On an overcast Tuesday, I set up in Bethesda Fountain and immediately snagged a man and 2 women from Lebanon and Dubai. The man informed me he\u2019d been to Hawaii but had never hula-ed. One of the women said, \u201cIt\u2019s easy, just pretend you are the ocean waves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d I took them through 2 verses of \u201cThe Hukilau Song.\u201d During the second verse, one of the women broke through the constraints of the traditional hula, and, arms flailing, pranced around the others with abandon. When they\u2019d returned the leis, I looked down to find a fiver in my case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A man off the bench gave me a dollar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I heard the accordion, and my aloha spirit was replaced with a low-level rage.\u00a0 It was the Italian man who\u2019d cursed me out last time I\u2019d asked him not to set up so close to me.\u00a0 ( http:\/\/www.mrukulele.com\/?p=1092(opens in a new tab)<\/a>). Before I had a chance to consider what, if anything, to do about him, I was in his face.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about this before,\u201d I began.\u00a0 \u201cWhen you see me playing, you move somewhere else.\u00a0 You don\u2019t set up on top of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He sputtered something in Italian. \u201cI don\u2019t understand a word you\u2019re saying.\u201d More Italian. \nI turned my back and returned to my spot. I strummed out some chord patterns until I\nregained my composure, then began singing \u201cMaking Love Ukulele Style.\u201d By the time I finished, the accordionist was\ngone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two little kids came off the bench, each holding a handful\nof coins to toss in my case. Neither\nwanted to hula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rain clouds churned overhead. A few drops hit the ground, but the sun soon burned through; all those who had stood up to leave sat down again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 50-something woman came forward with a dollar. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you play something Hawaiian?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you from Hawaii?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I reached for a lei. \u201cHow\nabout you hula to \u2018The Hukilau Song?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no, no,\u201d she said, taking a few steps backward. \u201cI don\u2019t dance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of my set, I stuffed $8.06 in my pocket. On my way out of the park I saw the Italian\naccordionist, sitting on his stool, wheezing out the \u201cTheme from the Godfather.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"