Greetings! (re-discoverer of Tiki) ex-New England now in SoCal - General Tiki

K Kukoae Member The Valley Joined: Apr 26, 2005 Posts: 37	K Kukoae Posted posted on Tue, Apr 26, 2005 6:48 PM Aloha! Wow, what a fantastic journey of redisovery this has been for me of late. [This has turned out to be a lengthy post, and may not be at all of interest to you unless perhaps you grew up during the 70s and 80s in New England and/or have a remote interest in the "real" South Pacific/Hawai'i.] It all started almost 30 years ago, when as a young boy growing up in Connecticut, I used to really enjoy the rare treat of heading to a "Polynesian/Chinese" restaurant on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford CT called "The South Seas". It was very dark inside, with a jet black ceiling, and various "mock" petroglyph carvings, fake palm trees, and (probably real) bamboo everywhere, along with a working waterfall towards the back. The waiters wore red + black "Mao" style outfits. It served mainly "Polynesian" food with passingly Sino-American influences. I'm sure my modern tastebuds would find the cuisine forgettable, but as a boy - I keenly anticipated the Pu-pu platter with its flaming little iron hibachi holding court at the centre of a large wooden bowl with many compartments of tasty goodies: the teriyaki beef skewers, the (overbreaded) fried shrimp, the grilled chicken wings (marinated in a 5-spice/soy concoction), the egg rolls (the huge old "retro" kind with red pork/shredded cabbage), and the sliced slabs of roast pork (with the red colour on the outside). The whole experience was like a holiday to an imagined world of Hawai'i/South Pacific, and it was always a semi-magical occasion for my sister and me. I was very fortunate to go on a trip to Florida when I was 10, and we made a day trip to Disneyworld. I loved it of course, but I remember feeling really sad we couldn't afford to stay at the Polynesian Pavilion because I remember thinking it was so cool. That Tiki hotel/complex was as memorable to me as Space Mountain was. (EPCOT wasn't open yet.) Alas, like all things, The South Seas restaurant didn't last. I'd last been there in the summer of 1984, when I'd taken a former computer camp student to lunch there to show him some of my former favourite spots from my own youth. My mother had taken a picture of us, but alas, it was outside in the parking lot rather than indoors (pity that). I think the restaurant closed within a couple of years of that - and like all things, we don't realise those little things that matter to us until they're gone. It was replaced by one of the advancing vanguards of "New Chinese" restaurants featuring much more authentic food and higher quality dishes like Peking Duck, etc. The decor of course was completely gutted and made into a rather sterile "bright salmon" colour schemed "boutique" restaurant, which oddly dates more poorly than the old Tiki stuff seems to. When I went back to CT to visit my mother, I'd still go to that place (it DID have much better food than the old South Seas), but the magic of the experience was completely gone. It seems that the Tiki style of Polynesian/Chinese restaurants held on until about the late 1980s in New England, when they were pretty much swept away by the "Nouveau Chinese" places, which did offer better food, at the price of generally forgettable decor, despite their pretensions. Boston still has some old hold-outs, I think, like the Kowloon, etc. But I was saddened to see the loss of Kon-Tiki Ports in the Boston Sheraton (at the Prudential Center). Time passes, and I "forget" about Tiki and how much I enjoyed retreating to its calm dark spaces. I travel the world, live in Australia for about 7 years, spend some time on Hawai'i (Oahu for a week, and Hawai'i itself for about 3 weeks), New Zealand (undermentioned by Tiki/Polynesian lovers: think "Hawai'i meets Ireland" - with some really bad-ass "natives"), and Vanuatu (for about one week). Hawai'i and New Zealand are great - but I found Vanuatu a bit sweet + sour. It was very "retro" in that the island uses diesel generators for electricity, and they are switched off at about 10:30PM. It's truly a wonderful experience to be without the constant light pollution of the modern world. At the little "resort" (just a collection of cabins, an open-air "cabana" restaurant with wooden picnic-tables right on the beach halfway into the water), they set out lanterns on the dinner tables and each guest is meant to take one back to their room with