Hawaii!

by Giada De Laurentiis

  “Good to know,” Alfie said. Excitement was rising in his chest like soda bubbles. He had always wanted to try surfing, and now he was actually going to do it!

  Alfie and Emilia put on their rash guards while Lana and Jacob chose surfboards for them. They laid the boards flat on the sand next to each other.

  Kai walked over and stood on Alfie’s board. “Before we even get in the water, you need to work on jumping up from a flat position on your board to a standing surf position.”

  Alfie and Emilia nodded.

  “It’s kind of like yoga, if you’ve ever done that,” Kai continued.

  Emilia nodded and smiled, but Alfie shook his head. Zia Donatella and Emilia liked to do yoga in the family room on Sundays, and they were always trying to get Alfie to join them, but he never did.

  “So, start by lying flat on your stomach on the board,” Kai said. “Then you basically want to do a push-up and work on bringing your left leg forward to plant it just behind the midpoint of the board.”

  Alfie watched Emilia do this with no problem. He could do the push-up, but getting his leg forward in one quick motion was another story. Now he was beginning to wish he had joined Emilia and Zia for yoga all those Sundays!

  “You want to get to the point where, with practice, you’ll be able to just pop up into the correct stance in one motion without having to think about swinging that leg forward. But it’s good to try it this way first just to get the movement going,” Kai coached.

  Alfie nodded and tried again. Jacob and Lana stepped forward to give extra pointers and demonstrate their own pop-up stances. They were really good!

  “Great!” Kai said, after they’d been working on the pop-up for a while. Alfie was starting to feel more comfortable. “Now we’ll move on to a quick lesson on the proper stance for when you’ve caught a wave and you’re up on your board.”

  Kai stepped onto Alfie’s board again to demonstrate. “You want a wide stance, but not too wide. Make sure you’re in the middle of the board for balance, and always keep your knees bent. Then lean forward slightly, but not too much or you’ll just fall face-first into the water.”

  Alfie paid close attention to Kai’s movements and positioning. Emilia, on the other hand, was either looking down the beach or smiling at Jacob.

  They practiced their pop-ups and board stances for a little while longer. Finally, Kai said they were ready to get in the water. Alfie was giddy as he picked up his board and headed toward the small waves in front of the resort. Emilia trailed behind, talking to Lana.

  Alfie’s toes hit the water, and he was pleasantly surprised. It was even warmer than it had been in Rio!

  Kai showed them how to paddle out into the waves and lean back when a wave was coming to keep the board above the water. Once they were out in the waves, they turned their boards to face the shore and got into position. Kai treaded water behind their boards to help them take turns catching a wave.

  “Remember, when you fall, always fall flat so you don’t plunge down into the water,” Kai told them. “That way you won’t run into any coral or rocks.”

  “And you definitely want to avoid the coral,” Jacob chimed in. “That stuff is sharp!”

  “Okay, here comes a good wave,” Kai said. “Ready, Alfie?”

  “Ready!” Alfie called back. He faced the shore and felt Kai give his board a push into the wave.

  “Okay, pop up!” Kai shouted.

  Alfie used his arms to push off his board and jumped up into position. He stood on wobbly legs for a few seconds before tipping forward into the water. He remembered to fall flat toward the surface and felt the surfboard tug against the tether around his ankle. He jumped back on the board and paddled toward Kai. He watched as Kai pushed Emilia’s board into a wave. Emilia jumped up no problem, just as she’d done on the beach. She kept her legs bent and rode farther toward the shore before falling backward from her board. She popped up and squinted the water from her eyes.

  “Nice job, Emilia!” Kai called.

  With Kai’s help, Alfie and Emilia caught wave after wave, but it was Emilia who rode them the easiest. She popped up from her board with ease and got the hang of it right away. Alfie struggled a bit more, but he really liked it.

  After a while Emilia said she was done, and she and Lana paddled back to shore. Alfie felt like he could surf for hours longer, but he knew their lesson probably wasn’t an all-day thing. He caught a few more waves, and then Kai said it was time to paddle in.

