Entertain Your Luau Guests

As promised, I am writing a few posts about how to host your own luau, whether you are in Hawaii, or, like me, locked up inside watching the snow gather on Mt. Rainer. A luau is a great way to pretend to escape from the cold winter weather. I find that anything related to Hawaii immediately makes me feel 10 degrees warmer - I was reading a cook book last night written bu one of my favorite chefs, Alan Wong, and immediately I felt like getting a tan and putting my swimmers on! So, if you want to feel like summer (I personally feel so much happier when I can see/feel the sun) - think about having a luau so you and your friends can relax and think about the good times!

You can personalise your luau in a number of ways, but as I mentioned before, you really want to try and make your luau authentic, so you could do this by serving traditional food (e.g. pig, seafood, fresh island fruits & vegetables, or perhaps by arranging activities at the luau such as hula dancing. Here is my top 5 entertainment ideas for your upcoming luau:

1. Have someone come to your house and teach hula to your party group - and capture it on video for laughs later

2. If you know someone who can speak Hawaiian or can talk story, invite them over to share some Hawaiian tales

3. Buy some Hawaiian CD's and play authentic Hawaiian music throughout the luau. Brother IZ has some wonderful albums that you can purchase from Amazon.com

4. Make your guests come dressed in Hawaiian attire - this can be as simple as an aloha shirt, or perhaps a more elaborate option such as a hula outfit, complete with grass skirt

5. Get some fresh flowers and make leis. Your guests can then take them home as a reminder of your fun Hawaiian evening