41     TIKI BAR            

KEY CONCEPTS:  balance, moderation, the wrong crowd, a bad influence, economy, frugality, management, perilous fusion, accommodation.(Corresponds to Temperance)

MESSAGE:  Embrace everything in moderation…including moderation, friend. It’s okay to occasionally cut loose and slurp decadent cocktails.  A delectable Mai Tai infuses a delicate balance of flavors into an alchemy of opposing forces.  Don’t become a Zombie: pace yourself to avoid getting sloppy “in your cups.”  Let life’s rich tapestry unfold naturally…don’t deep dive into a Blue Hawaiian lagoon of sloshed intoxication. The middle path requires equilibrium.  Repeated exposure to overindulgence staggers us precariously close to the edge.  Physical injury, addiction, ruination or even death can occur through such perilous fusion.  Burnout lurks nearby…a lesser danger, but swilling too much ambrosia plummets your passion for the punch, and other fun stuff to boot.

Early tiki bars popped up in the 1930’s as a Hollywood contrivance.  Popular for thematic escapism, they gyrated with exotic, fruity cocktails, tropical decor and mid-century razzmatazz.  Leisure spots like Albuquerque’s now-defunct Burt’s Tiki Lounge or Flagstaff’s Golden Star Restaurant sprinkled the Route with Polynesian-themed food and libations.   From beginnings as high-end pleasure domes, they descended into dives before fizzling out.  Some suggest earlier versions of these hotspots behaved disrespectfully, appropriating images of ancestral guardians to peddle a fru-fru cocktail or five.  Newer incarnations advocate more courteous handling of Polynesian aesthetics.   America’s melting pot is a rich concoction of cultures.  It can be distasteful accommodating those who insult us in obtuse admiration...but do it anyway.  Show them you’re the Big Kahuna.   

Temperance breeds emotional stability.   Equilibrium, harmony, and patience are all products of the middle path.  Don’t skimp on high-quality ingredients; processed product led to original Tiki’s decline.  If you drew Tiki Bar today, don’t hang ten with the wrong crowd. Sidestep bad influences by bringing temperance to bear in your life.

RELATED SITES:  TIKI GRILL, FLAGSTAFF, AZ; TRADER VIC’S, LOS ANGELES, CA; SIDE TRIP TO GIGANTICUS HEADICUS, ANTARES, AZ;  THE TROPICS RESTORED NEON SIGN, LINCOLN, IL; NEO’S TIKI BAR, BUFFALO RUN CASINO, MIAMI, OK.