Post #213154 by mbonga on Tue, Feb 7, 2006 9:47 AM

I remember in the mid-1980s the Orange County Register (newspaper) had an article about how guys in nightclubs who order drinks with umbrellas are making a mistake since the ladies there might think such guys are too feminine--"sissies," as your friends bluntly put it. Seems to be a common cultural perception in this American macho culture. I guess the same thing could be said about flowery shirts, too, which is maybe why your friends also didn't wear those. In that recent tiki-surfing thread I posted a comment about atmospheres that is applicable here: If folks aren't tuned into that tiki / South Pacific atmosphere, they aren't going to appreciate it or relate to it. You can always hope that you planted a seed of interest that will, grow, however.

Sorry to hear about your experience about the clash of cultures. Think how many other people have experienced the same thing in different ways, though: housewives who cooked special foods that guests didn't appreciate, women who got special hairdos or dresses that their husbands didn't appreciate, and so on. Unappreciation happens.