Tiki Culture

I have to admit that until today, I never heard that term. What I do remember during the 60's were many "Polynesian" type restaurants/inns with the funky roofs, statues and burning torches outside. That wasn't a place for kids and certainly not a restaurant my parents would have gone to. I have seen several retrospectives on these type of restaurants and their contribution to the many flavored and exotic drinks that were developed and influences on uniquely American developed Asian food, but little of the historical and architectual backgrounds such as Trader Vic's. There's still remnants around here, but no longer functioning as restaurants that I know of. From what I seen today though, the kitschy, uniquely American style developed to intrigue insular Americans to an exotic theme from faraway Asian lands coupled with the stories brought back by serviceman after WWII, Korea, and later Southeast Asia certainly deserves the credit of being the original theme type restaurants that would later spawn an industry. With South Florida being a subtropical tourist magnet during that period of time for folks from up north, we had our share of hotels, restaurants,lounges, and even apartment communities based on that theme. Many of the Everglades, Aquatic Park, & Animal type tourist traps had a second venue in the evening allowing their grounds to be used for silly catered events featuring the torchlit Polynesian and pseudo Luau's complete with Parrots, fire dancers/walkers /jugglers intermixed with Seminole Indian garbed staff and entertainment such as alligator wrestling. Weird intermix of the exotic and times, but the tourist parties ate it all up even though it was utter nonsense, but probably a memorable load of fun for northerners visiting Miami when it was still a "tropical paradise" and people didn't know any better.
 
Any rememberances of this so-called Tiki Culture ? 
 
 
 

Hmmm---well,all of my memories are more along the Tiki SUBculture vein. :)
 
 

I remember being taken to the Kahiki in Columbus Ohio about 1968 when visiting the parents of a college friend. I almost fell into the big pond they had in the main lobby but what I still remember was a wonderful ice cream they served in a conch shell. I think it was a rum topping that I liked.
 
http://www.kahiki.com/about-us/supper-club.aspx

The Mai-Tais caused some memory lapses.

 
And this, the Kahiki, was torn down to make room for a Walgreens.

We had Bali Ha'i Polynesian restaurant supposedly modeled after Trader Vic's, on Lake Ponchartrain, on the grounds of an amusement park owned by the Batt family (actor Bryan Batt's family).  It was very popular, especially for prom dates.   Old menus, tiki mugs, and anything with their logo has become a  collectible here.  

Gilliagan's Island was a strong influence for the Tiki folk.

It is an upbeat and fun experience...for a day.

It also has the built-in recipe for a HANGOVER. Sweet drinks...sweet food.

Sweet POTENT drinks.

We got to talking about this morning over coffee. Many of those buildings that were still in existance took a heavy toll by Hurricane Andrew. One of the hallmarks of these places was the huge Buddah or pairs of huge Basalt Easter Island type statues with the elongated face/forehead guarding the entrance. I remember some of the newspaper ads that would show the entire kitchen staff lined up at a table filled with exotic foods and fountains and pictures of waitresses in Komono like attire with obviously eyeliner extended eyes. It must have been a gas to be inside one of these places from what I seen on TV last evening. Michael, now that I think of it, you posted something a while back on this place in the photo.  

I know nothing about it as these take up wall space in my computer room.
 
I started with tikis and downsized.  
 

Ignore Dean Koontz.  He shows up everywhere.

Here is the interior of Jade Island on Staten Island...

http://blog.humuhumu.com/...lands-tiki-jade-island

No exterior ambiance. You'd never guess from the outside...in passing. Strip mall...looks like every other place. Fun inside...for a evening.

The Los Angeles area used to have Trader Vic's, Kelbos, The Luau, Don the Beachcomber and a few others I can't think of.
 
Now we have none.
Maybe the Zombies killed them off.

Dawn I think you've got one of most well known near your area.
The Mai Kai in Lauderdale
Been there for many years. I think I last went there in the early 70's.
www.maikai.com
Mai-Kai Restaurant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Exterior view of the Mai-Kai on Federal Highway in 2007


The Mai-Kai is a tiki-themed restaurant located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It opened to the public on December 28, 1956, and is one of the few "Grand Polynesian Palaces of Tiki" still in operation today.[1] It is the last restaurant/bar in existense carrying on the traditions of service and serving the original drink recipes of Don the Beachcomber's.

I hope there's some Tiki Culture in Orlando.

The Kahunaville chain had a restaurant in our local mall, with all the "tiki" accessories, Easter Island monoliths, palm trees, even a waterfall. The food was ok, nothing special. After they closed, a local gentleman's club bought most of the fixtures, waterfall included, changed the name to something "tropical", and off they went.
 
