A panda and I talk story.

An hour into our conversation, Andy grinned and said, “I love to tell stories.”

Andy is talented at storytelling. He has cultivated the lost art of heartfelt conversation. Hawaiians have a unique phrase for this gift. They call it “talk story.” On the islands, when you “talk story,” you are generous with the time it takes to converse, chat about your day, listen to what’s happening with each other, and tell stories. It’s more than small talk. It can take the form of reminiscing with old friends you haven’t seen in years or be a random, deep conversation with a complete stranger at the market. What matters most is that “talk story” is the intentional gift of time when you listen and thoughtfully respond.

Andy is also a prolific blogger. More than ten years ago, he began writing a blog called A. Panda’s Tiki Lounge. Andy writes about pandas, artists, drinks, decor, music, and more recently, deeper musings about the moon, color, and chakras. A few years after his first blog, he started writing “Creating Stuff,” a second blog, and even later, “Panda’s Tiki Today,” a third. In his second and third blogs, Andy summoned the discipline to write two to three paragraphs and post every day for 365 consecutive days. Every morning, he’d get up, take the dog out for a morning constitution walk, brew a cup of coffee, and sit down to write before starting his regular job. His writing inspiration was Neil Pasricha’s award-winning blog 1,000 Awesome Things. Like Neil’s writing, Andy’s blog celebrated creativity – with a twist of Tiki.

As we talked, Andy mixed up two 1944 Mai Tais using a tasty blend of Appleton and St. James rums, and I asked the obvious question, “So how do pandas and Tiki mix?” Andy – also known as Andy Panda, or A. Panda for short – told me the story of how he got his nickname in his teens. Although you might think it’s a reference to the 1940s Walter Lantz cartoon character of the same name, it was Andy’s high school friend, a bit of a class clown, who called him “And-a Pand-a” one day, and it stuck for life. He even has a Pennsylvania vanity license plate with his nickname to stay true to his brand.

Speaking of consistent branding, Andy’s home Tiki bar is also called A. Panda’s Tiki Lounge. “Pandas and Tiki have one thing in common. They both feast on bamboo,” he quipped. The Lounge truly is a feast for Polynesiacs’ eyes and ears. As he took me around the room, Andy started by telling me, “I’m proud of my collection of art.” As one might suspect, there are creative works or art featuring pandas drinking cocktails by the artist Sandra Tang Fremgen, as well as phthalo blue watercolors by Dawn Frasier, and south seas illustrations by Kevin-John Jobczynski. SHAG art adorns the walls of Andy’s SHAG Tiki Room Theatre. It’s only appropriate, since SHAG is the main reason Andy got into tiki in the first place. Andy also has an impressive collection of Tiki mugs, including a rare 1960s Hawaii Kai mug from the long-gone club in New York City. His mother-in-law bought the now-coveted mug on her honeymoon many years ago. Andy commissioned the talented Bill Collins to carve a Marquesan style tiki, one of several carvings at the Lounge. Andy even has a Disney toy table, complete with Cinderella’s Castle, a model Monorail, Moana figure, and more. These remind him of family trips to Walt Disney World and nights at the Polynesian Village Resort.

In addition to the rich visual offerings at A. Panda’s Tiki Lounge, Andy also collects exotica and surf-inspired music, often Compact Discs. If you ask him nicely, he might play A. Panda’s Tiki Lounge theme song “The Panda Strut” composed specifically for his bar by the talented Five-Eaux. The theme song sounds like pink panther (or pink panda?) took a spy break with a strong cocktail at the Mai-Kai. As far as Andy knows, he may the only home Tiki bar with its own theme song. Something a panda might strut about, I’d say.

I hope you get the chance to talk story with A. Panda someday. You’ll play cards and tell jokes. You’ll get your picture taken in the big Peacock chair with a tiki drink. And you’ll leave inspired, maybe even to write about another 1,000 awesome things.