Cocktails and Dreams

I picked up this postcard because of the giant marlin. I have always been fascinated by these giant fish and their taxidermic forms. Rarely are fish actually preserved the same way that most mammals are mounted. Due to the thin nature of the skin, thin, scaly, and oily, it loses color and tends to decay pretty quickly; so almost all mounts of fish are actually painted fiberglass models based off of caught specimens.

But enough about taxidermy, let's talk cocktails! Buying old postcards gives us glimpses into fleeting thoughts of individuals we will more than likely never meet. Here, were get to learn about a trip to Hawaii and the exotic drinks they have at the Hilton. Whether the Tropical Itch is still on the menu, I do not know. The gimmick of serving it with a back scratcher is even more amusing. 

Yet all of this has an ominous side. Having taken a microbiology class and read a book on tropical disease and parasites, I don't think I would ever really want to have a drink poking fun at such troubles. Leper colonies were only a few islands away. And if that weren't disturbing enough, there were other fevers, amoebas, viruses, and assorted skin louses that dwell throughout the tropics that would provide itching and burning and disfiguring and hurting. Give me a Manhattan when I order a cocktail--I don't care if I am in some tropical locale...that is if I still drank. Hell, if I want to be daring I will order tequila.