Post #355456 by bigbrotiki on Wed, Jan 16, 2008 10:25 PM

Jesus...we finally are getting to a point of calm, civilized discussion of the more sensitive points of Tiki-correctness, and in barges BK with a Fijian war club ! See how lucky you are you had to deal with ME first hand? :lol:

To address the question of WHY Tikis were painted over:

With the public's change in tastes bringing on the downfall of Tiki culture in the beginning of the 70s, and its wholesale abandonment in the 80s, proprietors of the remaining Tiki temples were wringing their hands trying to think of how to "brighten up" the look of their establishments to keep their clientele. The variety of beachcomber lamps was suddenly perceived as "dust catchers", and the dark primitive idols were singled out as "downers". So in order to make those graven idols look more "gay" and happy, on went the bright paint.

This psychology was mirrored in the re-naming of apartment complexes. In order to be "more inviting", places like the Tiki Tabu (see TIKI MODERN page ) were renamed into the "Tiki Aloha", and the "Nu Moku Aloha" in Anaheim became the "El Casa Grande" (or sumpthin' like that).

Plus, while in Europe age and patina often stand for tradition and the enduring quality of an eating establishment, in the New World they are taken as signs for being outdated and out of fashion. The obsessive need to renovate every couple of years often lead to not only a new paint job for the walls, but for whatever was in sight.