They told me it was bland. They were right. They told me it was grainy. They were right. And yet, I still enjoyed having a bit of poi at a friend’s luau. What do you think about poi, the food?
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I like trying different things. This is going on my list of things to try someday 
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It’s supposed to be an acquired taste.
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In Hawaii, poi is meant to be paired with something saltier or more flavorful to offset the blandness. Examples include kahlua pig, lau lau (pork and fish wrapped in ti leaves) or lomi lomi salmon. Some locals put sugar or milk or both in their poi.
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Living in Waikiki, one of the first foods we investigated was poi.
Buying it in bags at either Foodland or Don Quijote, we’ve found that if you let it sit on the counter in a calabash (a covered container) it will turn ‘sour’ and have more of a tang. It makes a great additive to shoyu (soy sauce) for a salad dressing.
We also took a class on poi making from local expert Daniel Anthony. The biggest treat was the sweet pai’ai stage of eating kalo (taro) before it is pounded much.
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I’m on the mainland, sushi restaurants don’t offer poi. Where would I find it?