Post #198034 by Basement Kahuna on Mon, Nov 14, 2005 3:28 PM

Those are the wellsprings... And everything from the most traditional tikis to the ones that are the most far fetched from the golden age like the Kahiki greeter, the Tiki Gardens Lono and the Beachcomber "Blockhead" still drew from those wellsprings and had a very discernable feel and flavor and, most importantly GREAT diversity and a style all their own. There was no cookie cutter element. But one would have to admit there is a cookie cutter element or little polynesian pop or South Seas at all in not all -but a lot of stuff nowadays, or at least not easily discernable. And I'm speaking of the whole Tiki world at large as James said. And all I'm saying is I think that stems from a mere lack of knowledge of tiki-past. An evolutionary cutoff, if you will. A small amount of "current" has become the "past, present, and future". When you walk into a tiki bar, don't you want to feel like you're walking into a (tiki) bar? I couldn't imaging anyone walking into the Mai Kai for the first time and not being completely awestruck and inspired, to say the least.