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Why do we classify mugs from Chinese restaurants as Tiki? |
Cool Manchu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2003
Posts: 560
From: San Jose, CA
|  Posted: 2012-12-16 5:58 pm Permalink
First, I have my fair share of mugs and vessels from a range of Chinese restaurants in my collection. However, I keep them collected together in their own section of my Tiki Lounge. I appreciate them and enjoy them. But I have often wondered why we consider them (or do we?) as Tiki?
I understand the ones that cross over and are used in Tiki establishments, such as the Fu Manchu (in its various incarnations), but what about the rest?
Do you consider them Tiki? If so, what is your reasoning? If not, do you collect them still like I do?
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Philot
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 04, 2003
Posts: 187
From: The armpit of Florida
| Posted: 2012-12-16 7:20 pm Permalink
OK, for one, none of those mugs from Benihana.
I mean, yeah, Buddha’s cool, and who can say no to Maneki-neko. But they're still just not tiki in any way, shape or form.
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4021
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2012-12-16 10:46 pm Permalink
Well chances are the places had Tiki Décor and the drinks were Tropical
in nature, so I would say "Tiki"
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Digitiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 22, 2004
Posts: 749
From: L.A. baby!
| Posted: 2012-12-17 09:17 am Permalink
Yeah I gotta go with that. Not all mugs from Chines/Asian restaurants are Tiki. However, I do know that a lot of tiki mug collectors also have at least a few Benihana Buddha mugs in their collection as well.
In the 50's and 60's many Chinese restaurants were cashing in on the Tiki craze by offering drinks in tiki mugs (that patrons could take home). Even today, some of the older Chinese restaurants offer "tiki drinks" in tiki-ish mugs.
The Hong Kong Inn, in Ventura (which just recently closed) offered many drinks in tiki mugs and volcano bowls (on fire), ceramic clam shells, even hallowed out pineapples. There is also an old school Chinese restaurant in San Diego that I have yet to go to, but I'm told it also has drinks in tiki mugs.
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Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2401
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2012-12-17 09:34 am Permalink
Since Tiki restaurants we're mainly serving Cantonese food, I think there was a sense of "Since they're serving our food, we'll serve their drinks." Exotic being exotic to the average schmo it probably didn't matter that much. However was the Dr. Funk or any of his aliases sold in the Dr. Funk or Fu Manchu mug at any of the major Tiki Restaurants?
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2012-12-17 11:02 am Permalink
I just wrote a whole spiel on how since the birth of Poly pop Don and Vic offered mainly Chinese food cooked by Chinese Chefs, and how with the mid-century wave of Tiki temples, Chinese cooks, servers and bartenders rose up in the ranks, only to then by the mid-60s (the waning of the trend) take over the business when the original owners wanted to retire. Or they had saved enough money to open their own restaurant, and that, most of all, as Boris mentioned, for originally Chinese restaurants the switch to "Polynesian" was an easy one...
Well, perhaps as an omen that I should not post his, the whole damn page just froze on me! But I don't care, I am not superstitious, so now you are merely getting a truncated version of the first part of my response, and the salvaged second part which I managed to save, below:
P.S.: Of course, there are exceptions to what I am saying above, like Lee's Islander, and some of Hop Luey's places, but they do not contradict the general historic facts.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-12-17 11:09 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3923
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2012-12-17 12:37 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-12-17 09:34, Bora Boris wrote:
However was the Dr. Funk or any of his aliases sold in the Dr. Funk or Fu Manchu mug at any of the major Tiki Restaurants?
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Boris,
Dr. Sam Tee at the Hawaiian Village, Tampa, for one.
Quote:
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On 2012-12-17 11:02, bigbrotiki wrote:
P.S.: Of course, there are exceptions to what I am saying above, like Lee's Islander, and some of Hop Luey's places, but they do not contradict the general historic facts.
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Bibgbro,
I agree with most of your thoughts, although there were few more great exceptions, the Luau Hut being a favorite!
DC
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Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2401
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2012-12-17 1:36 pm Permalink
I think I misunderstood the question (Although I love this thread) The argument about mugs if it's clearly not a Tiki or has a Tiki connection like a Panda Bear or a Benihana mug has been discussed before but I will now call that the Piggy Bank Syndrome, if it's a coin bank shaped like a pig sure it's a piggy bank but if it's shaped like an elephant it will still be called a piggy bank*. So if it's a mug for cocktails shaped like a Tiki or a mug shaped like a Ninja or Joe Strummer, it'll be described by some as a Tiki mug. I can live with that, it gets even blurrier though when you bring the Trader Vic's Hawaiian mugs into the picture like the jeans mug but I still like em.
*Hopefully there are piggy bank collectors out there that are driven nuts when this happens.
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Joe Banks
Grand Member (4 years) 
Joined: Aug 02, 2007
Posts: 518
From: Hollywoodland
| Posted: 2012-12-17 2:12 pm Permalink
Great...now I want a tiki mug shaped like an elephant piggy bank.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2012-12-17 3:37 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-12-17 13:36, Bora Boris wrote:
So if it's a mug for cocktails shaped like a Tiki or a mug shaped like a Ninja or Joe Strummer, it'll be described by some as a Tiki mug. I can live with that...
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I can't 
How about "Ninja Mug" and "Joe Strummer Mug" instead? Most of the time, the "Tiki" description used by the above "some" has not evolved out of any conscious knowledge of the characteristics of the Tiki genre, but from internalizing too many of the false claims wielded around liberally by collector-preying e-bay sellers
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-12-17 16:03 ]
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Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2401
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2012-12-17 4:02 pm Permalink
Yes!
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4021
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2012-12-17 4:47 pm Permalink
Ditto....
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nui 'umi 'umi
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 21, 2011
Posts: 379
From: La Mirada Atoll
| Posted: 2012-12-18 12:13 am Permalink
I had such a blast on John-o's Hong Kong Inn bus trip that I had to get up there and snag some memorabilia when I heard that they were closing. I bought a couple of dbl old fashions and Hi-balls that had a chinese motif. Not tiki. Also picked up a "scorpion bowl" ( heavy brown glaze-3 tiki figures holding up the bowl) Technically tiki I guess but I don't consider it as tiki as for example, the Goof or Mr. Bali Hai mugs that I bought at the Bali Hai in San Diego. However, the bowl was signed by both Jimmy and Tommy Kwan and I'll treasure it as a memento that will remind me of the great time I had with my fellow Tikiphiles on the ride up to and at the HKI. Wish I could remember where I posted the pic of that bowl.
Cheers
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Cool Manchu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2003
Posts: 560
From: San Jose, CA
| Posted: 2012-12-18 12:37 am Permalink
I believe this is your bowl.
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nui 'umi 'umi
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 21, 2011
Posts: 379
From: La Mirada Atoll
| Posted: 2012-12-18 01:28 am Permalink
Thanks Coolman!
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