Post #200526 by Geeky Tiki on Mon, Nov 28, 2005 10:51 PM

You guys make some great points.

The images you create are vivid and made me stop and think about Tiki.

One of my favorite things about Tiki is that in Tiki bars or restaurants, I can chat with my companions. Those new loud places prevent that - I had never been smart enough to figure out the churn and burn part, but what an eye opener!

To wax snobbish for a minute, I always thought the engineered noise and pandemonium was purely to distract people in a way the does not encourage interraction - like those places make it so everyone is in the place together, but they're actually kind of all alone, too. The noise isolates the diners. Could it be that some people consider the noise a good thing in that way? It allows them to feel part of an event or something but not "on the spot" to be present in any more personal way?

The "happiness" in those places frequently seems forced, or anxious, with people seeming to need to be told to be happy. More like a nervous happiness (like your nervous aunt who's always trying to make sure everyone is "happy" at events.)

I don't mind the hats and elbows, either - we have our own "uniforms" we wear at Tki functions, so I figure I better not yell about hats when I am often completely happy sitting between two mates wearing straw Chi Chi hats.

So, thanks for all the thought provocation.