JOHN-O's Zombie Road Trip...

Amazing stuff, John!

I had these extra photos on my Smartphone so I thought I'd post them.

More Empress of China celebrities... Jayne Mansfield, Raymond Burr, and Lana Turner...

And hey, they all have a connection to Tiki !! (for you trivia buffs)...

And yes, Jayne Mansfield was Tiki !! Skeptics, go here and here. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2013-02-15 11:31 ]

I was at Tiki Oasis in 2011 and a handful of folks were talking about doing the "Exotic Far East" as the theme of a future TO. This forum certainly proves it would be viable and a heck of a fun idea. Keep up the great work, John-O!

I guess you missed the 2012 TO, Mr. Moto party.......

:tiki: :tiki: :tiki:

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2013-02-19 19:27 ]

On 2013-02-17 04:29, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
I guess you missed the 2012 TO, Mr. Moto party.......

Indeed I did. Was not able to make it to TO last year.

On 2013-02-17 07:21, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2013-02-16 18:48, finky099 wrote:
I was at Tiki Oasis in 2011 and a handful of folks were talking about doing the "Exotic Far East" as the theme of a future TO. This forum certainly proves it would be viable and a heck of a fun idea. Keep up the great work, John-O!

We agree !!

Inside the International Club...

John-O,-wow, I dig it!

Love your posts Hawaii John-0. About 6 days earlier you posted picts of Mansfield, Burr and Tuner and I just reread it and found your Mansfield links to Primitive Love. I thought I saw the movie and I don't remember the Hula scene about Date Night in Hawaii - great scene. The movie stunk so bad and the the first Hula scene was so ambiguous about it's Polynesian or tiki links I think I broke a cardinal rule of mine to always see a film til the end (even if its fast motion) so I don't miss great scenes like Jane Mansfield dancing the hula. I guess I didn't see the whole movie and turned it off. Thanks John-0 for linking the scene. Here a couple screen captures of her hula number:

Also a frame shot of Lana Turner in a Tiki bar with BOB Hope. She also dances a Polynesian number in the film titled: Bachelor in Paradise (note non-tiki in background):

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-02-20 03:27 ]

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-02-20 03:29 ]

On 2013-02-20 03:24, creativenative wrote:

...The movie stunk so bad and the the first Hula scene was so ambiguous about it's Polynesian or tiki links I think I broke a cardinal rule of mine to always see a film til the end...

I dunno... Dig that crazy Crime Jazz score, burlesque Hula Go-Go dancing, wild bongo playing, modern primitive hep cats in leopard print speedos, and a modern art sculpture thrown in.

I thought that first scene more "Tiki" than the second one !! :)

I guess you're right right, John-0, about the 1st Mansfield hula, it's very tiki especially with the vibe you described. I was coming at it with a more Polynesian influence prospective.

Next: I love this thread especially with the Chinese sub-title. Historically there has been a close Chinese - Tiki relationship, especially in the food & restaurant end of tiki culture. Since my wife and I are both Chinese/Hawaiian/Haole I take note of this relationship all the time.

Sorry for the screen captures almost all the time I post but it's my thing man. Here are some captures that illustrate this relationship:

Eminem fronting Chin Tiki in 8 MILE:

Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray in THE APARTMENT:

Ann Baxter & Raymond Burr in THE BLUE GARDENIA:

I know there are others films w Aloha shirted Chinese host or waiters in a tiki restaurant. We all know American or Polynesian "fied" Chinese food is found in almost all tiki eatery menus. BTW just bought Berry's "Taboo Table" can't wait to get it! Then I'll try to make these quasi Chinese recipes.

Tiki Movies & Tiki TV @ southseascinema.org

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-02-20 11:23 ]

:tiki: :tiki: :tiki:

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2013-02-22 17:12 ]

That Tiki on the Tiki Tiki is very similar to the one tha was on the Pago Pago in Milford, MA.

I grew up in Richmond, VA going to Tiki Tiki. It was the first take-out Chinese I ever knew. So, for the first 18 years of my life, my primary association with the word "tiki" = "Chinese food."

On 2013-02-22 13:49, JOHN-O wrote:
Are you the webmaster of http://southseascinema.org ?? That site is awesome !!

