I wrote a blog post a bit ago about Hawaiian pidgin and the use of "blind mullet" to refer to a person who can't see what's right in front of them.
Commenter BB wrote to Bob Sigall who is a columnist for the Star Advertiser newspaper here in Hawaii and got this information on his website Rearview Mirror Insider.
"Nanako *** wrote, "A local blogger I subscribe to, Kay, mentioned Blind Mullet. As one cannot see something in plain sight. She couldn't find any reference on the internet. I've heard it too.
“Mullets are tasty, but nowhere does it mention a sight issue. Maybe in how they fished??? Can you use your journalistic super powers to find out where we got blind mullet from?"
I first heard the term “Blind Mullet” from a newspaper story about the underground steams of Moiliili.
Mike Markrich wrote, in his “From the sea” column, “The corner of University Avenue and King Street may not seem like the kind of place where someone could catch a lot of fish. But when the floor of the Moiliili Department Store dropped into a huge underground cavern in 1952, people came from all over the island to see and catch the blind mullet and black carp that lived below the ground.”
Tom *** was quoted as saying the fish in the cave were ''fine sea mullet, although the water was icy cold and fresh. And as they took no notice of our lights, we surmised that they were blind."
Sonny *** remembers seeing such mullet when his company was laying pipes below King Street. He said he knew the mullet were blind because "the eyes were completely white."
“Bishop Museum cave biologist Frank Howarth said such caverns sometimes provide safe habitats for fish. The fish do not need eyesight underground to escape predators and as a result are able to live and reproduce. Howarth said blind fish have other senses that became developed.
This photo came from the 2006 Star Bulletin archives.
“Fish collector Glenn *** observed that all of the blind or nearly blind mosquito fish that he caught from the King Street site were able to instinctively avoid any obstacles that he put in his tank. There are said to be other kinds of marine life living below ground as well, such as blind shrimp, catfish and black carp.”
So gee... There really ARE blind mullets!!!
Thank you, BB! Now, I'll have to think of some other weird pidgin stuff we say but don't know why or where it came from.
Kay, that's cool how your name was mentioned in the local advertiser--but I almost snorted out my coffee when I read about the floor collapsing in that Hawaiian department store... and people coming for the fish!
ReplyDeleteI assumed the term blind mullet referred to the 70's mullet haircut. Because the wearer of the haircut can't see the back of their head, they are blind to how it looks though to others, it is right there in front of them.
ReplyDeleteBlind fish - who would have thought that possible.
ReplyDeleteThanks Iz's mom!
ReplyDeleteI've asked several people if they had heard that expression "blind mullet"... and none had. Nice to know where it came from and very interesting to know that a department store floor collapsed into an underground cavern! Wow!
ReplyDeleteHey, you made the news. Cool and the mystery is solved. I knew fish in caves were blind but didn't know mullet lived in them. That was something about the dept store collapse. Hope no one was hurt. In Florida mullet is a bait fish but are also eaten smoked and they cam see. There usually is a "rest of the story" if we dig deep.
ReplyDeleteI always want to know the origins of expressions so I would have pursued it also. Blind mullets exist and it makes sense to me why.
ReplyDeleteWhat a collaboration of research! This information is wild! I'm so surprised that there are caves with water underneath areas of town. Those areas seem like a place a parent would tell their kids to never go to in case of stones dropping and further collapse. Kansas City metro has areas with underwater springs that cause basements to flood and require the use of sump pumps to keep it out. Those areas aren't big enough to permit a person in to them. They're just cracks in the rock. I'd love to hang out with the correct neighborhood kid to go into the caves! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI get the BEST information from commenters. This is so much fun! I talked to some friends and they said they’d heard some of this too. I had NO idea. I’m curious about these caves but my Kauai cousin showed me an article that said there are blind spiders down there too. OK… I’m taking a pass. She did also tell me that they used the ‘blind mullet’ phrase on Kauai.
DeleteHow wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAnd did they replace the floor?
I’m absolutely sure they did, but wow! This is the first time I’d heard of this happening.
DeleteI thought it was a myth, but apparently not. And yes, I well remember Paul Harvey saying that on his radio show. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'll still always think of a mullet as a really bad haircut.
ReplyDeleteI remember Paul Harvey's standard story ending. I also met one of his writers who gave one of the most interesting talks I have ever heard.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think of it, Gollum caught blind fish in his cavern lake.
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting and a piece of history that is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I knew about University and King, and the department store but I didn't have these wonderful specifics and facts! Thank you so much. It was said by the fishermen in the moilili of old not to talk about where they were going to fish tomorrow, because the fish beneath their feet would hear and go to see and tell their brothers where not to be!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kay!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool about the fishermen. And you KNEW about all this. Wow! It's amazing what we can learn from each other.
DeleteI've heard of blind fish in caves but not beneath you feet in a city, or a store, and then to have it collapse! Quite a story.
ReplyDeleteCool that your blog contributed to the cycle of information.
Interesting to learn where expressions come from...
ReplyDeleteWhen anyone mentions the word mullet, I usually think of hair!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post.
All the best Jan
Unless they're rich white and male, every Republican is a Blind mullet
ReplyDelete