Here is a new song from a friend of mine Paul Hanna. He has asked me to share it with my friends.
When American soldiers returned home from World War II, they brought with them stories and souvenirs from the South Pacific. James Michener won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for his collection of short stories, Tales of the South Pacific, which in turn was the basis for South Pacific, the 1949 musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, also a Pulitzer Prize winner. Hawaiian Statehood further drove interest in the area and Americans fell in love with their romanticized version of an exotic culture. A further factor was the excitement surrounding the Kon-Tiki expedition. Polynesian design began to infuse every aspect of the country's visual aesthetic, from home accessories to architecture.
Soon came integration of the idea into music by artists like Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman, and Martin Denny, who blended the Tiki idea through jazz augmented with Polynesian, Asian, and Latin instruments and "tropical" themes creating the Exotica genre. This music blended the elements of Afro-Cuban rhythms, unusual instrumentations, environmental sounds, and lush romantic themes from Hollywood movies, topped off with evocative titles like "Jaguar God", into a cultural hybrid native to nowhere.
There were two primary strains of this kind of exotica: Jungle and Tiki. Jungle exotica was a Hollywood creation, with its roots in Tarzan movies and further back, to William Henry Hudson's novel Green Mansions. Les Baxter was the king of jungle exotica, and spawned a host of imitators while opening the doors for a few more genuine articles such as Chaino, Thurston Knudson, and Guy Warren.
Tiki exotica was introduced with Martin Denny's Waikiki nightclub combo cum jungle noises cover of Baxter's Quiet Village. Tiki rode a wave of popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s marked by the entrance of Hawaii as the 50th state in 1959 and the introduction of Tiki hut bars and restaurants around the continental United States.
Tiki exotica has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and Tiki mugs and torches that once collected dust in thrift stores are now hot items, largely because of their camp value.
What a great weekend! I was invited to race in a offshore sailing race from Kaneohe bay to Waimea bay. The race down was great, we had good wind and fair seas all the way down. We dropped anchor and spent the night under the stars.
In the morning we had a great breakfast and then a school of 60 to 100 Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris) swam into the bay to play, mate and feed. As we were finishing up our breakfast this school was just getting started on a meal of fresh fish. They cruised around the whole bay checking out swimmers, paddle boarders, and kids snorkeling.
The school headed out to sea about 30 minutes before the start of the race. It almost seamed like they wanted to be in the race but only if they got a head start. As the race started the spinners were gone. As we made our way up the coast, one of our guys yells "THEY'RE BACK!". As I looked around and made a slight adjustment on the jib sail, I could see the school racing along side our sail boat the PUANANI. The spinners would race forward to the bow to get pushed by the force of the water as the bow slices forward creating a pressure wave of water. The spinners love to surf the bow, they would jockey for a chance to do this, only two dolfins can "ride the bow" at the same time.
They raced with us for a while and then all of a sudden, they were stolen from us by KAIMILOA. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, I looked up to check the tell tails on the sail and the whole school was gone. The whole school was taken from us and was now racing and bow riding KAIMILOA.
Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of O‘ahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valleyextends behind Waimea Bay. Waimea means "Red Water" in Hawaiian.
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Tune in to AM 590 or FM 92.3 if or Click here to Listen Live
LIVE Show from Tiki's Grill & Bar
at the Aston Waikiki Beach
Today- 5am -10am
Friday, August 14, 2009
The show starts at 5am and I will be on at 8:45am
Tune in to AM 590 or FM 92.3 if or Click here to Listen Live
LIVE BROADCAST
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We were a little worried about the wind and rain last night. We were lucky with no damage to taro plants or avocados blowing off.. We still have a few weeks to go before we can pick the avocados. Taro at least 7 more months for most of the plants.
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Lisa and I had a great dinner at Highway Inn in Waipahu! We also got to see sisters Monica and Regina, two of the family members. Monica and Regina were hosting a dinner for five of the Highway Inn Scholarship recipients and their parents. If you are in the area, you have to stop! If you are out of the area....make the trip!
After 62 years, 'Highway' is still a 'best-kept secret'
By Khalida DuBose
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This is the first of a three-part series celebrating area businesses that have been in operation since Hawaii's territorial days.
WAIPAHU — For those who crave authentic Hawaiian food, Highway Inn in Waipahu continues to be the go-to place for "a taste of old Hawaii."
"I came all this way to eat at this place because the food is so good. It's ono-licious," said Kalua Dung on a recent day while enjoying lunch at the small eatery. "A lot of people from the Leeward side come here, not just people from Waipahu. I usually tell people, 'Here (Highway Inn) is where you can get some real Hawaiian food,' when they ask me where the best places are."
Dung is not alone in her assessment of the eatery, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in business. The restaurant — which originally opened in September 1947 and was founded by the late Seiichi and Sachiko Toguchi — is regularly bustling with customers from all over the Hawaiian Islands.
"We have customers from all over the state, but we're still one of the best-kept secrets," claimed Regina Toguchi, vice president and general manager. "My dad always relied on word-of-mouth for business because he comes from a time when people didn't always advertise, which is something I've changed since I came into the company. Now people come in, and they say, 'You guys have been around 60 years, but I never heard of this place.'"
Though some may not know of the restaurant, Regina, Seiichi's granddaughter, believes that fact gives the restaurant appeal.
"We're a local restaurant, where local families for generations have come to eat," she said. "We're not a touristy place that you're going to find in a pamphlet in Waikiki, or a place people are going to know about just from visiting the island."
For its service to the Waipahu community, the moderately priced restaurant was recently recognized by the city, and was presented with a certificate of appreciation for the contributions it has made to the town in the last six decades.
The restaurant's history dates back to Seiichi, who was born in Hawaii in 1914 but raised for a short time in Ginoza-son, Okinawa. At age 14, Seiichi moved back to Hawaii and took a job as a dishwasher in a cafe. With no formal education but a strong desire to improve his economic situation, Seiichi quickly learned how to cook Hawaiian and American foods, and was soon promoted to assistant cook.
In 1945, during World War II, the Toguchis and their three children were interned in a Japanese Internment Camp on the mainland. A year later, the family returned to Hawaii, and Seiichi once again began working hard to regain financial stability. After many attempts to earn enough income to support his growing family, Seiichi decided to open a restaurant.
The original location of Highway Inn was on Farrington Highway. But in 1960, the restaurant was moved to the heart of Waipahu on Depot Road before finally finding a permanent home on Leoku Street in 1984, under the ownership of Seiichi's son, Bobby Toguchi.
In an effort to expand services to its many customers, Bobby added a seafood market — conveniently located adjacent to the restaurant — and catering service to its operation in 2000.
Now in its third generation of ownership, Highway Inn currently relies upon the talents of Regina and her sister, Monica Toguchi, to handle the business' day-to-day operations.
Regina, 28, took on the huge responsibility in 2003 after her father, Bobby, suffered a massive stroke. Monica, 34, desiring to lend a helping hand, recently returned from Portland, Ore., where she was studying for her Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
The local eatery was originally a four-table space with three or four employees on staff. Today, the restaurant has not grown as much as one might expect, in terms of size, but has 14 tables that seat about 54 people and boasts 35 employees.
"This is one of those businesses where our customers know us, and we know them," Monica said. "It's very ohana here, and we're proud of that."
"That was one of my grandfather's wishes — that all people would be able to come together and enjoy real Hawaiian food," Regina added.
94-226 Leoku St # B1, Waipahu, HI 96797-1919
(808) 677-4345 Get directions