And actually was the Chin Tiki really that Chinesy, aside from being owned by the Chin family? From what I've seen in pictures, it looks like a full blown Tiki-style palace rather than a Chinese restaurant jumping on the bandwagon. I must say however their logo does vibe kinda Oriental...

But not quite the Tiki Chinaman as Bob Loos (was this actually a carved Tiki ??)...

(above images courtesy of Dustycajun, as usual !!)

I've always thought the Tiki Tiki in Richmond VA (which I have yet to visit) as the most deliberate combination of the 2 genres...

Edit - And I'm not suggesting the above is good style, just deliberate.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2013-02-22 14:05 ]

Thanks for the "props" for southseascinema.org There are about 8 South Seas Cinema Society members that contribute to our research. I prefer to call myself the compiler of data but yes I'm the webmaster. I also do lots of research myself but today for example I got a call from a TV expert from Makaka and yesterday an email from L.A. to add a few titles to our grand list (a cartoon episode from Hanna Barbera and Movie shorts by Gaston Méliès brother of early film legend George who sent Gaston to the South Seas in 1913). The website does not cover all our categories of productions set in the Pacific islands.

Last year we also did a grand list (22 pages & growing) of Polynesian Pop titles (with scenes of Polynesian influences set outside of Oceania - from back yard & private luaus, sets in Tiki bars & restaurants, Polynesian themed frat parties, etc.) in movies, TV, toons and others types of major productions. (Sorry this list wont go on the website yet - cause its my Masters paper subject and if I post it now I can't use it for my school paper) Might be in a book in a few months though.

About 5 years ago Sven asked for information on Tikis in movies and when we went through our database we realized that we didn't do a thorough job of documenting tiki in South Seas films (over 600 of them). WE use a lot of key words in our title descriptions for searches but the important word "tiki" wasn't done well. We have been going back and watching a lot of movies & TV shows to make sure we don't miss "tiki" in our descriptions so in the near future one can look up tiki (a very key word in this genre) and find all the titles with tiki in it. I have over 15 pages (and growing) of corrections and additions (including the word "tiki")to put in the website. We are also compiling a large image database of the Poly images in this genre of screen captures and short clips. Now you know where I get all my screen captures.

And yes you are right Chin Tiki was only a Polynesian restaurant in the Detroit area. ONLY the name and its front type was Chinese. But I'm into images and that is a great Poly-Chinese image. Last and coincidentally, someone took this picture yesterday of myself, in the middle, and a couple of other South Seas Cinema Society members. On the left is the infamous DeSoto Brown, author, Hawaiian historian, mega collector and major contributor to our research from Bishop Museum and Dan Long (on right), movie theater builder and also major collector. We are at the annual Hawaii Collectors Show where I doubled my collection of ceramic tikis. Help! I got the bug and I can't kill it! (Do I want to? ....Noooo!) Everyone on TC is in the same boat. Good tiki hunting everyone!

Creativenaitive,

Thanks for all of the hard work on creating and updating your great website. When do you think the Tiki update will be done?

Also would love to see that Polynesian Pop listing some day.

DC

Aaaah, the Hawaii Collectors Show, much money can be left there! Thank you for your update and all your work, it DOES seem you have caught the fever, I feel for you.

For your research, you should talk to Ron "Bongofury" Ferrel, our resident Tiki Movie expert. He has dug up some really obscure celluloid examples of our hero (or the appropriate environs) making it on the big (or small) screen.

I don't want to take away from this great thread so I created a South Seas Cinema thread to continue this discussion so check it out under General Tiki

Mahalo
CN

:right:

More Chop Suey action... This time instead of a Chinese Mai Tai, it's an (Asian) Zombie at the Far Bar in Little Tokyo.

This is the site of the former Far East Cafe which was one of L.A.'s most atmospheric mid-century Chinese restaurants prior to its closing after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The outer facade and original neon are still there. (And yes this is a Chinese restaurant in a Japanese neighborhood.)

Here's the exterior as it existed prior to WWII, the Far East Cafe is to the far right...

And how it looks today...

