Post #350152 by GatorRob on Tue, Dec 18, 2007 5:53 AM

That is interesting, but not terribly surprising. Places like the Mai-Kai were all about the illusion of a South Seas paradise. Same as when you step into Adventureland at Disneyland, you have the illusion of being in a tropical jungle even though you know you're still in Anaheim. Isn't that why Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic hired lots of Filipinos in the first place? Because they had an exotic appearance to them (from a 40s-50s white American perspective)? It wouldn't surprise me that the Mai-Kai wouldn't allow blonde servers any more than Disney not allowing their cast members to show tattoos or piercings. It might destroy the illusion they are trying to create. Although, as you said, I know the Mai-Kai has had at least one blonde server that I know of.

I talked to one of the current Molokai servers once and asked her if she was from a Pacific island. I can't recall where she said she was from (darn those Jet Pilots), but it was far from the Pacific. She said she gets asked that all the time because she looks the part.

And about the quote in the article "I don't think you could build something like this today without offending someone." I am still trying to comprehend the idea that a place like the Mai-Kai or any other Polynesian themed place could be seen as offensive to some. I know that some of the tiki images are part of their culture and all. I get that. But these places are (were) about fantasy escapism, not about accurate representations of Polynesian culture. Would someone be offended at Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room? What if someone in Japan opened an American themed restaurant with servers dressed like George Washington, Ben Franklin, etc. Should we be offended? I don't mean to go off on that. It's a sensitive subject. But it's something I've had difficulty understanding. I don't see anything at the Mai-Kai (or Trader Vic's) that demeans another's culture. Instead, its aim is to romanticize it.