KeanuCheese

Growing up half-Asian meant that my mom was always introducing me to what a lot of people would consider to be "exotic". I remember loving the Polynesian pop aesthetic when I was a kid, but that all kind of went away when I became an angsty teen embarrassed by their Hawaiian-shirt-wearing dad. He loves those pricey Tommy Bahama shirts, but that's the extent of his infatuation.

Fast forward to 2015 and 28 year old me finds himself suddenly and mysteriously drawn to the escapist fantasy of tiki. It all started with my fiance and me traveling to LA for a wedding. I had always dreamed of going to a genuine tiki bar, but there were none in DC at the time. We were staying in Toluca Lake, so I was excited that there was this place called Tiki No around the corner. Fresh off a red eye flight, I found myself fulfilling a never realized ambition. I was in love from the second I walked in!

At first I was kinda reluctant in my adoration. "This was for old people and hipsters, right?" When the rhetorical answer in my head wasn't "WRONG!", I instead had an epiphany that resounded "Who cares if it's what you love and it makes you happy?!?"