Post #196296 by Humuhumu on Thu, Nov 3, 2005 11:21 AM

Keep in mind that to this poor bartender, tiki = work. He's probably not experienced tiki outside of the toil of his workday, and the sight of bamboo makes him think of all the damned pineapple slices he's always having to balance on the rims of too-sweet drinks he'd never want to drink himself. When he walks into The Islands restaurant, he doesn't get that "aaaaaahh" feeling the rest of us get to experience when we walk into such a lovely space -- he probably tenses up a bit, and thinks "here we go again!" I love The Islands (despite the abysmal drinks), but I sure as hell wouldn't want to work there -- Trader Vic's, it ain't. He's gotten all the minuses of tiki, and none of the pluses -- who can blame him for not wanting to hang out in a tiki bar when he's not working? It's a shame, he definitely doesn't know what he's missing, but I can understand his position.