them. The (unpaved) paths leading around the resort are lined with oil lanterns to help you find your way. It's rather nice. The "sour"? Wickedly resistant malaria mosquitoes - the "medical" community in Vanuatu is careless with their drugs, and as a result the malaria there needs the latest and nastiest anti-malarial drugs available. I had to take Larium for two weeks prior to my visit, and: It wasn't on the Australian subsidy list, so it cost a fortune $15-20/tablet - fortunately, you didn't need many, but it only came in packs of 4. (Four weeks' worth). It had wicked side effects - my skin felt hyper-sensitive and tingly all over. Other sours: it is a very poor place - I took some "native" transportation around to see the "real Vanuatu" - and it was basically a shanty/squalid place. I wasn't expecting "middle class suburbia" - but I was hoping to find some thing to partake of from their native culture. It was pretty much gone. I did go to a traditional feast (which served real kava!) and had a rollicking good time with a bunch of other ANZUS-expats (two Brits, a Kiwi, and an Aussie). Kava is not going to be challenging the Mai Tai anytime soon - it's a rather bitter and "numbing" drink. Aside from experiencing for yourself at least once, I'd say it's forgettable. Hawai'i has the "real deal" both the Polynesia as imagined by Tiki-lovers, and the real vestiges of what remains of Polynesian culture. I found it alot better on Hawai'i (The Big Island) than Oahu of course, the latter being closer to the "reimagined" Hawai'i as defined by the Tiki-Polynesian experience of the 1950s. You can get the elaborate/dramatic luau experience which will be mostly the way you'd imagine it, but you can also find the "real" luaus that neighborhood communities put on for themselves (usually connected with "The Rotary Club" and other such "civic groups") in smaller settlements. These spring up without much notice or warning. The friendliness and warmth of people at these "neighborhood" luaus must be experienced to be believed. The food is generally good - kalua pork and a pit-BBQ chicken are ubiquitous as is "poi" (usually day-old). I remember stumbling across one small luau in progress after a few hours of driving to the western edge of Oahu, and the smell of pit-BBQ chicken made me insane with hunger. The people at the luau refused to accept any money and just dished me out all of the chicken I could eat. If I didn't have such a long drive to get back to my accomodations, I'd have stayed and drunk the night away with them. They were truly hospitable and friendly people. Soo.... it's now 2004. I'm living in Southern California, I "discover" the joys of going to the cinema at the Arclight (why did it take me so long?!), and of course, browsing their wonderful gift/book-shoppe. I spy a copy of Sven's Tiki Style book, and suddenly all of my "mummified memories" arise from the dust and I REMEMBER all of the delight and magic of Tiki and just how much I miss being able to find spaces like that to retreat to when the world is just too gray and stressful. It's funny, because I had a sort of "triple-whammy" of Mid-Century reawakening that evening. I took in a film at the Cinedome [the huge theatre built for Cinerama format presentations which is a geodesic dome], browsed through Sven's book, and ended up later at the nearby Amoeba Records and somehow (subconscious mind working overtime?) ended up in the "Lounge" LPs section and saw the beautiful Martin Denny albums for sale. I found a 2-CD re-issue Quiet Village/Enchanted Sea and during my brief drive home (I live near Burbank), it was like being transported back in time. I've since been to Palm Springs [not realising it was such a preserve of Modernism before I'd gone, truly!], and again stood in complete dismay at just how really amazing this period of American culture really was (I'm speaking about Modernist architecture and the surrounding styles which sprouted from it - the works of Eames, et al). Anyway, this is long and rambling, but I thought maybe the excitement I felt at re-discovering the awesome majesty of Tiki would resonate with some of you. Aloha Oe, =Kukoae= PS: I live a stone's throw from the "Tonga Hut" which I understand is pretty run-down and not really a Tiki bar, which I've yet to try. I hear great things about Tiki-Ti of course, and some good things about Lucky Tiki. Is the Purple Orchid worth the hike to Chevronville (El Segundo)? Are there any other "must-visits" for a Tiki lover near Hollywood/Burbank?

