Los Angeles Metro Mix Artilcle on LA Tiki Meccas

As with most awesome things, tiki—that is, Polynesia as kitsch party motif—was invented right here in Los Angeles. So while there is a Maori god named Tiki, the fantabulous combination of thatched roofs, flaming torches, coconut shrimp and spiked punch is completely fabricated and has very little in common with any island cultures.

In the early '30s, Donn Beach (at the time, Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt) opened Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood after touring around the South Pacific and Asia. He had a thing for Cantonese food, carved wooden totems and fake tropical flowers. He was also a bootlegger during the Prohibition era.

As it happened, rum was the cheapest alcohol in the U.S. at the time, and the spicy, fruity spirit proved the perfect choice for Donny B., who was a pretty pimpin’ mixologist, let alone one with a penchant for mini umbrellas. When he died in 1989, a "New York Times" obit credited him with creating 84 cocktails. His “Rum Rhapsodies” included the Missionary’s Downfall, the Navy Grog, and the Zombie.

Plastic flowers and crazy drinks may not seem like a winning business plan, but consider the timeline: In the beginning of the 20th century, Americans ventured beyond the mainland in one final push of Manifest Destiny—you know, like, toward Hawaii. The power of the South Pacific tantalized onlooker Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron, who in 1934 opened his first restaurant, Hinky Dinks, a tiki-themed joint in Oakland (the rest, of course, is history). The trend got another spike when Hawaii entered statehood in 1959, to say nothing of the 1963 unveiling of Disneyland’s sublimely animatronic Enchanted Tiki Room.

Thankfully, tiki has never completely tired, especially the kitschier and boozier parts. (Indeed, Tiki-Ti on Sunset was founded by Ray Buhan, one of Don the Beachcomber’s master bartenders.) But the original concept was a full supper club experience: bounteous food, many drinks, the occasional floor show. Grubbing was—and should still be—an integral part of tiki-ing around: Think lots of ribs and skewers, plus all kinds of seafood, seared or deep-fried. In other words, the perfect filling foil for flaming alcohol. Besides when else can you ask for a “pupu platter” and receive something delicious?

L.A.’s tiki palaces—the ones with drink, food and overdosage of rattan—are an endangered but enduring breed. But amid the ancient tchotchkes and so-unironic-it’s-ironic island fakery, the audience is younger and hipper than it has been in ages. And spendier: After closing its famed location in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Trader Vic’s is planning a new Downtown location in spring 2009, which is certain to be flashy. In the meantime, here are some of the few, the proud, the tacky: the grand tikis of the Southland. . . .

http://losangeles.metromix.com/restaurants/article/getting-freaky-with-tiki/483116/content

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Unfortunately, the article failed to mention that Trader Vics Lounge is still very open, but all good nevertheless.

There are already at least three other threads already started about the Metromix article.

Wow, you are right! Nevertheless, the article was so fun and it goes without saying that any cover story on Tiki deserves at least two (2) redundant postings.

Here are two threads:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28954&forum=1&4

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28946&forum=1&1

BTW, I would be very curious if the (somewhat limited) exposure to of these old school Tiki meccas brings in any new customers.

I remember going to a bar where bartender happily chatted about the dramatic spike in business after a reference in Daily Candy.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2008-07-12 23:14 ]

That's funny. Just yesterday some dedicated Tiki folks I know (and many here too) expressed to me that they felt so incensed by the inanity of the article they were gonna write a letter to the editor. I have seen to many of these in my years to say anything. :)

On 2008-07-12 23:34, bigbrotiki wrote:
That's funny. Just yesterday some dedicated Tiki folks I know (and many here too) expressed to me that they felt so incensed by the inanity of the article they were gonna write a letter to the editor.

I have no idea what you could possibly find inane in an article with such hip phrases as "awesome things","fantabulous","Donny B","pimpin’" and "grubbing". I'm very intrigued too, to learn that most "awesome things" were invented in LA. (I guess knocking the Romans and Egyptians off that mantle?) And isn't it comforting to know that "the audience is younger and hipper than it has been in ages". Wow, people are younger now than they have ever been! And hipper! :D

On 2008-07-12 23:34, bigbrotiki wrote:
That's funny. Just yesterday some dedicated Tiki folks I know (and many here too) expressed to me that they felt so incensed by the inanity of the article they were gonna write a letter to the editor. I have seen to many of these in my years to say anything. :)

Cant let the perfect stand in the way of the good.

...but if you do not aim for it, and settle for less, you will never get even close. :)

Back at square one: Do we accept the dummed down, party city, "Island Lifestyle" watering down of Tiki culture. or do we keep a critical eye out and speak up for what made Tiki so unique and inspiring in the first place?

I have come to peace with the fact that:

1.) A lot of people nowadays profess to like Tiki culture, but think of it as merely "tropical party" fun
2.) Fewer people actively engage in Tiki culture, some having more of a clue, some less
3.) Even fewer people really understand Tiki culture completely (or care to do so)

I see it as my role here to point out the differences between those various levels of perception...for those who care to see the difference.

I agree that BASICALLY all press that makes people frequent Tiki establishments is good, yet that should not make one indifferent to "Idiocracy" (the movie) -style writing about it. But we are really giving too much weight to that little article, Metro Mix is not the L.A. Times (uh oh, but the L.A. Times is becoming more like Metro Mix :D )

On 2008-07-14 11:10, bigbrotiki wrote:
I see it as my role here to point out the differences between those various levels of perception...for those who care to see the difference.