If any childhood restaurant memories are burned into my adult psyche, then it's from this place. Any Sansei kid growing up in L.A. probably had some type of family get together at the Far East, it was a J-Town institution. I remember my grandfather boasting that his two generations of offspring had grown so large that he needed to reserve the entire 2nd floor mezzanine for family reunions.

As kids we used to blow our straw wrappers on to unsuspecting diners below. Also I recall being fascinated by the ancient pull chain toilets in the restrooms. And we always ordered the same "China Meshi" comfort food dishes of almond duck, chicken chow mein, pakai (sweet & sour pork), chashu (BBQ pork), shrimp & lobster sauce, and hom yu (fatty steamed pork). This was Cantonese soul food for local Japanese and Mexican families, as well as L.A. Civic Center employees working down 1st street.

And man, did the Far East ooze historic L.A. !! Opened in 1935, the restaurant was a maze of wooden stalls. The stalls were constructed for curtains to provide diner privacy but the curtains had to be later removed as they posed a fire threat. The place really felt the age of the 1896 Beaux-Arts style building it was housed in. And it remained frozen in time, never really changing over the 30 years I visited there.

The noir atmosphere was appropriately used for a movie scene in "Farewell, My Lovely" based on the Chandler novel of the same name. Narrative lifted directly from the book:

"I was having some Chinese food when a dark shadow fell over my chop suey..."

In 2006, the Far East was renovated and opened as an Asian fusion bistro called the Chop Suey Cafe, and had several unsuccessful start/stops trying to establish a new clientele. Far more successful was the adjoining patio bar called the Far Bar, which is accessed via a narrow alleyway...

Apparently that worked out so well that the main restaurant recently took on that brand.

Although the bones of the original Far East Cafe are still there...

The remodel unfortunately took away much of its timeless historic character...

And as you can expect, the beloved cuisine of my childhood is gone, having been replaced with hipster bar food and a trendy craft cocktail menu.

Given the Little Tokyo location, the menu lists "witty" drink names like Godzilla, Yellow Fever, and Bird Flu.

I ordered the Asian Zombie (oddly colored blue) which didn't turn me into an Asian Zombie, but did help to console me on the loss of a special place from my Wonder Years, at least as how I fondly remember it.

On a related note, someone recently asked me "JOHN-O, you grew up in Rosemead. You seem to be taking the closing of the Bahooka rather lightly."

My response ?...

"At this point, I've grown immune."

I just want my old Far East Cafe back !! :(

Keep it coming, buddy!

This should make Atomic Tiki Punk happy, since they've added a bunch of TV screens where he can watch all his favorite sports teams simultaneously!

Caltiki

(shaking fist in the air!)

Sometimes you have to weigh the good with the bad. Consider the fact that it's a miracle the brick buildings haven't been leveled for a gleeming high rise. I went to the Far Bar and had the Asian Zombie just last year. Nice place. I kind of freaked my friends out as we were walking down the street and I suddenly slipped into the passage way. The Asian Zombie doesn't look or taste much like a zombie, but at least it isn't simply called a "Zombie."

John -O, I too am totally interested in ancient chinese secrets....especially since my happiest dining memories from the early 70s were cantonese restaurants....man, I loved the food coloring and MSG! There was a place in san diego called "the lime house" that we went to quite a bit...there is virtually nothing about it on the interwebz.....

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2013-03-01 09:16 ]

A VERY significant Chop Suey find !!

It's the Bamboo Inn in L.A.'s Westlake district, a stone's throw away from McArthur Park.

Congawa (aka Caltiki of the Ding Dong Devils) tipped me off to this one. He and I made a recent visit after a light noshing at Langer's Deli across the street.

Many claim this is the oldest Chinese restaurant in L.A. When I asked the restaurant's Chinese matriarch how old the establishment was, she replied in broken English... "Very old, very old. Maybe 60 year." That would date it back to the 1950's but really the place felt even more ancient than that.

The decor was more stark L.A. Chinese Noir (Caltiki's description) than kitschy Oriental exotica. It vibed very much like the Far East Cafe that I posted about earlier.

