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DENNIS POTINOS, (GREEK)
Part I
(Florida)
It was four o'clock on a hot Sunday
afternoon, when the polite cashier of Rector's Cafe in aristocratic
Cathedral Place smilingly stated that Mr. Dennis Potinos, head of the
Greek Community in St. Augustine, and proprietor of Rector's Cafe, had
stepped out for a short time.
"He'll be back by five -- always here by that time, if you return."
At 5 p.m. the residents of St. Augustine, the transient visitors to the
old Catholic Cathedral next door -- the oldest institution of its kind in
the oldest city of the United States -- historic St. Augustine, were
filing into Rector's for their evening meal.
Rector's Cafe specializes in shrimp, fish, oysters, -- the business card
states -- "The Original Seafood Platters -- Cooked to the King's Taste."
Mr. Potinos arose from a small table at the rear of the restaurant where
he had been enjoying a cigarette and a cup of black coffee, and came
forward, extending his hand -- a lame hand from a stiff arm, hanging
almost limp from a low shoulder -- and said cordially - "We sit here at
this front table, by the window."
As if by magic, three cups of coffee appeared, and a large ashtray was
placed at Mr. Potinos' left hand, with a package of imported, fragrant
cigarettes.
A system of air condition makes the restaurant especially inviting after
driving around for an hour on the broiling streets, with little or no
breeze during the waning afternoon.
Everything was spotless. The tables -- sixty of them -- were spread with
long white cloths with attractive Persian -- gourd-shaped -- patterns in
brilliant colors of red and green, shaded into soft henna and yellow. The
top cloths, removed after each diner, were stiffened white linen.
There was no noise. The Greek waiters in Tuxedos glided in and out among
the tables, listening quietly, and writing rapidly, when an order was
given. There was no odor of food cooking, and no sickening smell of
smothered burning of shrimp hulls, as was the case a little further down
the street in the same block, where cold drinks had been ordered in an
effort to combat the heat.
The walls were wainscoted up six feet with embossed imitation
Spanish-looking leather wallpaper; above that a double white tile-like
border, then the soft green tinted walls to the lofty ceiling. The floor
was of small hexagon-shaped block tile, laid in an intricate pattern in
brown and white. The chairs were heavy, dark drown, Spanish type, and the
cashier's desk of brown walnut with high brass grille. Everywhere an air
of repose, elegance, and refinement.
In front of us, facing the long plate glass window, was a remarkable
collection of coral from Florida waters -- the feathery fans, the tall,
sprangled "trees" -- some pink, some white -- and at the end of the ornate
basin -- the setting for native ferns, was a long shark's jaw with
polished, murderous teeth.
"Where did I get the attractive tablecloths? Chicago. A year in November
now, it will be, and many, many times they have gone to the laundry, but
still like new."
A rather large man, he is dressed in a light weight gray suite, with shirt
of two colors of blue stripes, a soft collar with black string tie, and
presents a most dignified appearance with his quiet bearing, his dreamy,
enlongated gray eyes, his hair black and slightly graying, parted in the
middle.
"You want my story? It will be long -- very long. I was born on the Island
of Ithaca. On the map? Here it is, to the West of Greece, proper, in the
Adriatic between Greece and Italy. It is spelled just the same as Ithaca,
in New York state. The town of my people where I was born is the seaport,
Baphia. The town has a normal population of 6,000, the whole island,
16,000.
"The climate is not tropical, it is about like that of North Georgia.
There are high mountains all about, and in the winter are heavy snows.
"There are many beautiful flowers and olive trees, and on the mountain
sides great vineyards, all kinds of grapes."
Mr. Potinos speaks with a well
modulated voice. He slurs his [?]'s, lengthens his i's. and caters to the
long words by stringing out the syllables, continental fashion. His accent
is decidedly French, which he speaks fluently.
"There are no large farms there, as here -- just gardens like, where the
farmers raise plenty of vegetables.
