Saturday, April 14, 2007

The Triangle Abides

The Grim Reaper's unholy triumverate is complete. Don Ho, famous Hawaiian lounge singer and maker of the miniscule aquatic air pockets, has gone to the great luau in the sky. I can't say I was a huge fan, but when I was but a pup we used to frequent a Polynesian lounge/restaurant in Connecticut called the HuKi Lau(I think that's the right spelling). It was cool for my brother and me because it was all spooky tribal masks and colored lights. There were the ladies in the grass skirts, and the guys swinging bolos and dancing with flaming spears. And there was the Kahuna Nui of the Connecticut Lounge Lizards, Duke Galai. I honestly can't say if he was talented or not, since I had to be all of 8 or 9 the last time we were there, but I am sure he owed more than a little of his success to Mr. Ho. Oh, and the best part of that place, for us kids anyway, was the Pu-Pu Platter. If you don't know what it is, it's an appetizer plate with various finger foods, and in the center of the thing is a tiny hibachi. Yeah, they would give my brother and me a little fire to play with. And it was called Pu-Pu. It just doesn't get any better than that for a little boy.

Oh, yeah, rest in peace Don.

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