BoraBora Blog

Poe (Banana Pudding) Recipe

MTobler — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:12:52 GMT

(for 15 persons)

Ingredients:

- 2 bowls of crushed banana
- 1 bowl of cornstarch
- 2 spoons of sugar
- Oil for the dish
- Coconut milk (squeeze the coconut grated to obtain it)

Recipe:
Melt the bananas, the cornstarch and the sugar (add a little bit water for the bananas to turn red) and put everything in an oiled pan. Cook for 40 minutes in an oven at 240°.
Before you eat, coat it with coconut milk.

Taama’a maitai!

Ipo (Coconut Bread) Recipe

MTobler — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:46:05 GMT

Jennie from the Island was invited by Tu Nui and Heimana to see how they cook a few of their specialties:
(for 15 persons) This coconut bread is so good that it could be called a cake. The advantage is we don’t need eggs to cook it and it is very easy to make.
The most difficult part consists in breaking the coconut in 2 equal parts in order to grate it. To do that, you have to strike it on its head, between its eyes!

To grate the coconut you can either do it manual with a “ana”, or, if you use to cook for many people as Tu Nui does, you can invest in a machine that grate the coconut easy.

Ingredients:

- 3 coconuts grated
- 250 grams of sugar
-1/2 kg of flour with yeast
-oil for the dish

Recipe:
Melt the grated coconuts, the sugar and the flour altogether. If you want, you can add a little coconut water so the bread will be moist. If you don’t have coconut water, use regular water.
Put everything in an oiled dish and let it cook for 40 minutes in the oven at 240°.
Trick for gourmets: Add pieces of banana!

700 miles

nzosimova — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:54:08 GMT

700 Miles in counting… Shawn has hit the 700-mile mark with plenty of adventures, great views, and struggles along the way. While he has encountered plenty of rain and snow, he as also run into explosions of colorful, wild mountain flowers. He’s thrilled to finally be in the small town of Coleman with a fantastic B&B that serves gluten free food!

(Yes this swamp is part of the trail!)

Read all about his travels and see even more photos at http://www.shawnforry.com/Margin_Walker...A_Hikers_Chronicles/Blog/Entries/2010/8/10_good_trail%2C_good_views%2C_good_times....mostly.html

Heiva Dance Competition Results

nzosimova — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:15:22 GMT

Here are the results of the dance competition of the Heiva 2010: Tiipoto took first place, Anau took second, Nunue third, Faanui fourth, and Amanahune fifth!

Tiipoto Team

The best orchestra is Amanahune. They are a group composed of young children and they have often won the competition in the past.

The best female dancer was from Amanahune and this year we had 2 best male dancers: One was from Faanui and the other one was from Tiipoto.

The best dance couple was from the Amanahune district.

August 7th

Nthompson — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:38:15 GMT

Climb for a reason! On August 7, 2010, “WIN” (Women in Natural) will be in the beautiful Colorado Rockies. Sign up and join us at the Climb Against the Odds in Colorado. The climb will be a wonderful opportunity to climb a 14’er, and help raise money to support the amazing work by the Breast Cancer Fund. Make sure to pick up a Bora Bora bar from our team while you are there!

http://prevention.breastcancerfund.org

Top 10 Questions with Gluten Free Expert Melissa McLean Jory

MTobler — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:13:29 GMT

Since so many people are now eating a gluten free diet, we felt we should ask an expert on her thoughts about eating gluten free. Melissa McLean Jory is a Nutritional Therapist with a degree in Exercise Science, a certified yoga teacher, and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and holistic health. She and her daughter have celiac disease and have found ways to make optimal health fun and tasty! Melissa is also the creator and writer of the website glutenfreeforgood.com.

1. What inspired you to start glutenfreeforgood.com? I’m a nutritionist with a love for fresh, whole foods. I also have celiac disease and am passionate about increasing awareness and in helping people thrive while on a gluten-free diet.

