Post #430143 by SuperEight on Fri, Jan 23, 2009 12:25 AM

Would the strict interpretationists of Tiki Central prefer that all discussions that veer into hawaiiana be taken elsewhere?

I fully understand that Tiki Culture for some was a mainland phenomenon only. It was a way for folks in Ohio to eat their dinner with a little tropical fantasy thrown in. It used the Tiki form from Polynesia and used it in a way that was not authentic but still conveyed the tropics to folks who usually did not know the difference. As a child I went to The Lanai in San Mateo, Trader Vics in San Francisco and drove past the Tiki Motel each day in Palo Alto and I get what Tiki is for some who only see it as a mainland happening. But I love Hawaiiana also. I spent each summer in Hawaii and a lot of time in Honolulu so its impossible for me to separate Polynesian Pop from Hawaiiana.

My points:

1. I love authentic Polynesian Tikis in addition to the type that came out of places like Oceanic Arts. These have been all around Waikiki since tourists have been going there and the Bishop Museum has a great collection. I guess what I am getting at is I love "Tikis" as well as loving "Tiki Culture" from the mainland.

2. Waikiki was home to the International Marketplace that in its heyday featured a wonderful bamboo treehouse for newlyweds and sported many Tikis back in 60"s when I started going there. Don the Beachcomer and Trader Vics both had success for some time in Waikiki and La Mariana still keeps the tiki torch alive. All of these places were heavy on Polynesian Pop.

3. Most of the best known tiki drinks were invented on the mainland. But the huge majority of people have had their first Mai Tai et al in Hawaii. And tropical drink menus continue to exist all over Waikiki today. Hawaii put the Mai Tai on the map.

4. The spirit of the tourist luau was I feel an inspiration for the Tiki fantasylands on the mainland. The luaus that Hawaii served up to tourists was not based on authentic custom and was a fantasy in the same spirit as the decor at the Kahiki or Bali Hai.

5. My own love love of Polynesian Pop is a wider umbrella that extends to Hula girls, lava rock souvenirs, Suck Em Up glasses, and certainly Don Ho. I think it would be very difficult to find a purist Tiki establishment on the mainland that did not play "Tiny Bubbles" at least once. A tiki world without Don Ho is not one I want to live in.

If I want to talk about Don Ho in the same breath as Tiki Farm, the Mai Kai, and Tiki Bob would the purists like Big Bro prefer I go to another site?