Aloha!

Wow, what a fantastic journey of redisovery this has been for me of late. [This has turned out to be a lengthy post, and may not be at all of interest to you unless perhaps you grew up during the 70s and 80s in New England and/or have a remote interest in the "real" South Pacific/Hawai'i.]

It all started almost 30 years ago, when as a young boy growing up in Connecticut, I used to really enjoy the rare treat of heading to a "Polynesian/Chinese" restaurant on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford CT called "The South Seas".

It was very dark inside, with a jet black ceiling, and various "mock" petroglyph carvings, fake palm trees, and (probably real) bamboo everywhere, along with a working waterfall towards the back. The waiters wore red + black "Mao" style outfits. It served mainly "Polynesian" food with passingly Sino-American influences.

I'm sure my modern tastebuds would find the cuisine forgettable, but as a boy - I keenly anticipated the Pu-pu platter with its flaming little iron hibachi holding court at the centre of a large wooden bowl with many compartments of tasty goodies: the teriyaki beef skewers, the (overbreaded) fried shrimp, the grilled chicken wings (marinated in a 5-spice/soy concoction), the egg rolls (the huge old "retro" kind with red pork/shredded cabbage), and the sliced slabs of roast pork (with the red colour on the outside).

The whole experience was like a holiday to an imagined world of Hawai'i/South Pacific, and it was always a semi-magical occasion for my sister and me. I was very fortunate to go on a trip to Florida when I was 10, and we made a day trip to Disneyworld. I loved it of course, but I remember feeling really sad we couldn't afford to stay at the Polynesian Pavilion because I remember thinking it was so cool. That Tiki hotel/complex was as memorable to me as Space Mountain was. (EPCOT wasn't open yet.)

Alas, like all things, The South Seas restaurant didn't last. I'd last been there in the summer of 1984, when I'd taken a former computer camp student to lunch there to show him some of my former favourite spots from my own youth. My mother had taken a picture of us, but alas, it was outside in the parking lot rather than indoors (pity that). I think the restaurant closed within a couple of years of that - and like all things, we don't realise those little things that matter to us until they're gone.

It was replaced by one of the advancing vanguards of "New Chinese" restaurants featuring much more authentic food and higher quality dishes like Peking Duck, etc. The decor of course was completely gutted and made into a rather sterile "bright salmon" colour schemed "boutique" restaurant, which oddly dates more poorly than the old Tiki stuff seems to.

When I went back to CT to visit my mother, I'd still go to that place (it DID have much better food than the old South Seas), but the magic of the experience was completely gone.

It seems that the Tiki style of Polynesian/Chinese restaurants held on until about the late 1980s in New England, when they were pretty much swept away by the "Nouveau Chinese" places, which did offer better food, at the price of generally forgettable decor, despite their pretensions. Boston still has some old hold-outs, I think, like the Kowloon, etc. But I was saddened to see the loss of Kon-Tiki Ports in the Boston Sheraton (at the Prudential Center).

Time passes, and I "forget" about Tiki and how much I enjoyed retreating to its calm dark spaces.

I travel the world, live in Australia for about 7 years, spend some time on Hawai'i (Oahu for a week, and Hawai'i itself for about 3 weeks), New Zealand (undermentioned by Tiki/Polynesian lovers: think "Hawai'i meets Ireland" - with some really bad-ass "natives"), and Vanuatu (for about one week).

Hawai'i and New Zealand are great - but I found Vanuatu a bit sweet + sour. It was very "retro" in that the island uses diesel generators for electricity, and they are switched off at about 10:30PM. It's truly a wonderful experience to be without the constant light pollution of the modern world.

At the little "resort" (just a collection of cabins, an open-air "cabana" restaurant with wooden picnic-tables right on the beach halfway into the water), they set out lanterns on the dinner tables and each guest is meant to take one back to their room with them. The (unpaved) paths leading around the resort are lined with oil lanterns to help you find your way.

