The Rise and Fall of Tiki Cuisine

Charles Perry on Tiki Cuisine
The Rise and Fall of Tiki

When: Saturday, April 21st, 2012 at 2:00 PM
What: Free Lecture at Pacific Palisades Library
Where: 861 Alma Real Drive, Pacific Palisades
Who: The public is invited to this event.

In the 1930s, two California restaurateurs created the Polynesian restaurant phenomenon that would sweep the country in the 1950s. Tiki restaurants, remembered fondly (and maybe a little ruefully), were over-the-top intoxicating environments, smelling of tropical fruits and flowers, their ceilings hung with puffer-fish lamps and outrigger canoes. You ate luscious sweet-and-sour dishes while being entertained by graceful hula dancing and sweet, dreamlike Hawaiian music. It was overwhelming – lyrical, jovial, romantic and sensuous, though certainly naive and mannered.

And yet the phenomenon collapsed practically overnight in the 1970s. Charles Perry tells the story of the rise and fall of Tiki. Mr. Perry has written for the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and other publications, as well as translated cookbooks from medieval Baghdad, Central Asia, and other cultures.

http://chscsite.org/charles-perry-on-tiki-cuisine/

A Tiki lecture on the Westside ?? !!

Scheduled on the same day as Mojave Oasis and Hukilau ?? Hmmm....

I will be sure to sit in the front row with my "Book of Tiki" in hand, fully armed with a discerning and questioning Tiki attitude. :D

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jan/17/food/fo-13069

I was signing on just to post about this very event.
Glad that others are interested.

I'm planning to attend. Anyone else?

Maybe we can carpool John-O? I'll drive! :)

[ Edited by: Capt. R.H. Falernum 2012-04-10 12:34 ]

Sounds like an interesting event! And FREE! Hmmm...Would that be Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's???
If the weather is good, it'll be a beautiful drive!

http://www.DonTheBeachcomber.com

"Marriage, Mortgages and Mai-Tai's...Whatta life!"

[ Edited by: SoccerTiki 2012-04-10 13:25 ]

I may sit this one out, John-O can be my proxy as he is more the diplomat
and knows the subject well.

If someone makes it to this, please see if transcripts are available. The topic interests me strangely. For the record, Tiki Cuisine will rise again.

Aloha to all !! it's been awhile..traveling to Tahiti,Hawaii and back (for a couple of months ) so my posts have been speratic...but anyway..looks like International Tiki Marketplace has been sucessful..Mahalo Chris (soccer tiki) But, look people YOU MUST attend this function (if possible) it will be enlightening. I grew up there (in the 'sades') and the Library will be cool('cuz of all the books on tiki,poly-pop and such)I've been talking to "one of the fathers of tiki" to get him to drop by. Wish me luck. Mahalo ,Charles Perry...don't forget the Rumaki. :)

Adventures in Tiki

[ Edited by: the TikiTraveler 2012-04-13 15:06 ]

[ Edited by: the TikiTraveler 2012-04-13 15:07 ]

Thanks for posting Nic. Save me a seat John-0
Cheers

On 2012-04-14 11:40, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:
Thanks for posting Nic. Save me a seat John-0
Cheers

WooHoo! We will be there too :)

John O, Please save seats For HB Tiki and wife, what a great place to be on a Saturday afteroon with sun and the California coast. Also great excuse to stop for drinks at Purple Orchid, Don the Beachcomber, and Etc...

[ Edited by: HB TIKI 2012-04-14 18:04 ]

What ? Mojave Oasis weekend!!! Ugh !

Both can be done. I will prove it !! (But I do have to send my clone to Hukilau).

Cocktails & Early Dinner after the show???

The Galley Restaurant http://www.thegalleyrestaurant.net/

The Pearl Dragon http://www.thepearldragon.com/menus-wine-cocktails

Hi JOHN-O!
Carol and I were there at Hong Kong Inn, will we see you at Hukilau, too?
Do you know of any others from the So Cal contingent who will attend, besides BigBroTiki?

Cheers,
Glenn
(20 Cent)

On 2012-04-15 10:33, 20th Century Man wrote:
...Do you know of any others from the So Cal contingent who will attend, besides BigBroTiki?

Unfortunately I will not be there. I will be in the library pursuing important academic Tiki research.

I think Sabu the Coconut Boy will be in Florida. He can always be found in the Molokai Lounge regardless of what's going on at Hukilau (I'm not joking).

I with you John, in the library pursuing important academic Tiki research.

I will be there, just to harass John and HB Tiki!

I'm going to have to miss this shindig. I'm off to Vegas at noon Friday and then trying to catch Tikiyaki at Mojave late Saturday on the way back to LA.

Someone take good Tiki notes !!

On 2012-04-19 18:09, JOHN-O wrote:
Someone take good Tiki notes !!

WooHoo! We're ready to take notes......

My wife and I enjoyed Mr. Perry's talk very much .Due to the knowledge gained from lurking on T C for years (you folks are truly awesome) and Sven's BOT there was not a lot to learn from the speaker- in no way do I mean that I would not attend a similar talk by Mr. Perry. He is most entertaining! Plus he wore a red fish tie over a too cool aloha shirt,also red in color. More pluses; Woo-Hoo, Chris, Roger (HB Tiki) and every bodys favorite ,Susie,was also there. Author ("Night of the Tiki","Rat Fink-Ed big daddy Roth, et al) Doug Nason and his lovely companion Christine were there ,Doug sporting a sweet looking shag tiki shirt.

What a great Talk Mr. Perry gave on "The Rise and Fall of TIKI Cuisine". The lecture room at the library had an original art display by artist Tom Hofer Tiki Matchbook art. The lecture was attended by a lot of people interested in Tiki Culture and history of Tiki Restaurants. There was a lot of Ohana in the air. After the lecture a number of Tiki people decided to take a mini John O tour. We started out at Finn McCool's until The Galley opened, after the Galley we proceeded to the Townhouse, and finally ended the evening at the Purple Orchid. What a great Tiki day in Cool Southern California with Tiki People.

A little rundown of afternoon/evening:

Charles Perry's great lecture:

Finn McCool's

The Galley

What The Galley looked like

What The Galley felt like

Townhouse/Del Monte Speakeasy

The Galley felt like that when you realized I had a story of the Zanti Misfits! The whole time you guys looked at me like, is she naturally like this or what......

Kuke

"Outer Limits" reference, Cool.....

Oh, Kuke. Stop your nonsense. OF COURSE we know you're naturally like that. :wink:

On 2012-04-27 11:28, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
"Outer Limits" reference, Cool.....

That episode freaked the Hell out of me when I was a kid. Now I chuckle.

Bear

On 2012-04-27 17:00, Brudda Bear wrote:

On 2012-04-27 11:28, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
"Outer Limits" reference, Cool.....

That episode freaked the Hell out of me when I was a kid. Now I chuckle.

Bear

I used to scare the hell out of my sister by making that noise the Zanti Ants made.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2012-04-27 19:17 ]

OMG! If I had a brother, I would really be damaged. I could not roll up my parents station wagon window fast enough as a child. I visited the rocks and re enacted Gorn and then I did that awful actress falling all over the place. I must do that again, soon.....

Kuke