Putting yourself in another person’s shoes is the cornerstone of hospitality. I’ve found one of the most effective ways to do so is being able to communicate to someone in their native tongue. Like many others who grew up in Hawaii, I’ve grown familiar with verbiage from a multitude of languages, and I often find myself sprinkling in phrases from Japanese, French and Hawaiian every day. At family gatherings, I’ll sometimes switch to Hawaiian Pidgin English.
Behind the bar, it was impressive to listen to people who claimed not to speak Japanese, order their “Uni Nigiri” or “Hibiki” whisky with perfect confidence and clarity, a skill owed simply to their love of Japanese restaurants.
Last week, Robert Francis Prevost was elected the new pontiff, and the grief over Pope Francis’ death was paused just long enough for renewed hope to shine through in the form of cheers from the congregation at St. Peter’s Basilica, as Pope Leo XIV gave his first address in Italian, Spanish and the
traditional Latin.
This reminded me that, at the end of the day, we all need a father figure we can look up to, who will accept us and who we can trust to speak our language, or at the very least, do their best to learn it.
Let’s raise a glass to Papa Francesco! May he rest in peace, and may we all strive to follow in his footsteps, and walk in each other’s shoes.
Saluti & Salud!
Ingredients
• 1 ounce Kō Hana Koho Hawaiian Agricole Rum (Hawaiian)
• 0.5 ounce Planteray Cut and Dry Coconut Rum (French Caribbean)
• 0.25 ounce Kota Pandan Liqueur (French & Southeast Asian)
• 0.75 ounce Campari Aperitivo (Italian)
• 0.75 ounce Martini & Rossi Vermouth Reserva Speciale Rubino (Italian)
Directions: Stir all ingredients over ice and strain over large format ice cube into Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a cut Palm leaf.