  “You’re getting the hang of it, Alfie,” Kai told him.

  “Definitely!” Jacob agreed.

  “Thanks,” Alfie said. Surfing was so fun!

  “Are you sure Emilia’s never done this before?” Jacob asked. “She’s a natural.”

  Alfie frowned a little. “I’m sure.”

  Back on the beach, Kai put the surfboards and rash guards away while Alfie and Emilia toweled off.

  “We’re heading up to the resort restaurant,” Lana told them. “Our uncle is the chef. He’s working on the menu for a special luau this weekend, so we’re stopping by for some snacks.”

  “Wow,” Emilia said. “How cool!”

  “You should come with us,” Jacob said, smiling at Emilia.

  “For sure,” Lana added.

  “That would be great,” Alfie said.

  “You know,” Kai jumped in, “Uncle Gene has so much to do for this luau, I bet he could use some extra help.”

  “We’d be happy to help,” Emilia said. “We cook with our great-aunt all the time.”

  “I could probably even throw in a free surf lesson in exchange,” Kai said. “Assuming that’s okay with your parents, of course.”

  “Totally!” Alfie cried. “Our parents won’t mind at all!”

  “I’m not so sure I want to surf again,” Emilia said. “But I’m still happy to help with the luau.”

  “Have you ever tried hula dancing?” Lana asked. “Because I’m performing at the luau. I could always give you a hula lesson instead . . .”

  Alfie saw Emilia’s face light up. Anything dance-related was right up her alley, especially after she’d gotten to dance in two parades during Rio’s Carnival.

  “Oh my gosh!” Emilia gushed. “I would absolutely, positively love to learn hula dancing!”

  “Okay,” Lana said. “When Alfie has his surf lesson, we’ll do that, instead.”

  “Let’s head to the restaurant,” Jacob said, leading the way up the path.

  Now Emilia was smiling as big as Alfie was. Their Maui adventure was well under way!

  A little brown lizard skittered across the path as Alfie and Emilia followed their new friends Lana and Jacob to the resort restaurant. This time, they curved to the left around the pool and ended up in a parking lot behind the resort. Jacob opened a door and waved Alfie and Emilia into the restaurant kitchen.

  Inside the kitchen, there were cooks and waiters and dishwashers and bussers rushing all around. Big stainless-steel appliances and countertops ringed the open space. Lana and Jacob wove their way through the hectic kitchen and found a man with thick gray hair leaning against one of the spotless counters in the corner. He was busily scribbling on a piece of paper.

  “Hi, Uncle Gene,” Lana said, giving the man a quick hug.

  “Lana! Jacob! I’m so glad you’re here!” The man had cheerful dark eyes and a big warm smile, but he looked a bit frazzled.

  “These are our new friends, Alfie and Emilia,” Jacob said.

  “Is this your first time in Maui?” Uncle Gene asked.

  “It is,” Alfie and Emilia answered.

  “Well, welcome to the Grand Lahaina.”

  “Thank you,” the siblings replied.

  “How’s the luau prep going, Uncle Gene?” Lana asked.

  “It was going okay until I found out that the mayor of
Maui and his entire staff will be attending!” Uncle Gene said.

  “Wow. Really?” Jacob said.

  “Yes,” Uncle Gene answered. “The mayor’s office called to say if the luau goes well, they’ll want to use the Grand Lahaina to host the governor of Hawaii and several other state governors at an exclusive luau next month. The entire resort is rushing to put extra-special plans in place.”

  “That would be so big for you, Uncle Gene!” Jacob said.

  Uncle Gene nodded, wiping his brow. “Yes, it would. It’s exciting, but it’s a lot more work at the last minute. After all, the luau is tomorrow!”

  Lana put her hand on her uncle’s shoulder. “We can help. Alfie and Emilia can, too.”

  Uncle Gene smiled wide. “Really? That’s wonderful! At this point we need as many extra hands as possible!”

  “We’re happy to pitch in, sir,” Alfie said. “We have some experience helping in restaurants.” Alfie thought about working with their friends at their restaurants in Hong Kong and New Orleans.