Unfortunately there were no Tropical cocktails to be found but the menu was old-school Cantonese; Chop Suey and Egg Foo Yoong being the definitive entrees for me. The food had a good starchy quality to it but would probably horrify authentic Chinese cuisine purists. Not that you'll find any of those in this primarily Central American neighborhood who were giving the Bamboo Inn a brisk lunchtime business. In fact the owner spoke more fluent Spanish than she did English.

Only in L.A. will you find the world's best Pastrami deli sandwich (so admits New Yorker Magazine !!) and a mid-century Chinese restaurant, in a 99.99% Latino neighborhood across the way from a historic public park (and former crack supermarket).

So what does this all have to do with Tiki ?? Well Chop Suey is what Donn Beach was first passing off as exotic Polynesian cuisine back in the Pre-Tiki days. The fact that Chop Suey restaurants have been as much a vanishing breed as original Tiki establishments makes the Bamboo Inn a very important find IMHO. :)

And on a side note you can wash down your Egg Foo Yoong at this nearby mid-century Latino dive bar...

As always John-O, A pleasure to read your reports on the things I love and care about....history and heritage....with Soy and Cocktails to boot. Xie xie. OGR

O-John, you definitely make the connection between chop suey and tiki....it works for me!

John-O, it was a treat to join you in our shared first visit to the Bamboo Inn.

From the outside, it's hard to notice as one of many doors in old but nondescript one-story business building. However the red door and hand-painted signs stand out...

...as does the vintage scale and hand-written menu (only the Lite beer sign and A rating destroy the mood--though the meaning of the A rating itself is an unexpected plus.)

Once entering through the front door, the inside doesn't disappoint...

The hanging Chinese lantern in tandem with the paneling, booths and ceiling fans, contributed to the "Chinese Film Noir" effect...

...as an intrepid urban archeologist documents the menu...

I was only able to stay for about 10-15 minutes, since I was attending an afternoon birthday party at the nearby Bob Baker's Marionettes Theater (a time-warp of it's own, well-worthy of a visit as it has almost disappeared several times, and I wouldn't be surprised if it went the way of Bahooka sometime soon).

As a result, I wasn't able to eat there, as John-O did (how was the food?). And John-O, did you have a chance to visit the Tango Room?

Caltiki Brent

I had the Egg Foo Yoong... with brown gravy !! That's been a "Polynesian" staple since day 1. Unfortunately it's fallen out of grace in today's major Tiki restaurants like the Mai Kai, Trader Vic's, and Don the Beachcomber. :(

And the Tango Room was not as divey as the exterior might have you expect. It was a good place however to drink tequila, watch soccer, and listen to Mariachi music. Also for Tikiphiles, just transpose the "a" and the "o" and you'll be drinking in the Tonga Room...

:D

Chinese restaurants around LA & SD which serve Tiki drinks:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=31585&forum=1&start=0&hilite=golden

Yesterday I had lunch with an old friend, retired Hawaiian actor Doug Mossman. He had lots of great Hollywood stories from the 60s when he worked in Tinseltown. In one story he mentioned he owned a Chinese restaurant. I was surprised and interrupted his story to learn more. What was the name? China Trader Doug, you are Hawaiian, tell me did it have a Polynesian decor? Of course, he answered. So I looked it up today in other websites and of course in this one. I know the restaurant is now in the boneyard but I have to share a few picts from these other sites to illustrate the Chinese Tiki connection:

A drawing from the menu, I think:

Neon sign with the restaurant's Chinese Junk logo:

Part of the menu, lots of nouveau Chinese pupus & lots of tiki drinks:

Rare shot of the exterior with tikis from Bora Boris:

Quote from one of the other websites Jazz Profiles a blog by Steven A. Cerra:
"The China Trader is not there anymore.
Originally located at 4200 Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, Ca, it was a Chinese restaurant that had a South Sea islands and nautical theme with lots of tiki heads and bamboo sprouting from every nook and cranny.
For a time it was best known for being the birthplace of the Hawaiian Eye drink [think Mai Tai]."

Doug was one of the regulars on HAWAIIAN EYE playing the Hawaiian cop Moke. It all makes sense.

