The first person to bite into an uncooked fish was very brave and did a great service to humankind. There is nothing better to eat than a raw fish salad. Oka I’a. Kokoda. Ota Ika. Ika Mata. You find raw fish salad in all forms at Pasifika, the biggest Pacific Island festival of its kind in the world.
On the festival’s 25th anniversary, photographer Kina Sai headed to Western Springs in Auckland to check things out. Her brief was to document and eat the food. It was a tough brief, considering the combination of sticky fingers and expensive equipment.
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The most popular dish on a late summer’s day was ice-cream eaten out of watermelon bowls. “I say yes to foodstuffs where the food is the container,” says Kina. “Forget about recycling, composting is where it’s at. There was something similar going on with pineapple bottoms.
“The highlight was the people who asked if I wanted to try their food. Angels. In this day and age to trust another person as far as saliva is pretty rare. I salute you food offerers.”
Here are some photos from the festival.
Follow Kina on Instagram.