  “You’re old pros, then!” the chef replied. “And, please, call me Uncle Gene.” He shuffled some papers around and pulled one out from the bottom of the pile. “Well, let me start by showing you the menu for our luau. Have you been to a luau before?”

  “No, this will be our first one,” Emilia answered. “We’re very excited.”

  “You’re in for a treat!” Uncle Gene said. “Luaus are a staple of Hawaiian culture.”

  “They’re like big parties,” Jacob interjected. “We always have one when there’s a wedding or birthday or some other important family event.”

  “And, of course, the resort hosts them throughout the year so that tourists can get a taste of one of our traditions,” Uncle Gene added. “Only this one will be even more spectacular!”

  “How exciting!” Emilia said.

  “So, the luau menu always starts with a kalua pig,” Uncle Gene continued, pointing to the menu page.

  “What’s that?” Alfie asked.

  “We cook a whole pig in an imu, which is an underground outdoor oven.”

  “Whoa!” Alfie said.

  Uncle Gene laughed. “The resort has one down by the beach, dug into the dirt and lined with wood and rocks.”

  “When it’s done, kalua pig basically looks and tastes like really good shredded pork,” Lana added.

  “Yum!” Emilia said.

  “What else is on the menu?” Alfie asked. He was starting to get hungry just thinking about it!

  “We have ahi poke, which is diced raw tuna marinated with some Maui onion and soy sauce, chicken long rice, which is like a Hawaiian-style chicken soup, sweet potatoes, poi—”

  “What’s poi?” Emilia asked.

  “You’re in luck,” Uncle Gene said. “I just made some.” He slid a ceramic bowl down the countertop toward Alfie and Emilia.

  “It looks like purple pudding,” Alfie said.

  Uncle Gene, Jacob, and Lana laughed. “It definitely doesn’t taste like pudding,” Lana said.

  Uncle Gene handed Alfie and Emilia each a small spoon. “Poi is made from boiled, mashed taro root. The taro root is a nice shade of purple.”

  Alfie lifted the spoon to his mouth. The consistency of the poi was like paste, and it kind of tasted that way, too—like glue you might use for an art project at school. He tried not to make a face as he set the spoon back on the counter. He definitely wouldn’t be going for seconds.

  Emilia had a similar look on her face. Her nose was wrinkled, and she tried to smile as she swallowed the starchy substance.

  Jacob and Lana laughed again. “I think poi is an acquired taste,” Jacob said, grabbing a spoonful.

  “It’s not my favorite,” Lana added. “And I’m Hawaiian!”

  Uncle Gene held back a laugh. “Let’s move on to the desserts, shall we?”

  Alfie and Emilia nodded furiously.

  “We’ll be serving lots of fresh tropical fruit grown here on the island as well as malasadas, haupia, and pineapple upside-down cake.”

  “I haven’t heard of those first two things,” Alfie said. “But I’ve never had a dessert I didn’t like!”

  Uncle Gene chuckled. “I have some haupia left over from this morning’s breakfast buffet,” he said, walking to the refrigerator and returning with a plastic container. It was full of small white cubes that looked like perfectly square, smooth marshmallows. He handed a piece to each of them.

  “I love your haupia, Uncle Gene,” Lana said, taking a bite.

  Alfie took a bite, too. It tasted like sweet coconut custard.

  “That’s really good,” Emilia said.

  Just then a man in a white chef’s jacket hurried over to Uncle Gene with an angry look on his face.

  “I don’t know how you expect me to get all this work done before the luau!” the man said, waving a list in front of Uncle Gene. His face was red and pinched.

  “Pika, you remember my niece and nephew Lana and Jacob,” Uncle Gene said with a measured tone. “And these are their new friends, Alfie and Emilia. This is my sous-chef, Pika. He’s my second in command.”

  “Hi,” Pika mumbled.

  “We all have a lot to do—especially now with the mayor coming,” Uncle Gene continued. “We’re splitting up the responsibilities as best we can. Everybody needs to pitch in and do a little extra.”

