South Pacific Newton MA – Tiki Restaurant Closes Suddenly – Mod Betty Laments

I’m supposed to be writing about Los Angeles tonight, but ever since I found out today that the South Pacific in Newton MA closed up after almost 50 years, all I can do is grieve the passing of yet another tiki tacky and yet totally wonderful Retro Roadmap worthy establishment.

The “polynesian” food served at SoPo and places like this are such a comfort food from my childhood when ordering Chinese food was a big deal. No, it’s not Authentic Chinese, but in a way it’s Authentic American and I’m cool with the difference between the two – like the difference between real potato chips and Pringles. Each is good in it’s own way.

Fried shrimp O’s, chicken fingers or chicken wings, egg rolls, duck sauce, crab rangoons, pork fried rice, none of it good for you, but oh so tasty.

And served in a lazy susan with a flame in the middle? So Exotic!

Even though they were a bunch of wiggly piggles, I am SO GLAD I got to bring the Retro Roadkids here, and will continue to introduce them to these parts of their suburban American history. Hopefully they’ll remember a time when everything wasn’t chain restaurants and mega big box stores.

And once again I’m reminded, like you probably are too – that any one of these cool old places that we are so fond of can be gone in a moment’s notice.

I can’t help but think that if all of the people – myself included- who are posting fond memories of the South Pacific on the South Pacific Restaurant in Newton, MA Memorial Page on Facebook would have eaten there more often and not taken it for granted, that maybe it would still be there.

Let’s not wait for these places to close before we show our affection for them – let’s go visit them while they’re still around, spend a little money and let them know how much you dig them. Then maybe they’ll stay open!

And that’s what Retro Roadmap is all about, Charlie Brown.