief!

This time I was surprised to realize that Kiko was most excited by our return, edging out Kinikini, who has been the longtime leader in this category.

Kiko was first at the door when we arrived from the airport, and then it seemed like every time I sat down at the dining table for more than 30 seconds, a black and white cat would mysteriously appear in my lap, waiting to receive pets and begin the drooling routine. She doesn’t really announce herself, she just appears.

No, that isn’t quite accurate. Sometimes her sudden appearances are preceded by a few seconds of zoomies as she streaks around the room, leaps wildly on the table, and then slips past my left arm directly onto my lap. Most of the time I’m barely aware of the process as it is underway, and only recreate it in my mind as the drooling begins.

In any case, suffice it to say that the cats are happy that we’re home, and we’re equally happy to see each of them!

Feline Friday • May 24, 2026

Surgery “coming soon”

I received word about 7 a.m. this morning that I am now scheduled for surgery at the University of Californa San Francisco Moore/Baker Hospital in Mission Bay the morning of May 11.

Surgery will be done by Dr. Mohammed Adam and Carlos Covera, both experienced surgeons at dealing with biliary tract issues such as mine. I don’t think I could be in better hands.

This is major sugery. As I understand, it will involve removing the cancerous bile duct, “resectioning” my liver (cutting out a section, as yet to be determined)and then rebuilding an artificial duct to get bile where it it needs to go.

I will likely be in the hospital at least a week, then released for rest and recovery. But it’s unlikely I’ll be able to fly back to Hawaii for a couple of months.

We’re still working on our travel and lodging logistics, but have great family support.

I’ve haven’t spent that long without access to my computer in, well, forever! Digital withdrawal? I travel with my iPad, which is easier to carry and fine for routine things, but I might try to find some way to take my laptop with me.

And my special thanks to all of you who have shared your feelings and support here and on Facebook. Everyone tells me that a positive outlook is essential going forward, and you’ve all been part of supporting me in that process.

Below, patient artwork displayed in the ground floor of the UCSF Precision Cancer building.