"The harbor of Baphia, where I was born, lies in a valley.
"It is quite low, surrounded by mountains all around. The groves of olive
trees and the vineyards are many and the pressed-out olive oil and the
wine makes the income of more than half the inhabitants." (He pronounced
it "inhob'-ee -t-a-h-n-t-s")"
"The harbor of Baphia is so picturesque and so beautiful! As you come into
the harbor front, you sail between two mountains, and as you sail up
towards the city, you see nothing -- nothing but the mountains on the
side, and the sky, and the blue water. After you enter the bay in which
the harbor is of the town of Baphia, the mountains rise in steps and tiers
which lead down to the valley. If you look around from the ship,"-(he
pronounced it "she-ep") "You seem lost like, you do not recognize the way
you come in. The harbor is very deep and big liners come regularly, and
freighters from all over the world.
"Between the island and the mainland contact is principally by small
sailing vessels, owned and operated by Greeks, bringing over groceries,
yard goods, and other supplies. Also there are extensive mail connections
from the continent, and to all the islands.
"To take the ocean-going vessels, it is necessary to catch a steamer from
Baphia to Patras, on the pelioponisus. They have not yet airplane service,
but probably will later, as they are very progressive.
"The sustenance (living) of the people is from the visitors to the island
from outside of Greece and from the workmen -- the main industry is
ship-building -- and from the sailors on the liners and freighters.
"For instance, the inhabitants of Greece own about fifty ocean-going
steamers, mastered-(manned)- "ninety percent by residents of Ithaca from
the master (captain) down to the ordinary seaman, dockmen and loaders.
"Many visitors come to the Island of Ithaca in ships from South Africa,
the British possessions of India, Egypt, Australia, and from Americas,
South America, from Roumania, also from Russia. The money they leave goes
to the people who live and work there.
"The island ships olive oil and wine to ports all over Europe and other
countries where it is in demand.
"Russia, before the Bolshevic dominance, and the overthrow of the Orthodox
Church of the old country, used oil from out part of Greece for
illumination of the churches and in their homes.
"The people look for money a great deal from the visitors, the same as
Florida caters to winter tourists.
"Ithaca is also historic. While I still lived there many archeological
excavations had been made; expeditions and scientists coming from various
parts of the world, to study the scenes that were referred to in Homer --
for instance, the home of Ulysses, and the parts pertaining to his life in
Ithaca.
"Mr. Frederick S. Schlemann, the archeologist, excavated the site of Troy,
and wrote a letter certifying that Troy, the Illiad, and the Odyssus, were
not a myth -- as so many believed -- but were absolutely true, as things
then existed in early Greece, written about and described with so much
detail in the classics.
"The public schools of Greece at present time are three: the primary, the
elementary, and the high schools. Business and commercial colleges they
have there also.
"In Athens --(he prounced it "Ahthe-e-ns") is the National University of
Greece, and there is another very fine University in Salonika.
"The northern part of Greece is very mountainous, and there exist in the
valleys many small settlements. There are three ports on the mainland
which are nearer to the inhabitants of these settlements, than is the main
harbor of the Island -- (Baphia).
"In some sections of Greece rosin is added to the wine, the sour wine,
mostly as a preservative.
"The wine of the Island of Ithaca is dry, like champagne, very clear, and
I am sorry to say almost none of it is ordered or shipped to America.
"The olive oil is the 'Mavrodaphne.' It is wonderful, very fine grain, and
in cool weather it becomes thick like soft butter. In the old country it
is kept in ancient stone urns of fifty gallons capacity.
"In Ithaca, I am thankful to say, electric lights have been installed by
one of our [pahtrioots?] (patriots) - a very rich ship owner. His main
office is in London, England.
"Ithaca, by the way has produced more patriots (public spirited citizens)
than perhaps of any other section, who have been spending their money for
the national expression of Greece." (That is, that Greece might take her
place among the nations of the world as a modern, up-to-date country).