Keep preaching. I have learned a lot.

On 2008-07-14 11:10, bigbrotiki wrote:
...
Metro Mix is not the L.A. Times (uh oh, but the L.A. Times is becoming more like Metro Mix :D

A somewhat similar article in the LA Times (Did it feature a photo of Bahookas?)

Going on a hunt for Googie architecture in Southern California
Find the Big Boy, the bowling palace and other fun and funky examples of an architectural style that just screams SoCal.
By Whitney Friedlander
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 16, 2008

It was the 1950s. America was a superpower, and the Los Angeles area was the center of it. The space race was on. A car culture was emerging. So were millions of postwar babies. Businesses needed ways to get families out of their automobiles and into coffee shops, bowling alleys, gas stations and motels. They needed bright signs and designs showing that the future was now. They needed color and new ideas.

They needed Googie.

This whimsical, Space Age look grew out of the Midcentury Modern style -- think LAX's flying-saucer-like Theme Building -- and became synonymous with Southern California's fun-loving lifestyle.

Even the story of how Googie got its name is fanciful. Yale professor Douglas Haskell spotted the Googie coffee shop, the eponymous building that once sat at Crescent Heights and Sunset boulevards. He declared the style "Googie" in a 1952 House and Home magazine article.

"Googie is a sub-category of Midcentury Modern that is bolder, more exaggerated in forms," said Alan Hess, author of "Googie Redux: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture." Commercial architects such as Wayne McAllister and the team of Louis Armet and Eldon Davis were experimenting with new materials and finding creative ways to lure folks into their buildings, Hess said.

Like most trends, Googie peaked and then began to disappear. Anaheim, once a gold mine of '50s architecture, lost most of the Googie motels that bordered Disneyland in the 1990s, architectural historian Daniel Paul said in an interview.

Which is OK with some people.

"People aren't generally able to appreciate architectural history that happened in their lifetime," said Chris Jepsen, an Anaheim-based historian who also runs SpaceAgeCity.com, a website covering the Sputnik era. "You tell people that the restaurant they went to as a teenager has history and they look at you like you have three heads."

But for others, Googie represents an era of hope and optimism. Either way, that carefree attitude now defines Southern California culture. Perhaps, these not-so-ancient relics help remind us of why we've come to love it here.

I asked Googie enthusiasts for their favorite examples of the style and compiled this list of what might be considered the best local examples. Keep in mind that they often are located in neighborhoods and suburbs that don't have the funds or the need to update and modernize every few years, so these won't necessarily be the ritziest places in town. Still, these are worth making a detour.

So here is the springtime SoCal Googie tour. (Note: More fun if taken in a DeSoto Fireflite.)

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/print/7901?breadcrumb=%3Ca+class%3D%22teal%22+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%22%3ELAT+Home%3C%2Fa%3E++%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.latimes.com%2F%22%3ETravel%3C%2Fa%3E+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.latimes.com%2Fdestinations%2F%22%3EDestinations%3C%2Fa%3E+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.latimes.com%2Fdestinations%2Flos-angeles%2F%22%3ELos+Angeles%3C%2Fa%3E+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.latimes.com%2Fdestinations%2Flos-angeles%2Farticles%22%3EArticles%3C%2Fa%3E+%26gt%3B+%3Cb%3EGoing+on+a+hunt+for+Googie+architect...%3C%2Fb%3E&src=%2Farticles%2Fla-trw-googie18-2008may18

As with most awesome things, tiki that is, Polynesia as kitsch party motif was invented right here in Los Angeles.

Except it wasn't kitsch back then.

In the meantime, here are some of the few, the proud, the tacky: the grand tikis of the Southland.

Oh sweet frozen Mai Tai on a stick, is there some quota for the number of times the words "kitsch","tacky", and "freaky" must appear in any article about Tiki?

On 2008-07-17 04:40, MrBaliHai wrote:

As with most awesome things, tiki that is, Polynesia as kitsch party motif was invented right here in Los Angeles.

Except it wasn't kitsch back then.

In the meantime, here are some of the few, the proud, the tacky: the grand tikis of the Southland.

Oh sweet frozen Mai Tai on a stick, is there some quota for the number of times the words "kitsch","tacky", and "freaky" must appear in any article about Tiki?

Funny , about 7 years ago I was speaking to an older woman I was woking with and told her I was into "Tiki Culture" and she snidely said "Tiki Culture...isn't that an Oxymoron ? "....
She DID give me a Trader Vics salt and pepper set as an -XMas gift tho'. :)

On 2008-07-17 08:47, tikiyaki wrote:
Funny , about 7 years ago I was speaking to an older woman I was woking with and told her I was into "Tiki Culture" and she snidely said "Tiki Culture...isn't that an Oxymoron ? "....

Sure, there are always going to be people who question the worth of particular pop-cultural trends, I do it every time I listen to the radio or watch TV, but to call something "kitsch" is to literally call it worthless.

What I'm driving at here is that back when Donn Beach started his first restaurant, it was considered an exclusive hangout for sophisticates and celebrities, not something created to pander to the masses.

Weblog: Eye of the Goof

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2008-07-17 12:16 ]