It's rather nice. The "sour"? Wickedly resistant malaria mosquitoes - the "medical" community in Vanuatu is careless with their drugs, and as a result the malaria there needs the latest and nastiest anti-malarial drugs available. I had to take Larium for two weeks prior to my visit, and:

It wasn't on the Australian subsidy list, so it cost a fortune $15-20/tablet - fortunately, you didn't need many, but it only came in packs of 4. (Four weeks' worth).
It had wicked side effects - my skin felt hyper-sensitive and tingly all over.

Other sours: it is a very poor place - I took some "native" transportation around to see the "real Vanuatu" - and it was basically a shanty/squalid place. I wasn't expecting "middle class suburbia" - but I was hoping to find some thing to partake of from their native culture. It was pretty much gone.

I did go to a traditional feast (which served real kava!) and had a rollicking good time with a bunch of other ANZUS-expats (two Brits, a Kiwi, and an Aussie). Kava is not going to be challenging the Mai Tai anytime soon - it's a rather bitter and "numbing" drink. Aside from experiencing for yourself at least once, I'd say it's forgettable.

Hawai'i has the "real deal" both the Polynesia as imagined by Tiki-lovers, and the real vestiges of what remains of Polynesian culture. I found it alot better on Hawai'i (The Big Island) than Oahu of course, the latter being closer to the "reimagined" Hawai'i as defined by the Tiki-Polynesian experience of the 1950s.

You can get the elaborate/dramatic luau experience which will be mostly the way you'd imagine it, but you can also find the "real" luaus that neighborhood communities put on for themselves (usually connected with "The Rotary Club" and other such "civic groups") in smaller settlements. These spring up without much notice or warning.

The friendliness and warmth of people at these "neighborhood" luaus must be experienced to be believed. The food is generally good - kalua pork and a pit-BBQ chicken are ubiquitous as is "poi" (usually day-old).

I remember stumbling across one small luau in progress after a few hours of driving to the western edge of Oahu, and the smell of pit-BBQ chicken made me insane with hunger. The people at the luau refused to accept any money and just dished me out all of the chicken I could eat. If I didn't have such a long drive to get back to my accomodations, I'd have stayed and drunk the night away with them. They were truly hospitable and friendly people.

Soo.... it's now 2004. I'm living in Southern California, I "discover" the joys of going to the cinema at the Arclight (why did it take me so long?!), and of course, browsing their wonderful gift/book-shoppe.

I spy a copy of Sven's Tiki Style book, and suddenly all of my "mummified memories" arise from the dust and I REMEMBER all of the delight and magic of Tiki and just how much I miss being able to find spaces like that to retreat to when the world is just too gray and stressful.

It's funny, because I had a sort of "triple-whammy" of Mid-Century reawakening that evening. I took in a film at the Cinedome [the huge theatre built for Cinerama format presentations which is a geodesic dome], browsed through Sven's book, and ended up later at the nearby Amoeba Records and somehow (subconscious mind working overtime?) ended up in the "Lounge" LPs section and saw the beautiful Martin Denny albums for sale. I found a 2-CD re-issue Quiet Village/Enchanted Sea and during my brief drive home (I live near Burbank), it was like being transported back in time.

I've since been to Palm Springs [not realising it was such a preserve of Modernism before I'd gone, truly!], and again stood in complete dismay at just how really amazing this period of American culture really was (I'm speaking about Modernist architecture and the surrounding styles which sprouted from it - the works of Eames, et al).

Anyway, this is long and rambling, but I thought maybe the excitement I felt at re-discovering the awesome majesty of Tiki would resonate with some of you.

Aloha Oe,
=Kukoae=

PS: I live a stone's throw from the "Tonga Hut" which I understand is pretty run-down and not really a Tiki bar, which I've yet to try. I hear great things about Tiki-Ti of course, and some good things about Lucky Tiki. Is the Purple Orchid worth the hike to Chevronville (El Segundo)?

Are there any other "must-visits" for a Tiki lover near Hollywood/Burbank?

Post #155086 by Kukoae on Tue, Apr 26, 2005 6:48 PM