"Ithaca during the war of the Revolution -- 1821 to 1829 -- the time when
the Island was under the English flag, became the home of the refugees
from Greece. The hordes came down, swarming over the country like savages,
and the people had to leave their pursuits and possessions and flee for
their lives. Ithaca and the other islands helped to house, caring for them
also with money, provisions, and clothing, -- all necessities.
"During the Igio Messcalanto, was the time Lord Byron was helping the poor
sick children, who were victims of the siege. Lord Byron visited Italy,
staying there for some, when he was entertained in the larger cities.
"Ithaca is a part of the Ionia Islands, ceded to Great Britian after
Napoleon's death, and it stayed under British rule until 1864 or 1865 when
England donated the Islands to become a part of Greece by the demand of
the inhabitants and the new Price of Denmark, King George I, who ruled
Greece.
"In the Ionia Islands the pure Greek language is always spoken. The
islands have been blessed by God -- never conquered by the Ottoman rule.
While Turks occupied the Balkans and north as far as Vienna, Austria never
were they able to take the islands, even under the Duke of Vienna, who had
a mighty power at sea -- God protected the islands.
"The present dictator of Greece, General Metaxis, was born in Ithaca. Just
lately I read in a Greek newspaper that he had asked Greek educator
(professor) to write the history of the Ionia islands from prehistoric
times, and, believe me, I am eagerly waiting for its publication.
"There are many churches in the Islands, all of the Orthodox Greek, and
all under the administration of one Greek Bishop.
"The unit of money is the drachma, value and like the French franc, about
five cents in American money. But there is so much shipping that we reckon
weight in ounces, pounds, bushels, the same as in England or America. It
is different in continental Greece.
"I came to the United States twenty-eight years ago, in 1911. I went first
to Georgia, living for years in Waycross, and eleven years in Blackshear,
Georgia.
"I was in business in Blackshear all my years there. I owned a restaurant
there and a fruit store. I was rated in both Dun's and Bradstreet's
Commercial Register. Then I sold my business at a nice profit and came to
Florida in 1925.
"I bought this restaurant and have been here ever since. The man before me
gave it the name of Rector's, and I just continued under that name. It was
a very small place when I took it over. I have enlarged the capacity,
improved the service, extended the menu, until now the cafe has a national
reputation. I am proud to say, most proud, that Rector's is recognized as
one of the best restaurants in Florida. I specialize in seafoods."
Returning again in thought to his beloved Island of Ithaca, he continued:
"No cold storage there. Meat was only available once or twice a week,
fresh killed, but every day there was fine fresh fish. The fishing boats
went out in the morning and returned at night, when the people went down
to the market places and selected their fish -- fresh from the salt waters
and most times alive yet.
"There were no cows on the island. The milk used came from goats. They
thrived on the hillsides on the mountains grass of the rocky soil, and
their milk is good and rich, free from tuberculosis germs.
"Once someone brought in about a hundred cattle, but they were kept, as
you say, in a pen fattening until ready to kill.
"The beef for consumption of the islands came from the sections north of
Greece, especially the Epirus. It was from here that the cattle were
brought in and fattened like I say. There is some pork on the island, but
very little, as the people generally do not like pork, and do not eat it.
They consider a pig a dirty animal, not fit as food.
"In the spring, in fact most of the year, they have lambs, and in the
summer the young kids. Easter week everybody buys a lamb and barbecues it.
Most of them are cooked at home. A good many, like two families who are
good neighbors, barbecue together. The homes have brick, built-in ovens,
with a part they build a fire under like a furnace with a grate, and this
is where they barbecue.
"When I lived there, only earthen vessels were used to cook in, with
occasionally a cooker of tin coated with copper.
