Post #240902 by Eleio the fleet on Tue, Jul 4, 2006 12:50 AM

Aloha everyone!

I've been attempting to introduce my local circle of friends to tiki for some time. With no tiki establishment in my town, parties have been one of the few ways to accomplish this. A tropical drink here, a little tiki art there and a piece of tiki history, somewhere in between. So, three months ago, two of my friends ask me to throw a tiki party for them. I've been providing the time and $ for drink ingredients for some time, but now their interest has peaked enough that they now want to financially support my tiki enthusiasm with money and help to make my vision of a tiki gathering a reality. Well not a permanent reality (sadly) and not entirely my vision (their own visions were also respected and represented to some degree) in the material sense, but a reality for at least a day and a night and a far greater reality than my previous resources would allow.

As the months pass, a great project unfolds. Research, planning and work, $ is spent and endless hours pass as this project passes from imagination to reality. Finally, this past Saturday, that vision became a reality. Roughly 50-60 people (friends and family to one or all of us) walked into the tiki world we created. Was it a perfect? No, but it was pretty damn good and leagues closer than most of these people had ever experienced.-My personal thanks for the patience and friendliness of the 4 other TC'ers who attended. Did some people balk at the tiki masks, the exotic music and the tropical drinks? A couple. Did some have a little trouble in opening their minds enough so they could enjoy this glimpse into another world? A few.

However, when the dust settled, there was this: One guest became so intrigued from the invitation alone that he combed through numerous antique stores in the effort to procure his own prized tiki mug (a Trader Vics Suffering Bastard, by the way). One couple spent most of the daylight hours engorged in either The Book of Tiki or one of the various issues of Tiki Magazine that were made available (Thanks again Tiki Magazine!). One guest quizzed me throughout the night on how he could build his own tiki bar and one guest has been hounding me for information on exotica music since the party. Those are just the enthusiasts. Overall, there were numerous compliments, questions, opinions, etc. Did these people experience true tiki? Well I guess that depends on your own personal interpretation. The tiki greats certainly had their own unique perspectives and why should it be any different today? Personally, I like to think so and if not, they certainly glimpsed it. Enough so that some were spurred to begin upon their own paths towards discovering tiki.

Oh, and did I mention that my friends want to have another tiki party before the summer ends? I think they've caught the bug and it's beginning to spread.

Did I promote tiki with the party? Yesiree.

Did this promotion bear a positive result? Magic 8 Ball says: Answer unclear, but outlook hopeful. Like in the glory days of tiki, every new person introduced is a crapshoot. The next enthusiast could be the next Trader Vic or Walt Disney or could end up creating McTiki Burgers-"A totem of meat that can't be beat!" (sorry, I've written ad copy and just couldn't resist)

I know I had a hell of a time and I'm still continuing down my own path, so I'd call things a success.

Mahalo!