Miriam Keo was among 11,000 people displaced by devastating wildfires on Hawaii last August:
"My outlook changed during the pandemic, but the fire was the last straw for me … I don’t want to serve tourists any more. This isn’t what our ancestors would want,” said Keo, 40, who recently resigned from the hotel after 16 years to work at a composting company. “I want to be a better steward for my people and Āina. I want to show my kids that there’s an alternative to the corporate tourism we’ve been under for so long, and food is a big part of that.”
' ...thousands of people are still stuck in hotels, eating the same set menu week after week with no comforting Hawaiian dishes like poi (starchy porridge) or luʻau (baked or steamed meat and fish wrapped in taro leaves) or even popular local dishes that reflect Maui’s cultural diversity such as pork and watercress soup. The strict rules forbidding food preparation and not being able to share a meal with loved ones have taken a physical and emotional toll.'