"There were tinsmiths -- troubadours (traveling potmenders) -- who came
down from Epirus. They have been coming each year since the Middle Ages,
traveling in Greece in the winter time when it is cold in their own
country, carrying small furnace-pots fired with charcoal, retinning the
copper vessels for the inhabitants. I will say everything cooked in these
containers is fine, very fine.
"The housewives roast their own coffee, and grind it by hand in small
mills, held between their knees. The mill can be screwed to grind fine or
coarse, and they say the best to do this work is the troubadours ([?]) who
have strong hands and arms, and can grind the coffee fine. They also climb
up and pick the olives from the trees, help with all kinds of work, but
how they do steal! They are terrible thieves.
"My grandmother had a loom, great big, that took up the whole side of one
room -- about eight feet square, and she would get the wool, when my
grandfather sheared the sheep, and washed and washed until the wool was
white as snow. Then it was wrung out and dried in cotton bags in the sun.
It would be light then, and a small quantity of wet wool made a big bag of
fluffy dry wool.
"Then she had a hand machine - a carder - that made the wools in little
rolls, which she would stretch out and spin into thread. Sometimes she
would stretch too much and the thread would break. Then she would take the
two ends, wrap them together and twist hard, and you could not break such
a thread by hard pulling.
"She would buy big spools of cotton thread from the village store and spin
that also in to fine cotton cloth. It wear most like iron.
"In my days there was no ready-made or manufactured clothing on the
island. In every neighborhood there was a woman dressmaker. These ladies,
to my mind, were artists. They could take goods by the yard and fashion
the most beautiful things. They made ladies' dresses from looking at
pictures. In times when a girl in the neighborhood would be getting
married, and had a big trouseau, and lots of maids taking part with the
bride, the dressmaker was most busy, as there would be lots and lots of
new dresses for the wedding party.
"The men's clothes was made by men tailors. Those who could afford to have
the tailor-made clothing were very fortunate, as the tailors were artists,
too, training in Athens and Patras, and some of them going to European
centers and to London to study the styles and cutting.
"The shoes for both men and women were made in local shoe shops by trained
shoemakers who had a special cutter, who cut to measure, had a mechanic to
sew and put the shoes together. The shoes, as a rule, were very beautiful
and lasting. Kidskin was used for the women's shoes and cowskin and
calfskin for the men's. The best leather was imported. Some places in
continental Greece had leather manufacturing places.
"Ithaca has always been a maritime country. The Harbor of Baphia has been
known for centuries, and there for centuries have existed ship-building
yards, building sea-worthy ships. For instance, sailing vessels, plying
the Mediterrannean Sea from ports on the Black Sea to the Straits of
Gibraltar, were built in Ithaca.
"Ithaca has produced many good businessman, with large interests in
Russia, Egypt, Asia Minor, Austria-Hungary. Also there have been many
famous scholars and educators (teachers) who have good positions in
schools and collages all over the world, some of them renowned for their
great learning and their contributions to literature and the arts and
sciences.
"In my home in Ithaca the primary school children went together, but the
grammar school from the fifth grade and the high schools were separate,
the boys having their own rooms and teachers and the girls on the other
side. But in the same building. There were both men and women teachers,
the women in the lower grades.
"I would like to mention some of the Grecian ship-building companies in
England, one is Stathatos Brothers and the other is Dracoulis, Ltd. These
are two of the older and better known firms, with immense capital and
large enterprises. There are others, too, that have come into existence
since I left Greece thirty years ago, that have offices in London.
"One family of Ithaca, the Theophilatos, were one of the pioneer
ship-builders and owners that made great marine progress when Greece first
started to become a maritime nation. But that company is now out of
existence, because during the World War the oldest stockholder of this
company, Demetrios Theophilatos, was forced to leave England on account of
his anti-King activities. England wanted a united nation.
"Demetrios Theophilatos came to New York, bringing his fortune to this
country. He lost his ships because the English Empire were fighting him.
"In my opinion, Demetrios Theophilatos was the greatest patriot of Modern
Greece, but he made the mistake of trying to fight the Great British
nation, and not on the field of honor!
