Here's a look at the TV commercial:
And here's me about to take my first mouthful of taro pie:
Yum! The taro has a really mellow flavor, kind of like eating a potato. (Which makes sense, because taro is a root vegetable, just like potatoes.) The commercial showed the taro looking purple, but it had a much more pinkish hue in our pies. 
Taro is also used to make poi, which is popular here. I guess it's supposed to be healthy, but as with many healthy foods it doesn't taste all that great. It's purple and sort of a runny paste. Imagine Cream of Wheat being really watery and purple with a bland but slightly bitter taste, and you've got poi. I tried poi at our last luau and I don't think I'll be wasting plate space on it again (why would I, when I can have all the kalua pork and haupia I want?) but the taro pies were definitely tasty. And how can you beat a fried, sugar-and-taro filled creation for just $1?
"Mochi" -- defined as white rice smashed into a paste and sweetened -- is pretty popular here. I selected the chocolate-coated coffee flavor.
I had no idea what to expect, this being my first actual encounter with mochi, but a bunch of individually-wrapped thin candies about the size of Oreos was not what I had in mind. The mochi "rice cake" was hardly a cake -- it was more like a really thick, gelatinous, chewy marshmallow. And the coffee flavoring was a tan paste in the center of the whole thing.
At first my tastebuds were confused by this completely new set of flavors, but after a few bites it really grew on me. I'm not sure I would choose these over another sweet snack, but they were certainly interesting while they lasted.
Heliconia
