Hawaiian Noir

It’s another ‘Ukulele Wednesday. Today’s song is a fun number from the Ka‘au Crater Boys called Opihi Man. 

My rendition of the song can be found here: https://youtu.be/6ISTfpQ2Wp0

If you are not familiar with opihi, they are a Hawaiian delicacy. A type of limpet, they cling to rocks. They are made up of a very hard shell, inside of which, is a creature with a big sucker foot. Here is an article on preparing the opihi. https://onolicioushawaii.com/opihi/.

Harvesting opihi is done by opihi pickers or opihi men. It’s a dangerous job as it requires getting out on rocks in the surf with a knife to pry the little suckers loose. Pickers occasionally lose their lives picking. Thus the warning in the song: “Keep your eye on the wave, don’t ever turn your back.” A good lesson for all of us.

Aloha until next Wednesday.