"Sorry to say, after he came to this country, he lost all his money in
real estate in New York city.
"But Mr. Theophilatos was a nobleman. He was recognized by President and
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, was invited to be their guest in Washington, and was
a friend of Mayor Hylan, of New York City.
"All of Ithaca regretted that he lost his money, because he was one of the
island's most highly regarded citizen.
"When he got cleaned out of his fortune in the United States, he went
back, not to England, but to Holland, where in Rotterdam he is earning a
nice living as a ship broker.
"Those steamship companies now in London conduct their business from ships
flying the Greek flag, enjoy the respect of the English, and the
confidence of Lloyds, the great insurors. During all the civil war in
Spain, never once did they carry a cargo to any of the belligerents or
handle any shipping but to or for the British government.
"There are forty or fifty ocean-going vessels owned by sons of Ithaca and
operated for their fathers in Patras and Athens, Greece. But for all these
ships, the name of their port of berth is Baphia on the Island of Ithaca."
At this time, Mr Potinos, who had been talking without interruption,
produced a letter from his desk from the captain of a Greek Steamer -- the
S. S. Eleni Stathatos -- a native of Ithaca, a friend whose wife is a near
relative, written while the ship was unloading scrap-iron in Yokohoma,
Japan. Mr Potinos saw in a notice in a Greek paper that the ship would
touch at Key West for orders July 1st, and the letter was in answer to one
he had written the Captain, and delivered to him when the ship reached Key
West as a port-of-call on the date mentioned. He read the letter, written
on a typewriter and couched in the most beautiful English, which he stated
he would answer in time for his friend to receive it five days hence at
Seattle, Washington and would turn over to the Federal Writers' Project
for the valuable information it contains.
Mr. Potinos was shown the picture-supplement illustration of the wedding
party of wrestling "Adonis". Jim Londos, of Beverly Hills, California, and
his bride, Miss Arva Rochwite, of St. Louis, Missouri, as they were led
around the alter of the Greek Orthodox Church by the Rev. Constantine
Thapralis, in the California city, and was asked to kindly explain the
flower crows worn by the bride and groom.
"I do not know if I can remember, but a song is part of the service,
glorifying virtue and honor -- it goes -- ""May glory and virtue crown
these"" and the two ribbons tie the flower crowns together, to indicated
the couple are united. I will write to the minister myself of the Greek
Orthodox Church in Atlanta, and ask him to send me the entire hymn."
In answer to a direct question he said: "Not many Greeks are farming in
this country. The could not, because, in my opinion, they were so
depressed when they came over here, most of them, that they had to turn
their hands to labor or other quick work to earn money to live on, and did
not have time or capital to develop a farm. If they would turn to farming,
I am sure they would make good, because as a race they are very persistent
and hard-working. Some come over trained in various trades as mechanics,
-- brick-layers, stonesmiths, plasters -- as blacksmiths, painters, etc.
But they had labored for so little at such work in Greece, there is so
little putting up of new building, that they almost starved to death, and
they did not have the heart to try to continue their trained occupations
in a new country, although wonderful skilled workers, for fear they would
be out-of-date or slow, and it would work a hardship on them. You see, the
main thing was to earn money quickly, just enough to live on, day by day.
"America is a wonderful place for my people, wonderful, wonderful country!
In which to earn a living, the government by a free people, the things we
have (conveniences), and the necessities of life -- all so incomparable to
what they are in Greece. We won't speak of it, but it would be surprising
if we could get along were we to return to the homeland. To live there the
life we have in this country, we would have to be one hundred percent in
every respect, and indeed be very rich to have there the same conveniences
as are possible in this country."
(To be continued)
August 20, 1939
Dennis Potinos (Greek)
Proprietor.
Rectors's Cafe,
Cathedral Place,
St. Augustine, Florida.
Rose Shepherd, Writer.
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
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