Tiki Dissed

I thought I'd share this with the TC Ohana. A couple of weeks ago I went with my wife to her 20-year high school reunion. I have to admit I wasn't very fired up for this. But, when I heard it was going to be at the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, I figured I could make the best of it.
Halfway through the reunion, I told my wife that I was going to slip out to the bar, have a quick cocktail and come back. While at the bar, I noticed that they served tropical drinks in Tiki mugs where you can keep the mug. I asked the bartender if I could see the mugs that came with the drinks. He said, "Sure." I looked at the mugs, which looked very cheap, and said, "This one kind of looks like Mr. Bali Hai." The bartender said, "Who's that? I said, "You've never heard of the Bali Hai?" He said, "No." I told him that the Bali Hai was only about 5 miles away. He then came up with the lame comment of the night. "Besides they all look the same to me." I was stunned that you could work in a Tiki bar and have absolutely no respect for it. I picked up my drink (I didn't buy any of their lame mugs) dropped a Tiki Magazine business card on the bar and said, "They're not all the same." Then, I left. I hope none of you have experienced this kind of treatment. Why would an obviously Tiki establishment try to insult the people that are into them? It would be like going to a Padre or Dodger game and having the ushers tell you that Baseball sucks as you're trying to find your seat. Just thought I'd share.

Nicktiki

There is a big difference between a true bartender and an idiot!

I don't think that he was saying that tikis suck, I think that he was saying that he sucks at tiki.

Some coastere people get offended if a ride operator cannot recite chapter or verse about a ride spec.

It is like if I got offended because those of you who went to Tiki's could not tell me who designed and built the rollercoaster they had there.

Let us face it gang, most people who work for a Tiki styled place will know the chapter and verse of artists or history. It is set dressing, as far as they are concerned.

We gotta get over ourselves.

... yes, well remember the hotel name is Red Lion Hanalei (which may still be owned by west coast hospitality corporation)... and no where in their mission statement is tiki mentioned (though "profit" is)... so you could assume, somewhat safely, that few, if any, employees get tiki training...

... this could have been a great opportunity to enlighten a bartender...

I've had the same experience in Orlando at the "Mai-Tiki". Just because a place is totally decked out to look like a tiki bar, when NONE of the staff have a clue, it's pretty much a waste of time. I had to get an estimate from the bartender on the cost of putting together a scorpion bowl for me, priced by the shot...seems like it was something like $60- yeah, I passed and had a "Mai-Tai" instead. I did enjoy the decor and the cute waitresses, however. You can't take this stuff too seriously, you know.

We should put together a "Tiki Education" pack, with pictures, timelines & diagrams, and flashcard packs for slow learning bartenders.

I like to carry around a copy of the book of tiki in the smaller 'icon' size. That way any and all disasters can be averted.

Seriously though, I did bring my big copy to show my podiatrist, since he didn't know what tiki was, but was eager to find out.

Educate - Inebriate - Fornicate.
Maybe scratch that last one.

Don't forget that we're the minority, and I think I'll go out on a limb and say that's fine with me.

well, i have never been one to follow trends. it seems like my whole life i have always been a bit of an outsider. i've been into the rockabilly culture for around 10 years, and you encounter the same thing there. i think anything that could be considered a subculture (tikiphiles, rockabilly, punk rockers, cowboys, even hippies ahem...you name it...experiences this same phenomenon. i don't know how many times i've had to divert comments like, "hey, where's the sock hop?" or, "hey, where's elvis?" (and my significant other constantly gets "fonz,""elvis," etc. because of his hair). the bottom line is that the majority never gets it. i would rather be different and put up with these comments and ignorance than be NORMAL! :D

pearls before swine, my friends, pearls before swine. we just have to suck it up and keep doing our thing. and as much as i want and appreciate tolerance for my weird ways, i try not to be too hard on folks who will live the rest of their lives accepting and embracing the crap that mainstream culture doles out for their enjoyment.

also, i think so-called "normal" people are scared of the unfamiliar, so their insecurities often come out as insults.

http://www.heelgrinder.com

[ Edited by: heelgrinder 2005-11-03 11:16 ]

Keep in mind that to this poor bartender, tiki = work. He's probably not experienced tiki outside of the toil of his workday, and the sight of bamboo makes him think of all the damned pineapple slices he's always having to balance on the rims of too-sweet drinks he'd never want to drink himself. When he walks into The Islands restaurant, he doesn't get that "aaaaaahh" feeling the rest of us get to experience when we walk into such a lovely space -- he probably tenses up a bit, and thinks "here we go again!" I love The Islands (despite the abysmal drinks), but I sure as hell wouldn't want to work there -- Trader Vic's, it ain't. He's gotten all the minuses of tiki, and none of the pluses -- who can blame him for not wanting to hang out in a tiki bar when he's not working? It's a shame, he definitely doesn't know what he's missing, but I can understand his position.

I've been asked so many times "What's in a mai-tai?" that I don't even bother anymore. The term "tiki bar" has become synonymous with "outdoor bar." I've just come to accept the fact that most bar owners and bartenders just want the crowds and the $$$.

On 2005-11-03 11:28, Kenike wrote:

...most bar owners and bartenders just want the crowds and the $$$...

... businesses are kinda like that...

... businesses are kinda like that...

What I meant was they have no interest in trying to be authentic or preserving tiki culture. Most bars I go to try to be everything to everybody and that just doesn't work FOR ME.

Formerly known as "Juno"

[ Edited by: kenike 2005-11-03 13:40 ]

On 2005-11-03 13:18, Kenike wrote:
...Most bars I go to try to be everything to everybody and that just doesn't work FOR ME.

... point well taken...