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.
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