SF Chronicle article on East Bay Tiki Bars - General Tiki

MT Mai Tai Tiki Socialite Exotic Isle of Alameda Joined: Mar 21, 2004 Posts: 1438	MT Mai Tai Posted posted on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 8:37 PM As the old saying goes: "You can't please everyone." On 2009-07-23 18:30, hanford_lemoore wrote: d) Explain how the inauthenticity of mid-century Tiki style is somehow more authentic than the South Seas mythology which inspired it. It's authentic to the culture's roots: something born from the minds of Hollywood set dressers. This is the culture we celebrate here, and the actual South Seas mythology takes a back seat. But it's no different that enjoying Star Trek more than actual space exploration; some people simply prefer fake spaceships over real ones. It's okay to like South Seas mythology more than Tiki (I believe there are many here that do), but it's just not the focus of this site. ~Hanford On 2009-07-24 16:52, Coco Loco wrote: Interestingly, along this theme, when we were all there Weds, there was a guy from Samoa or somewhere in the South Pacific. He spoke with an accent. He insisted on telling me all of the stories behind the war clubs on the walls and the stories of the paintings from his culture. It was really interesting for about the first 20 minutes, but then I got fidgety. I asked him if he was enjoying Forbidden Island and he said no. I asked him why. He said people just didn't get the history of the items that were so prominently displayed everywhere. This disappointed him. Wow. He was coming at it from an even deeper level. I was the one who wasn't interested and didn't care enough. On 2009-07-24 16:20, TofuJoe wrote: I hate the TV at FI. Always have, always will. I make very little secret of that. It makes me sad that of all the things he could have picked, he choses the TV as the one thing in FI "not to miss". On 2009-07-24 16:54, AquaZombie wrote: I LOVE THE TV AT FI!It's one of my favorite aspects of the bar (no sports!!) I help Michael pick a lot of the shows and movies! To each their own. All good from my perspective. aloha, Will the Chill (admittedly not a "tiki snob") It does sadden me a little that people are so up in arms about Forbidden Isand and it's new or current management and ownership, and what makes it tiki vs. not tiki, and other differences whether observed or perceived, and all other manner of drama over the most minutia of detail. And believe me, I hear it all the time - way more in private than here on TC. To some degree, people are even dividing their friendships up over whether they are going to continue to support this place or not. In my opinion, that's a lot of drama over something that is supposed to be about fun and escapism in a lifestyle that is totally made up. Granted, having an opinion, and being able to express that opinion is what makes this site, this community and this country, great. And when you group together various levels of interest, from the casual observer to the most devoted urban archeologist who makes a living doing this, those differing levels of opinion are bound to surface at some point. And it is evident that people are very passionate about tiki and their opinions of it. But unless it is your primary source of income, let's not let that passion suck the fun, and the life, out of the escapism experience. Anyways, that's my opinion, for what it's worth. I think I've done enough to derail this thread. I suggest that if people want to continue discussing what they like or don't like about tiki, Tiki Central, or Forbidden Island, then they do it on another thread. I'm going to indulge in some escapism, and head over to Forbidden Island. Join me if you like. :drink:

As the old saying goes: "You can't please everyone."

On 2009-07-23 18:30, hanford_lemoore wrote:
d) Explain how the inauthenticity of mid-century Tiki style is somehow more authentic than the South Seas mythology which inspired it.

It's authentic to the culture's roots: something born from the minds of Hollywood set dressers. This is the culture we celebrate here, and the actual South Seas mythology takes a back seat. But it's no different that enjoying Star Trek more than actual space exploration; some people simply prefer fake spaceships over real ones. It's okay to like South Seas mythology more than Tiki (I believe there are many here that do), but it's just not the focus of this site.
~Hanford

On 2009-07-24 16:52, Coco Loco wrote:
Interestingly, along this theme, when we were all there Weds, there was a guy from Samoa or somewhere in the South Pacific. He spoke with an accent. He insisted on telling me all of the stories behind the war clubs on the walls and the stories of the paintings from his culture. It was really interesting for about the first 20 minutes, but then I got fidgety. I asked him if he was enjoying Forbidden Island and he said no. I asked him why. He said people just didn't get the history of the items that were so prominently displayed everywhere. This disappointed him.

Wow. He was coming at it from an even deeper level. I was the one who wasn't interested and didn't care enough.

On 2009-07-24 16:20, TofuJoe wrote:
I hate the TV at FI. Always have, always will. I make very little secret of that. It makes me sad that of all the things he could have picked, he choses the TV as the one thing in FI "not to miss".

On 2009-07-24 16:54, AquaZombie wrote:
I LOVE THE TV AT FI!It's one of my favorite aspects of the bar (no sports!!)
I help Michael pick a lot of the shows and movies!
To each their own. All good from my perspective.
aloha, Will the Chill (admittedly not a "tiki snob")

It does sadden me a little that people are so up in arms about Forbidden Isand and it's new or current management and ownership, and what makes it tiki vs. not tiki, and other differences whether observed or perceived, and all other manner of drama over the most minutia of detail. And believe me, I hear it all the time - way more in private than here on TC. To some degree, people are even dividing their friendships up over whether they are going to continue to support this place or not. In my opinion, that's a lot of drama over something that is supposed to be about fun and escapism in a lifestyle that is totally made up.

Granted, having an opinion, and being able to express that opinion is what makes this site, this community and this country, great. And when you group together various levels of interest, from the casual observer to the most devoted urban archeologist who makes a living doing this, those differing levels of opinion are bound to surface at some point. And it is evident that people are very passionate about tiki and their opinions of it. But unless it is your primary source of income, let's not let that passion suck the fun, and the life, out of the escapism experience.

Anyways, that's my opinion, for what it's worth. I think I've done enough to derail this thread. I suggest that if people want to continue discussing what they like or don't like about tiki, Tiki Central, or Forbidden Island, then they do it on another thread. I'm going to indulge in some escapism, and head over to Forbidden Island. Join me if you like. :drink:

Post #471561 by Mai Tai on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 8:37 PM