Product Description

It’s always party time on the islands—and planning your next Polynesian-themed bash is easier than ever with this latest party guide in the Retro series. From the era of Don Ho, long boards, and aloha spirit comes a celebration of island entertaining. RETRO LUAU combines the best of classic tropical drink and food recipes, party ideas, and vintage illustrations straight from the shores of Polynesia. Everything from pupus to Planter’s Punch gets the royal treatment with modernized methods and ingredients to bring the flavor of the tropics to your next party. There’s even a guide to pit roasting a pig in your own backyard! Featuring more than 100 food and drink recipes, capturing the spirit of the islands has never been more fun!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #742892 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

From the Publisher
* Includes a history of the luau in Polynesian culture plus a glossary of Hawaiian terms to impress your friends.

* Learn how to make a lei, do the hula, and cook a pig.

* Includes a section on popular games perfectly fit for a luau.

* Featuring more than 100 recipes edited and updated for today’s party planner.

About the Author
RICHARD PERRY is a pioneer graduate of the Western Culinary Institute. As a former chef, Richard keeps his skills alive by cooking from scratch daily. His passion for food has turned his home kitchen into a test kitchen. Collecting cookbooks and vintage kitchen gadgets, he combines his love of nostalgia with his love of cooking. He has taken his collection on the road and done regional television and a Travel Channel special. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

How about actually reading the description??
What a great book!

Unlike a previous reviewer, I read all about this book before I bought it, and knew what I was getting. And I love it.

Full of fun party ideas and MEALS. Ok, recipes which can be turned into meals. Ingredients are accessible, and fairly easy to make. We're planning a luau for the summer, and this book will be our guide!

Luau
I'll probably never make any of the recipes nor use any of the party ideas but it was still a fun read.

Okay for party planning, not so hot for meal ideas
The premise of Retro Luau is appealing: here's recipes and other information for putting togeher a luau, with the spirit of the old, simpler days. Aha, I thought: I've wanted a collection of Polynesian recipes, and this one is pretty darned inexpensive.

Alas, I'm disappointed in what the book delivers. I had expected it to be a hoot, especially since I was initially recommended the book because I'd purchased and enjoyed The Gallery Of Regrettable Food. Instead, Retro Luau really does feel like a 1950s cookbook (with "retro" illustrations to match), with recipes including macadamia cheese puffs, upside-down pineapple cake, and teriyaki beef skewers.

None of the recipes are *bad*, mind you (though they're heavy on mayonnaise in a 1950s sort of way). The next time I need to take a covered dish to a buffet party I'm sure I'll look through Retro Luau for inspiration, if not bring along the sweet-and-sour meatball recipe. If you want food like Mom used to make, and don't want to expend a lot of effort, this may be a good choice for you.

But you should be aware that this is definitely a cookbook for creating a luau, complete with instructions for roasting a whole pig and how to make a lei. It is emphatically not a collection of Polynesian recipes that you might whip out for a different Sunday dinner. The book description says this, of course, but I hadn't expected nearly everything to be finger-food and munchies to serve 8-10 at a minimum. (Happy Ham Salad serves 20-25 people.)

I may pull out this cookbook occasionally (especially since a close friend has a yearly luau-inspired party), but I don't expect any of its pages to get dog-earred.