2. What gluten-free companies/organizations have you been impressed by? I like Pamela’s Products for a basic gluten-free flour blend, but for the most part, I stick with food that I make myself. I belong to a community supported agriculture (CSA) program and have farm-fresh, organic food delivered weekly during the growing season. I don’t eat much in the way of processed food.

3. What do you see in the gluten-free food industry’s future? A lot of businesses have jumped on the bandwagon, but hopefully the more healthy options will prevail. Just because something is gluten-free doesn’t mean it’s healthy. There is a lot of potential in the “special diet” market.

4. What is nutritional therapy and how does it work? Nutrition therapy is holistic in nature. We are all bio-chemically unique and it’s important to evaluate the whole person and take into account lifestyle practices as well as food choices when counseling clients. I like to focus on nutrient-dense foods, movement and exercise, lifestyle adjustments and mind/body solutions. Rather than treat the symptoms of disease by prescribing drugs, it’s important to boost the body’s own disease fighting power. We can do that with the right foods.

5. Does everyone who eats a gluten-free diet have celiac disease? Is it dangerous for those who don’t have celiac disease to follow a gluten free diet? There are various reasons people choose to follow a gluten-free diet. It’s not dangerous to follow the diet if you’re sure you don’t have celiac disease or a non-celiac gluten intolerance. But you must be eating gluten for accurate testing to take place, so if in doubt, people should definitely be tested before going on the diet.

6. What is the largest obstacle the gluten-free food industry must overcome? Foods that don’t taste good and have no nutritional value. Price is also an obstacle as is gluten contamination. If you are going to advertise something as gluten-free, it better be gluten-free! And made in a gluten-free processing facility to avoid contamination.

7. What are some of the challenges you have faced while raising a child with celiac disease and how have you tried to overcome them? It’s often hard for kids when they feel “different” and have to pass on the class cupcakes or birthday cake. By not succumbing to the “victim” attitude and by teaching kids to be responsible and knowledgeable about their food choices, it’s not that difficult. Plus, awareness is increasing and people are starting to understand the importance of honoring the diet.

8. What are the benefits of a gluten-free diet, in your opinion? It depends on who’s taking on the diet. If you have celiac disease, the benefits mean avoiding digestive distress, osteoporosis, anemia, thyroid disease and a host of other problems down the road. In the case of celiac disease (or even gluten intolerance), it’s a medically prescribed lifestyle – for life. No cheating!

9. What is the hardest part for you about choosing a gluten-free diet? It’s really not hard for me because I focus on whole foods and most of what I eat, I make myself. The hard part isn’t “choosing a gluten-free diet” for me, it’s ingesting gluten by mistake because of someone else’s error.

10. Where do you get your recipes from that you post on your site? Most of them I make up myself because I prepare my own food and I’m creative (and fearless) in the kitchen. Some of the recipes I adapt from gluten-containing ones and some I create because I was inspired by someone else’s recipe.

Pandanus

nzosimova — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:12:02 GMT

The pandanus is the way we do the roofs in French Polynesia. To keep this activity alive, few years ago, a law was passed stating that imitation plastic roofs were forbidden for the hotels and administrations building. Pandanus roofs are more expensive because we have to change them every seven years but it’s a part of the Polynesian culture that it is important to preserve. Pandanus is named after the tree which we make the roofing from. Those trees use to grow on the motu (small flat island of coral situated around the main island). For the heiva contest, a group of contestants participate in a roof-building event called the pandanus. The winner is the one that does builds the best roof tiles the fastest. Even kids will participate in this event. People from the district of Anau often have won this game. The first step of it consists in preparing the dried leaves. They have to smooth the leaves around a wood stick in order to make a ball. Great care must be taken while doing this because the leaves of the pandanus are prickly. The prickles will be cut before they will make the “tile”.

The second part of the challenge consists in making up a parcel of 20“tiles” with those leaves. To make a tile, a leaf is folded around a stick, then they need a special tool to go through the leaf in order to slide another stick that hold the leaves altogether. This tool is made of pig bone.

The winners of this year’s pandanus were Linda and David, a couple from Anau.