  “There’s just no way I can get this all done in time,” Pika argued.

  “You’re the sous-chef,” Uncle Gene said, his voice rising a bit. “If you don’t want the responsibility, I will find someone who does!”

  Pika opened his mouth to argue again, but then looked around at Alfie and the others. “Fine,” he grumbled before storming out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

  Uncle Gene sighed and shook his head. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Well, I guess I'd better get back to work on this luau prep.”

  “We’re here to help,” Jacob said. “What can we do?”

  Uncle Gene sifted through the papers in front of him again and pulled out another list. “Well, now that the mayor and his whole staff are coming to the luau, we need more food! And none of my regular suppliers can deliver on such short notice. Think you can handle it?”

  Lana looked over the list. “Definitely!” she said.

  Uncle Gene looked relieved.

  “Especially with Alfie and Emilia’s help,” Jacob added.

  Alfie thought Emilia had kind of a silly look on her face as she smiled at Jacob, but then again, Jacob had a similar look. “Thanks for letting us try some of the luau food,” Emilia said to Uncle Gene.

  “Yeah, thank you,” Alfie added, popping the rest of his haupia into his mouth.

  “Absolutely!” Uncle Gene said. “Just wait until you get to try everything at the luau.”

  Alfie grinned and followed Emilia, Lana, and Jacob out of the kitchen and into the parking lot. He could hardly wait for the luau. Trying new foods had been his favorite part of each adventure, and he knew Maui would be no exception.

  Out in the parking lot, Kai had just finished putting a surfboard in the back of an old pickup truck. Jacob and Lana ran toward him.

  “Uncle Gene needs our help,” Jacob said. “The mayor’s coming to the luau!”

  “Whoa,” Kai responded. “What does he need us to do?”

  Lana held out the list Uncle Gene had given them. “He gave us a list of more food he needs. Can we go pick it up?”

  “Definitely,” Kai responded, scanning the paper. “We better get going. It’s kind of far.”

  Kai’s truck had an extended cab with two small fold-down seats behind the regular bench seat.

  “We’ll sit in the back,” Lana said, jumping in and buckling her seat belt.

  “Are you sure?” Emilia said. “We don’t mind sitting back there.”

/>   “Nah,” Jacob said, folding himself into the tiny seat. “You’re the guests. You need to be able to see out, especially on Honoapiilani Highway!”

  “Thanks,” Alfie said. Zia had been right—Hawaiian people were so friendly and laid-back.

  Kai pulled out of the resort parking lot and headed down the street. They passed a few strip malls and scuba-gear stores before reaching a neighborhood with small houses lining each side of the road.

  “The town the resort is in is called Lahaina,” Kai told them. “Jacob and Lana will have to take you to old Lahaina. It used to be the center of government for Hawaii a long time ago. There’s some cool history here.”

  “I love history!” Emilia said.

  “Me too!” Jacob added from the back.

  “Really?” Emilia asked, turning around to smile at Jacob. Alfie rolled his eyes.

  Before long they were picking up speed as the road turned into a highway and carried them close to the water.

  “Is this Hono . . . ?” Emilia started. Alfie couldn’t remember the name Jacob had said, either.

  “Honoapiilani,” Jacob and Lana said together.

  “Just watch the water as we drive,” Kai said.

  Alfie and Emilia peered out the driver’s-side window to the wide expanse of ocean that was right beside the road. Alfie could see another of the Hawaiian Islands off in the distance. Picturing one of the maps on his bedroom wall, he guessed that was Lanai. “What are we looking for?” he asked. But as soon as the words escaped his lips, he saw it. First, a puff of mist sprayed up from the surface, then a dark mass arched through the water before flipping its giant tail and disappearing again.

  “A whale!” Emilia cried.

  “Whoa,” Alfie whispered. “That was so cool.”

  “I can’t believe we can see whales as we’re driving on the highway!” Emilia said. “That’s crazy!”

  “That’s Maui.” Kai smiled.

  “You guys are here at the perfect time,” Lana said. “It’s peak season for whale watching right now.”