Luau at Moki's

Last year Kelly told us about Moki's Hawaiian Grill in Mesa. She found out about it when she went to a location near her in Utah. We've enjoyed going here and we found out that once a month they have a "luau", serving "local"  food and having entertainment.

We invited our friends from Quebec to go with us. Below is Jean Luc and Francoise. They speak French as their first language and have never heard of a luau. But when I used a French word "buffet" they accepted the invitation, not really knowing what to expect. But they are fun loving and were up for an adventure. We didn't know what to expect, having gone to many authentic luaus in Hawaii. But we too are fun loving. Note the Ute poster on the wall. There were also BYU posters elsewhere.

One of the best stories of the night for us came when the "entertainment" arrived. Two polynesian guys and girls found a corner in the crowded cafe to crank up the music and begin dancing. They just happened to have blocked the hallway to the restrooms where Becca had gone before the dancing began. In the photo below you can see Becca (in a red shirt) trying to make her way back to our table. I was taking the photo and I saw her. I didn't know what she would do. It didn't take Becca a minute to decide what to do.

She just moved to the loud thumping music in between the two girls and began to mimic their moves.

Da girlz (as we would say in Hawaii) didn't miss a beat. They and the audience thought it was a riot. Jean Luc and Francoise were delighted. They knew that Becca wasn't part of the plan. See the girl on the left laughing. Remember, Becca knows something of hula dancing. You can take a girl out of Hawaii but you can't take Hawaii out of the girl.

Shortly after, the dancers invited others to come up and join in the dancing. By this time Becca was back at our table but one of the boyz came and got her to join. Becca had become a crowd favorite.

The men in the audience were called up to participate. Papa and Jean Luc learned the slap dance and the haka.

Later we went outside for the fire knife dance. The audience didn't participate.

As we were about to get in the car, Becca and her dance partners poised for a photo op.

By the way, we all ate the variety of the local food on the serving tables. Our neighbors felt the food was great and the entertainment was great fun. They were surprised as were we. Becca's impromptu performance helped make our Moki luau a success.