J()by Bednar

Felt creative today so I was determined to conjure the Tiki Gods and create something different... or at least something I've never made before.  I've been watching quite a few cooking shows on Food Network, so rather than drawing or painting, I opted for a culinary creation.  A friend came over last night bringing a bottle of 10 Cane Rum, so inspiration took the form of 'Tiki Popcorn':

1 cup brown sugar (I actually don't know how much I used, it was bone dry and in chunks, but about a cup), zest from 1 lime, juice from 2 limes, and a shot of the 10 Cane Rum (I'm sure any good rum will do).  Bring to boil and caramelize.  Pop about 1/2 cup of popcorn in oil and a little salt.  Pour the lime sugar over the popcorn, mix, and pack in a baking tray to cool into a nice caramel corn block.  Break off chunks and enjoy!

I posted it to Twitter, and @strangetikigod offered up adding some powdered ginger and cloves to become Falernum popcorn.  Indeed!  I tried that and it is amazing!  A great spicy treat.  Definitely give both a try!  The lime gives it a nice kick, while the zest adds a little bitter depth.  The Falernum Tiki Popcorn version screams holiday in the tropics.  An amazing treat.

Now... where can I find a large Moai mold to pack the corn into as it cools... Hmmm...

Finally got my image uploader to work again... here's some of the pics from the TikiBarTV party:

(alright, so that last one wasn't so much FROM the party... but it was pure awesome!)

A couple years ago I was listening to the TwiT podcast.  Leo had some guests on, a couple of guys known only as Dr. Tiki and Johnny Johnny, talking about new media and podcasting.  They made some fantastic comments and I thought to myself, "These guys are pretty sharp, I should check out their podcast... TikiBarTV was it?"  My life took a drastic turn.  Loving their podcast lead to finding Johnny Johnny's blog of drink recipes.  The Coconaut lead to the Grog Log.  The Grog Log lead to the history of the Tiki culture and Don the Beachcomber.  That lead to finding a local Meetup group of tiki fans.  That lead to Tiki Central and the SoCal Tiki subculture.  That lead to numerous friends, musicians and artists that have filled my life (and cocktail glass) with volumes of enjoyment and pleasure... not to mention gallons of rum.  Last night, at the TikiBarTV 4th Birthday Party, the culmination of my Tiki lifestyle came to its zenith.

Oh, the friends!  Oh, the cocktails!  Oh, My Fucking God I Got To Party On The Set of the SS Tiki!  The night started at the Warehouse, drinking and making new friends.  The full cast was there, including DrinkBot and RobotBox.  A stirring round of trivia took to the stage and a vicious tournament of Bunnies commenced.  Pictures flashed.  People got sloshed.  It was an amazing atmosphere, better than any Star Trek convention or ComiCon you could imagine.  As midnight hit, those of us with the 'Golden Ticket' heading over to the studio and boarded the SS Tiki (sworn to secrecy and guarded with my life, so don't even bother asking).  There, Johnny Johnny and all 'took care of us' as only TikiBarTV could do.  Around 4am, it was time for me to drive home.  5:30am I rolled into bed.  11:30am I woke up and quickly uploaded my pictures and updated social sites, added new friends, etc.

Highlights of the evening:

• Meeting a columnist for Tiki Magazine that wanted to do an article on TikiBarTV.
• Great pictures with Johnny Johnny and Lala.
• Hanging out and chatting with the folks from Fez-o-rama (the makers of my fez, Fezmonger, Joe and spouses).
• Watching the trivia challenge and Bunnies tournament.
• Meeting Jerry Trainor (Spencer, the brother from iCarly) and recording a video for my son (his idea).  He went crazy. (Jerry, if you are out there... thanks a million, you made my son's day!)
• Of course, hanging out on the set of the SS Tiki!
• Talking to the guy who designed and built the set. (epic film industry titan... hearing a great story about him working for Steven Spielberg)
• Calling Johnny Johnny, "You Fucking Savage!" (inside joke) for using bottled lime juice and getting it all on video as he's mixing drinks.
• Meeting HulaHoney and various other TikiBarTV fans who were previously only known to me via Twitter or the message boards.
• Meeting EVERY major cast member and drinking with them.
• Hearing the theme song to The Pink Panther, a recommendation I made to Dr. Tiki via Twitter.
• Talking to Holden of Tiki Farm about creating a fez mug, then having Mr. Ambassador and Fezmonger join the conversation. (If I see a fez mug in the next few months... that was because of me!)
• Talking one-on-one with Dr. Tiki, Tosca and Johnny Johnny.  Such great people.  I didn't say, "I'm your biggest fan", but I was pretty close to being that goofy.