Tonga A-Z Visitors Guide - Small Guide to a tropical paradise
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 Tonga A-Z - The Tonga Visitors Guide

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Obesity

When it comes to obesity, how fat is a piece of string? In Western countries we seem obsessed with concern for being overweight and believe that obesity will lead to nasty things like heart attacks, diabetes and thigh rash but ‘big’ is considered beautiful in Tonga. And women from about the age of 15 work hard at becoming more ‘beautiful’. The late King (Tupou IV) made the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s heaviest monarch - over 200kg! He was 88 years old when he died in 2006. So, here’s the paradox - with all that extra weight being carried around, Tonga has a much lower death rate than Australia and New Zealand. Perhaps the secret is in the title of that Bobby McFerrin song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.
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Office Hours

Normal office hours are from 8:00am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 5;00pm weekdays and 8:00am to midday Saturdays. Government offices open 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Banks, weekdays from 9:00am to 3:30pm and the post office from 8:30am to 4:00pm. The only things open on Sunday are church doors and hymn books.
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Ota

Ota is raw fish marinated in limed juice and coconut cream. Variations around the Pacific abound - Tahitian Fish Salad, Kokoda (Fiji), Oka (Samoa) etc. To me this dish says ‘Pacific’ and it is so easy to make at home… It takes about ten minutes to knock up. It’s raw fish, marinated in lime juice, with coconut cream and is served cold. Fresh tuna is probably the best choice of fish, but it works just fine with other fresh fish. For an entrée for 4 people, get:

  • 400g fresh fish
  • ½ cup lime or lemon juice (kiwi fruit can be used for a quick-time marinade)
  • ¼ cup thick coconut cream
  • ¼ cup red onion
  • handful chopped coriander
  • finely sliced spring onion or two
  • a green or red chilli (no seeds, no pith and finely chopped)
  • salt and ground black pepper

Cut the fish into small chunks or thin strips and mix through the lime juice. Leave it for at least an hour - up to 4 - in the fridge - the finer the slice, the quicker it will ‘cook’ in the citrus juice. Combine the remaining ingredients, drain the fish and toss through the coconut mixture. Serve at once with salt and pepper to taste. A crispy bed of lettuce makes a nice presentation and a cool crunchy taste. For a different taste replace the coconut milk with soy sauce.

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Outrigger Canoes

Outriggers give a tropical flavour to a country and are seen on the lagoons with locals casting nets or travelling about. Because of their design, they’re not as easy to manoeuvre as they look. The trick is in the oar motion - rather than paddling ‘straight’, pull the oar through the water in a ‘J’ curve.
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