For students who weren’t fortunate enough to travel to Hawaii for Spring Break, a quick trip to the Manzanita Courtyard last Saturday would have transported them to an authentic traditional lu’au. The courtyard was filled with the vibrant music and dances of Hawaiian culture as the Stanford Hawai’i Club presented its 28th Annual Lu’au: Kulia I Ka Nu’u, “Strive for the Summit.”

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Evan Kutter

Students performed Sunday at the Stanford Hawai’i Club’s annual Lu’au, which took place in Manzanita Courtyard. The theme for the event was “Strive for the Summit!”

The entire event was one festive family gathering as the Hawai’i Club welcomed students, family members and kids of all ages with open arms, the mark of the typical warm Hawaiian lifestyle.

“We just wanted to share little pieces of home with the Stanford community,” said Hoku Ching ‘10, Lu’au co-chair. “We hope that everyone ate lots of good food, watched some cool Polynesian dancing and had lots of fun.”

And good food aplenty there was. Hawai’i Club members had begun preparing the food at 9 p.m. the night before, ensuring that hundreds of guests would be well fed.

Under the bright sun and sprawled out on the grass, attendees feasted on entrees like chicken long rice, Lomi Salmon — chilled, shredded and salted salmon with onions and tomatoes — and kahlua pig, which is traditionally prepared by filling the pig’s abdominal cavity with hot stones, then placing the pig in a pit containing hot stones.

“But I’m sure Santa Clara County wouldn’t have been too open to that idea, so we hand-shredded the 40 lbs. of pork ourselves using forks,” said Lu’au Co-Chair Awapuhi Dancil ‘10. “The hardest part was figuring out how much of each item to buy. People at Costco kept staring at us since we had 40 tomatoes, pineapples and pounds of salmon.”

For dessert, participants feasted on fresh pineapple dipped in li hing mui, a sweet flavorful spice; haupia — cornstarch pudding made from the juice of fresh-squeezed, grated coconut — provided a satisfying ending to the meal as guests enjoyed the tunes of the local Ho’omana Hawaiian Band.

Perhaps the most interesting side dish was the poi, pounded taro root that is kneaded into a smooth paste, traditionally meant to be eaten by scooping it out of a bowl with one’s fingers.

“I still haven’t made up my mind about the poi,” said Chris Olivares ‘10. “But everything else is absolutely delicious. I came last year and had to come again to support friends and watch the great dances. And how often do you get to have authentic Hawaiian food that’s really good?”

After the satisfying meal, student dancers who had been practicing since winter quarter were finally able to showcase their native dances.

The event opened with a traditional chant, the oli, followed by popular hula and Tahitian dances, as well as the much anticipated Haka, the New Zealand war dance that the New Zealand Rugby team performs before every game to instill a sense of fear in their opponent.

Stanford’s first Polynesian Dance Group, Kaorihiva, was also able to showcase the Uluhina, a semi-fast Tahitian dance dedicated to their elders.

Between dances, raffle prizes were awarded and those who didn’t want to leave their fate to luck could participate in small contests like a spelling bee and hula hoop contest to win various gift certificates, gourmet chocolates and cookies, Hawaiian hair pins and other prizes.

“The members of the Hawai’i Club poured our heart and soul into this event, working at 100 mph,” Dancil said.

Ching added, “We hoped that the people attending would gain a better understanding of and appreciation for our culture in a fun and enjoyable way.”