Different matter:
a few pages ago I think John-0 put out a pict. of the Chinese restaurant used in the CHRISTMAS STORY. It was a resin model. I have a better one from Dept 56 that came out a couple of years ago. It's in my Christmas Chinatown village (probably the only one of its kind) we put up every year. It's the building with the green roof and the "Bo ling" sign. Here's a pict.:

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-03-07 04:13 ]

:right:

:right: :right:

In my ongoing pursuit of Chop Suey scholarship, I recently finished reading this book which covers "a cultural history of Chinese food in the United States"...

The food's significance in Pre-Tiki culture as introduced by Donn Beach and Trader Vic is documented by the author. In fact the use of Chop Suey (and I use this as inclusive term for all Cantonese food tailored for American tastes) as a "Polynesian" staple from the 1930's though the 1960's may represent the cuisine's last pop cultural gasp. After Nixon visited China, that opened up American awareness to the great diversity of authentic Chinese food. This further relegated dishes like Chop Suey, Chow Mein, and Egg Fu Yung as unsophisticated fare for the unwashed masses.

Here's another take away that I got from the book. Contrary to the belief that Chinese food was considered exotic fare to Pre-Tiki palates, the author states that by the 1920's...

"Chop Suey and Chow Mein had claimed a place in the national diet alongside ham and eggs, coffee and a slice of pie, and Sunday pot roast."

So how did Don Beach get away with passing off Chop Suey as such exotic cuisine when most people (at least in major urban cities) considered it mere cheap and filling food ??

Musta been the cocktails !! :D

Ancient Chinese secrets in the Windy City !! Here's a place that's really not that well known outside of the Midwest. It's the Chef Shangri-La, located 12 miles outside of downtown Chicago.

Now I understand that a Chinese restaurant trying to pass as Tiki is usually not good Tiki-style. As the Bigbro is always reminding us, many Chop Suey joints jumped in late to the Tiki game with cheap decor and bad Tropical cocktails. I always assumed the Chef fell in this category, especially since it opened in the disco year of 1976.

I was very happy to learn first hand that the Chef is so much more than that, a 1st-tier place well worth any serious Tikiphile's time and money.

Let's start with the the decor. Now while there were the requisite Orchids of Hawaii lamps...

and some Tikis of a questionable aesthetic nature...

The place was chock full of Witco, the number of which might even rival that of the nearby and more well known Hala Kahiki...

Also as was pointed out to me, several pieces originating from Oceanic Arts...

The main dining room was populated with a couple of large Moais and even had a pond with live Koi...

And the adjacent bar with its large bamboo awning was a Tiki appropriate place to enjoy a Tropical cocktail...

And how were those cocktails ?? The Mai Tai (shown above) was described to me as even more potent than their Zombie, and made a very worthy addition to my on-going cocktail quest. Their house specialty, the Dr. Fong, was also quite tasty but colored a curious Irish green. That must be a Midwestern thing...

Now I know I'm not supposed to be pre-occupied with culinary quality when in the presence of good Tiki art, but sometimes a sublime serving of classically prepared egg foo yung can be more Tiki satisfying than the rarest Witco carving. But hey that's just me. :D

And yes chop suey was on the menu (Yay!) as well as chow mein, but unfortunately no pressed duck. :(

My visit was made even more rewarding in that I was met by local Tiki peeps, Mr. And Mrs. BambooLodge, who have had a long history with the Tiki Revival. They shared with me the lore of the Chef.

Thanks Dave and Coalbe !!

Maybe the most unique aspect of Midwestern Tiki is that it feels just a little more like a Tropical escape inside, when it's freezing cold and snowing outside. Sometimes in order to get to "paradise" you need to pack a winter coat, even in March. :)

Our intrepid Tiki traveler strikes, again. Nice work, my friend!

John-O,

Excellent review of the Chef!

Glad we gotta chance to hang with ya, and be sure to let us know next time you're in town. :D

We'll be sure to keep ya updated on "Fong Fest 2013" too.

Connexion between chop suey and tiki?

Mission completed!

Yup, sometimes it's as much about the chop sticks as it is the Tiki mugs !! :)...

