Post #234283 by Sabina on Sat, May 27, 2006 10:18 AM

Maybe as happens so frequently online, tone of voice in some of the earlier posts got lost. KuKu made it pretty clear in his original post that he wasn't snarping at anyone, he just took a different point of view. Maybe this is a misunderstanding, is all I'm saying. It's worth going back and re-reading, if only to check and see if it sounds the same after some time has gone by.

Now, that said-

Caerthe, pause for just a second here. KuKu is in Ohio (which within recent memory lost the Kahiki) Ohio ain't exactly teeming with Tiki- trust me (although the tropical bistro has taken up the great task of carrying what it can of Kahiki's torch), Ohio's relatively bare, I know, I'm from thereabouts. I'm sitting in Maryland- a state that seems to think brick is a far better building material than bamboo- more's the pity. I just found out last night that we've just seen the beginnings of the 'remodeling' of our legendary Vera's White Sands (the Solomon's Island Tiki Bar is Bosko-ed OUT! But that that's another spankin' new thing!) If anyone knows the anguish of being in a Tiki dry spell, it's folks like us- all three of us, that is. And trust me, I understand the anguish. It can be lonely, and unsatisfying.

I know that it can be incredibly upsetting to see temples closing going by in posts on TC. Sam's closing is breaking my heart, which I thought was already broken due to the Royal Hawaiian closing. But these are not the first to go, and I'm sad to say, won't be the last. In Chicago alone, places as memorable as the Trader Vics in the Palmer House and as only seen and appreciated by a few like Rock-A-Tiki have disappeared on my watch- gone on, past on beyond the horizon, we'll sail there no more. If I were to sit and try to list all the Temples that have fallen on my watch, I'd be cryin' in my Suffering Bastard.

BUT, many of the places on that sad list have not closed due to being unknown, or uncrowded. Our own beloved Honolulu in Virginia closed its doors as part of a highway project. Each place has it's own reasons, and perhaps it's own lifespan. So many Tiki Temples are tied to individuals, or families and as the families go through changes so do our Beloved Tiki places.

As for 'promotion' I've already said pretty clearly where I stand, but I will add one last little bit. I'm part of a number of different 'alternative' communities, and our distinctives- jewelry, symbols, clothing, etc. etc. are not about advertising our presence to people who aren't hip to whatever it is I'm showing some connection to, instead it's about recognizing one another. Being on the metro (around DC) and seeing someone wearing the 'tribal markings' of whatever tribe I happen to be a part of can be a means by which to recognize one another and stumble across someone I happen to have something in common with. Whether we talk or not, it can be good to know you're 'not the only one'. Odds are, if you're looking to connect with other PRE-EXISTING Tiki folks, something as simple as wearing a Tiki necklace will have friends and strangers alike showing up from time to time saying "HEY- that's a Tiki isn't it? Excellent!"

Finally, any notion of Tiki rank? (Sabina threatens to snort Mai Tai out her nose!) "Tiki Rank" is akin to a Mai Tai made with pineapple juice and grenadine- it ain't no Mai Tai!

[ Edited by: Sabina 2006-05-27 10:20 ]