it is a type of soup made from the korm of the kalo plant (taro) "Poi" can also refer to one or two ball-like objects swung on "leashes" of some kind. For example, the poi used in traditional Maori...
for French people there is nothing 'French' in plaits. That hairstyle is not specially popular and is just called plaits tranlated in French as 'une tresse / des tresses'