Post #28806 by Traitor Vic on Mon, Mar 31, 2003 11:29 PM

Well, believe it or not, I grew up in (and still live in) the same town as Chacha. The weird little Polynesian Restaurant at the hotel is a vivid memory for me as well. So is a later Chinese one with two giant Maoi statues carved from pumice out front. Man, were they cool!

My family used to vacation on a island off of South Carolina that was one of the early ones to be completely developed as a resort community. The Clubhouse there had a Polynesian Themed Restaurant and Bar and the entire island was covered with signs bearing the image of an outrigger.

My dad was in sales and, so, spent a fair amount of time out of town. Upon his return he would always let me have the swizzle sticks he had picked up along the way. My favorites were invariably the ones with the Tikis, the Hula Girls or the Bunny Heads on top. He finally brought me my own mug from Harvey's (long gone now) when I was about 9.

Back then, of course, Children were not invited to Grown Up parties. I remember having a babysitter to watch my sister and I when my parents were just downstairs workin' the bar and hootin' it up with the neighbors. The music was always Exotica/Lounge with some Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdink mixed in, until later in the evening when Junior Walker and the All-Stars took over. The next day I'd get up to watch my cartoons and find the remains of the night before strewn around the den. The odd shaped glasses, the mounds of ash in the trays, lampshades a-kilter, the discarded poloroid film leftovers with the negative images of women in mini-dresses sitting on men's laps with drinks in their hands... I found all of it mysterious and fascinating.

Going to a restaurant with my family and eating from a flaming pu-pu platter while my mom and dad drank out of scary lookin' heads was HEAVEN!

After that, of course, came Punk Rock, the Rockabilly Revival, the ReSearch books, Betty Page... Hell, the list is miles long by now.

I guess I'm into because I was born to be.

[ Edited by: Traitor Vic on 2003-03-31 23:31 ]