Post #423223 by woofmutt on Thu, Dec 11, 2008 8:35 AM

I've been re-reading the Woody Allen collection Side Effects (original publication dates from 1975-1980) and came across a reference to Trader Vic's which is perfectly on the mark for the draw of exotica in the urban setting.

The piece is Retribution. In it the speaker is trying to get a bead on the feelings of a woman he likes. So he schemes:

Past successful campaigns suggested instantly the proper route to take. I would steer her to Trader Vic's, that dimly lit, foolproof Polynesian den of delights where dark, promising corners abounded and deceptively mild rum drinks quickly unchained the fiery libido from its dungeon. A pair of Mai Tai's and it would be anybody's ball game. A hand on the knee. A sudden uninhibited kiss. Fingers intertwined. The miraculous booze would work its dependable magic. It had never failed me in the past. Even when the unsuspecting victim pulled back with eyebrows arched, one could back out gracefully by imputing all to the effects of the island brew.

Another reference later in the piece:

Three days later we sat huddled in the dark of my favorite Polynesian restaurant, and loose from three Bahia's, she poured out her heart...

(Originally posted 8/30/04)