(Photo courtesy of pa'akiki)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2013-03-19 13:08 ]

On 2013-03-01 09:15, lucas vigor wrote:

John -O, I too am totally interested in ancient chinese secrets....especially since my happiest dining memories from the early 70s were cantonese restaurants....man, I loved the food coloring and MSG! There was a place in san diego called "the lime house" that we went to quite a bit...there is virtually nothing about it on the interwebz.....

I vaguely remember that name. But THIS place was in L.A. ...

here is the signage:

John-O, if you are in that neck of the woods, are you going to finally get to the Foundation Bar?

On 2013-03-19 16:17, lunavideogames wrote:
John-O, if you are in that neck of the woods, are you going to finally get to the Foundation Bar?

Yes, John-O... If you ever make it up to Milwaukee, let me know! I'll make sure Foundation rolls the red carpet out for you! We've got a good local distillery that's worth the tour and tasting too!

Thanks Dave, I look forward to that.

Maybe I'll try to make it a Midwestern Tiki twofer if can make it out for the next Fong Fest.

:)

Just like first wave Tiki bars are a disappearing slice of mid-century Americana, so are Chop Suey restaurants. In Los Angeles for example, most of the 1950's-1960's places have fallen by the wayside, victims of changing tastes in Chinese food. OG places like the Far East Cafe and the New Moon have evolved (devolved really) past their Chop Suey roots and the legendary Man Fook Low is a distant memory.

So for those of you who cherish vintage Chop Suey as much as vintage Tiki (and really shouldn't we all?), here's a couple of surviving places that still figuratively keep the old Chinese lantern burning...

Paul's Kitchen has been around for so long that it's located where the original Los Angeles Chinatown used to be. It's in a seedy area near Skid Row but you will be rewarded with some of the best Pre-Tiki food around. No Chinese kitsch, it's essentially a dumpy 1950's (40's ?) time warp diner...

This is one of Tommy Lasorda's favorite restaurants, they even have a special combo named after him. The clientele is 90% Latino which is always a good sign when seeking out this type of food. Our Hispanic brothers love their pakai, chow mein, and egg foo yung. Also too many Chinese customers is a warning sign that the food may not be authentically inauthentic enough to be good Chop Suey.

The other noteworthy thing about Paul's Kitchen is that they serve two classic Cantonese dishes that are almost impossible to find these days; pressed (almond) duck and hom yu. Pressed duck was an early "Polynesian" staple on Tiki menus. Hom yu (steamed pork hash) really wasn't a Tiki dish but is a cult favorite for China Meshi aficionados.

Another rare place where you can find both pressed duck and hom yu is Chinese Garden in Montebello. It's been owned and run by the same family since 1962.

The restaurant evokes a 1960's modern aesthetic with its large metal framed storefront windows and Formica lunch counter ambiance. Here's the entrance from the parking lot...

And the food? It's probably the closest to what I remember of my beloved Far East Cafe in Little Tokyo :). FYI, hom yu is not on the menu but can be served on request. Also you can get the pressed duck with either sweet and sour sauce or brown gravy. Traditionalists will go with the brown gravy.

Wong's Restaurant in Garden Grove also had pressed duck and hom yu, but unfortunately it closed in 2012 (Sorry Lucas Vigor, that would have been local for you). :(

Remember everyone needs to support their local Tiki bar... AND their local mid-century Chop Suey joint. Who knows how long these places will continue to survive?

Real Tikiphiles eat Chop Suey. :) Gan Bei !!

Dang! I drove by there quite a bit! O-John, what is your take on paper wrapped chicken? I rarely encounter it any more.

Paper wrapped chicken !! That was my favorite appetizer as a young child at the Far East Cafe. I can remember the pre-dinner anticipation for those tin-foiled triangular treats like it was yesterday. And paper wrapped chicken is also on the menu at both Paul's Kitchen and Chinese Garden. It's a classic. :)

Also I've been thinking about hosting a Tiki event at Chinese Garden and forcing all of the Tiki peeps to eat hom yu. I think BigTikiDude would love it. Hom yu has a rich bacon taste that goes great with hot mustard and soy sauce.

Paper wrapped chicken! yes, one of my favorites too!
have you found any good Paper wrapped chicken on your quest?