Shawn Inspires Us- 2000 Miles with Celiac

nzosimova — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:50:58 GMT

Shawn Forry of York, PA is an amazing…no legendary hiker, who gets all of his energy from a strict Gluten Free diet. Since 2003 he has hiked over 11,000 miles through 26 states and 6 countries. His specialty is long distance backpacking. His current adventure is the Great Divide Trail and the Pacific Northwest Trail (2,000 miles!). For all of these reasons and more, we are sponsoring Shawn through his great journey for the next few weeks. We will be keeping tabs on him and posting his progress on Twitter. Want more information on Shawn? Visit his blog is www.shawnforry.com.

The Patia fa- Javelin Comeptition

nzosimova — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:30:11 GMT

This sport consists of throwing a javelin from a distance of 25 meters to reach a coconut placed at the top of a 9 meter pole. You receive different levels of points depending on where you hit the coconut. Each participant has 7 minutes to throw 10 javelins, and is responsible for making their own. This year the winner scored 18 points.

Weaving Competition & the Floats in Bloom

MTobler — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:01:07 GMT

The women and the “mahu” practice the art of weaving. It is an art they develop at every occasion. Their finished products are used to decorate a place especially when there is a special occasion. Sometimes they will sell their weavings to the tourists but it is more a tradition they like to practice rather than a way to earn money.

The most difficult basket to make is the rectangular one that needs to create a brim. They use palm leave to weave the basket and “purau” leaves for the cover. During the heiva, their is a weaving competition and the basket and basket maker are judged. To participate in the competition, participants have to know how to make the different baskets that exist. The challenge rests on the speed and the quality of their work. The same woman has won for the past several years.

The art of weaving is always useful because as soon as there is an event, Polynesians decorate everything with them and use them to store the food.

Polynesian people also use this art for another challenge: the floats in bloom. Each district presents its float to the jury. The floats are done during the day and the presentation is at night. It is a perfect example of them knowledge of weaving.

Children's Health and Harmony Festival

MTobler — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:04:08 GMT

This Saturday Boulder, Colorado will host the Children’s Health and Harmony Festival. This festival is dedicated to an educational and interactive day where families can learn about services and classes that are available in the community. It is a celebration of family and especially children. Come join us celebrate this weekend, July 18 in central park from 10 Am- 5 PM!

The Triathlon Maohi

MTobler — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:44:56 GMT

Last Thursday, July 1st, was the triathlon maohi on Bora Bora for the Heiva festival. Jennie from the Island wrote us all about it…

This game is a relay race played by team. There is a canoe race trial, followed by a run of “fruits holder” and the final purpose is to serve a glass of coconut milk to the jury using the traditional tools. A necklace they have to give to each other to begin a new trial represents the relay.

After the canoe race, they have to run around the place, holding 20kg of fruits. It can be any fruits as taro (local vegetable), watermelon or banana, which is a better choice to adjust the weight!
Then, they have to shell the coconut with a stick of wood, open it in two parts, striking on it, grate the flesh and finally squeeze it to obtain the coconut milk.

Prizes are given to each winner of a step. It’s a nice game and we can notice they always take care to add a beautiful decoration.

July 4th

MTobler — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:12:14 GMT

We hope all of you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. Let us know how you celebrated Independence Day in the comments section below.

We celebrated at the Surf City Run in Worthy Park. Congrats to all the runners who got up at the crack of dawn and participated in this 5k run in the beautiful city of Huntington Beach. A few thousand people attended the event along with several vendors, such as Farm Fresh to You, Mother's Market, EFX and many more. For all of those who don't know what EFX is, you should definitely check them out. They sell a band you put on your wrist that prevents certain dangerous frequencies (from computers, phones, ipods, electronics, etc) from entering your body. As a result, you'll have better balance and be more alert. Interesting!

We had fun meeting everybody and passing out samples but it was really awesome to please many of the families who only eat gluten free. These families were thrilled to know they now have another option in terms of what to eat.

Join us next weekend, July 10th for Venice Eco-Fest and July 11th for Keep La Running!