We had another local restaurant open a few years back with that kind of theme, great food, but a terrible name and in a sort of a sketchy neighborhood. Unfortunately they didn't last very long. I think if they'd rethought the name and put it somewhere that didn't have the reputation that area did, they'd have lasted a lot longer.

Since Tiki times were all the rage during the days peeps loved to send postcards... there might be some great shots that are out there. I love postcards!

I just googled the tiki at disneyland and came up with a bar at one of the hotels.  I remember their used to be an animated exhibit, what was it I think the tiki lounge or bar or something with animated singing parrots....is that still at DL, or perhaps DW?  Too many years for me to remember anymore.

The Disneyland animatronic exhibit is the Enchanted Tiki Room. It's still there in Disneyland; I believe Walt Disney World still has one as well.

CCinNJ:
 
Here's a link to a postcard.http://www.flickr.com/photos/baikinange/4207144797/
 
I LOVE this place -- the Lotus Garden in Greenwood (southern Indianapolis suburb). Been going there for years and years -- a must visit for me every time I'm back to my hometown.
 
Classic Chinese-American food.  Great tiki drinks and fabulous rumaki!    

Thanks Rumaki!

I found the menu for Lotus Garden (I love menus too) and it is impressive!

http://www.lotusgardengre...iles/Sundayspecial.pdf

Chinese Mystery Dinner!! That sounds fun! Rumaki on the Pu Pu platter! Woohoo!

Milwaukee's Riverwest area has a new Tiki bar, The Foundation.
 

 
http://www.foundationbar.com/Home.html
 
The Foundation
2718 N Bremen St
Milwaukee, WI 53212
(414) 374-2587

I have been to a bunch of "tiki" bars. I have always just associated them with outdoor bars and never anything else. As long as I am.outside with a drink in hand I don't really care what the bar is called :-)

MFL that is beautiful! That has summer meeting written all over it!!

Now that I entered Tiki Academy...I found out the my new Tiki peeps really loved The Canton in Jersey CIty. It was not really Tiki (To Wong Foo the movie... was filmed there) but it was fun fun fun in a Tiki kinda way.

We had a Trader Vic's in Scottsdale but they closed it down about a year ago.
Not "Cosmo" enough for Scottsdale! 

The Trader Vic's in Dallas was closed for a long time, reopened a few years ago, then closed a year or so ago.

Can't pu pu Trader Vic's collector market...

http://www.ooga-mooga.com...i?mode=view&mug_id=933

Ooga mooga indeed. Whatever that means.

 
In it's own odd way, this thread has become quite interesting more from a historical perspective. What I find interesting is how the west coast associated Hawaii with the Polynesian/South Sea mystique while over here, the Everglades and mid state Cyprus swamp native American tribes were included in the Tiki culture here. From what my dad tells me of the early late 40's early 50's there were many clubs and restaurants that also blended in Caribbean/Calypso/Conga themes. I've spent some time on Youtube checking out some of the 50's "Exotica" music and dance acts that were associated with the Tiki culture by Les Baxter and Martin Denny and to some degree the 60's surf/racing music of the Ventures that featured Hawaiian themes. It would seem that the states were intrigued by a romanticized/imperialistic version of semi primitive tribal culture that was sanitized and played to their imagination of what they thought it would be like. Listening to some of this music was reminiscent of how the Florida Everglades wetlands were unrealistically portrayed in some movies back then. Sounds of exotic birds, jungle sounds, distant drums, yes, even sounds of monkeys howling in the night. Totally unrealistic, but apparently this pseudo media captured the imagination of folks in the heartlands that had a very vague idea of what other cultures were like. Thanks to those that have published photos, info, and links. This has been a very enjoyable thread indeed.

Thank you for starting the thread Dawn!

The Kon Tiki Hotel...WOW!


http://critiki.com/location/?loc_id=303

I want to find that postcard!

There were no architectural wow factors involved in NYC metro urban tiki culture. We missed the boat.

I went to Kon Tiki Ports restaurant in Chicago (at the Sheraton) when I was in college in the 1970s.   I think we dined in the Ship's Deck room.
 
http://www.billyspostcards.com/Postcard/68094_Postcard_Sheraton_Chicago_Hotel_Kon_Tiki_Ports_Restaurant_Illinois_IL.html

MilwFoodlovers


Milwaukee's Riverwest area has a new Tiki bar, The Foundation.
 


http://www.foundationbar.com/Home.html

The Foundation
2718 N Bremen St
Milwaukee, WI 53212
(414) 374-2587

 Pre Buffet concert cocktails?