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A GREEK RESTAURANTEUR
(Florida)
Tom's note:
This life history was not completely transcribed, with several pages and
paragraphs noted as 'illegible.' I have compared the typewritten copies
(which were poor quality carbon copies), and have come up with this more
complete transcription.
For the third time we entered the
bright cool restaurant of Tony Varnakus. Flowers nodded, the canary sang,
the radio was turned on, and Mr. Varnakus was busy dusting his stock and
arranging it more advantageously.
"Well, how about today? Any time to talk?"
"Today iss all right, yes," he said pleasantly, going on with the dusting.
"I be through here now in minute. Everything iss sold by suggestion, [?].
Half of success of any business iss by direct or indirect suggestion. That
iss why I do this." An expression of satisfaction came over his long,
pallid face.
The cool air of the large circulating fans and the cleanliness of the
place was very restful. We sat at one of the tables to wait. In a very few
minutes Mr. Varnakus came over and sat down with us.
"How about a piece of pie. No? Well, a cup of coffee. Dis pie iss made in
my kitchen and I know it iss good. Excuse me, I got this order." He heaved
his tall slightly fat body up and over to greet a young couple entering.
"Well, well you get congratulations from me winning the jitterbug contest.
That iss something to be a jitter-bug. Is dis your wife jitter-bug?"
[We?] knew the couple had won a dance contest during the Naval Air Base
Celebration held in Jacksonville on May 12. Mr. Varnakus talked to them
for some time, then came back and settled himself at our table.
He tossed back his long loose pompadour of gray-sprinkled brown hair,
fixed us with large myopic eyes. "So - first the boyhood in Greece, eh?
Well, it was no different than anybody's childhood. Things were different
only in accordance with the different customs of the country." He pursed
his heavy mouth judiciously.
"My papa he was in the hide an leather business and had a steady demand
for his products. He make a fair to good living for his family. He supply
the home all right, but not lavish. We eat a good living and keep healthy
by home treatment if nothing serious get the matter.
"I leave my family there when I am in my teens and come to United States,
I come with bright hopes, and love of liberty, which is hard to understand
for these who have been born here.
"When I leave my family, I never go back to see them, only for a short
time while I am in Europe after the World War. Naturally they were
unsettled as every country was then. My mother she die a long time ago and
I have no close family living there now, for they all die out.
"When I leave Greece I leave it for good and I am not interested in
conditions over there for I can do nothing for them. I cannot bury them
and they wouldn't let me bury them. This iss my country and I never think
of Greece as my native country for the American people have given me
everything: Greece, nothing.
"When I come here in my teens, I am handicapped not knowing the language.
I worked in two different lines. First in a cleaning establishment and
then in a hat cleaning parlor. Although I made my expenses I was not
fascinated by my work.
"One day a customer who came often to the shop I was working in, asked me
how I would like to learn the restaurant business. The idea appealed to
me. I could mingle with the customers, and learn everything about the
kitchen, too. I joined him. Well, now my real work began. I was proud to
meet the public, listen to them, observe them closely, and notice, above
all, what displeased them. I learn very quickly that most of the people
are appreciative but there are a few of the other kind. Big dinner or
joost cup of coffee get same service from me, though.
"Yes, the secret iss treat everyone nice, call them by name--they like
that--and never talk to them unless they seem to want conversation. It
becomes quite a pleasure to wait on the public, but it must be remembered
that familiarity brings contempt. Never encourage familiarity.
"There are two points in the restaurant business, service and quality of
goods. I have always bought the very best meats and vegetables and did not
spare any expense to learn all about foods and their preparation. My
dealers know I want the very best at the right price. Well, I became
successful, and saved money.
"When time come to marry, I marry an American girl. I could not fall in
love with a girl from the Old Country for she would not be modernized and
would not be able to learn the new tricks and customs of this country. A
girl has to be born here and brought up here to know all that. You hear it
iss hard to teach the old dog new tricks and that iss truth. Men come here
and make good success, then they do something that does them more harm
than good. That iss they send back to the Old Country for their sweetheart
and bring her here. Then she iss strange and people look at her and think:
she iss not American through and through, and that hurt his business very
much.
"The people make my business good. Why should I not get a wife, if I fall
in love, from this people? That iss wat I did. I never fall in love with
nobody until I fall for this wife I get. She help me very mooch. She iss]
smart and she know the customs of the people and business. I have a good
wife, she iss good to me and I am good to her, we have a good home, wat we
built an enjoy.
"Dis house of mine iss in Brentwood and I keep half of my big lot for my
flowers. About 15 years ago I buy the place and have it built joost like I
want, according to my own plans.
"Those flowers on my grounds that I plant myself when I am off on my
hours." He waved his hand toward the flowers in the place. "I have 102
sets of dahlias all dark red, and dis large," making a large spaced circle
with his hands. "The marigolds are new to me. This year iss the first time
I have experimented with them and they do very nice. [?] they are the new
improvement, so mooch bigger and brighter. I like the bright canary yellow
look they have. They looks so good in the business and in the home."
At this point a stooped, shabby old man tottered in slowly and took his
place at the far end of the restaurant. Varnakus served him coffee and
came back to us, a look of pity and sympathy on his face. Leaning
confidentially close he said in a low voice, "Dat man, it iss a shame for
him. He use to be rich, now he iss nutt-ing. Joost living and that iss
all.
"He come here from Greece about 45 years ago and made a lot of money. He
was in Tarpon Springs an worked in the sponge business. Later he give up
the sponge business and started peanut vending where he made a fortune at
Tampa. The president of the State Bank there take a liking to him and let
him sell his peanuts in front of the bank. He made $12,000 in four years.
The president of the bank would often times come to him for advice
regarding finances for he seemed to be a wizard when it came to making
good investments.
"Gradually he lost all the business sense he had. He got to gambling in a
big way and the president tried to influence him to check his gambling.
The president tried to make him stick to his business but one day Mike,
that's his name, Mike Tjogas, cussed the president out and then he had to
move his location from the bank.
"He come to Jacksonville and during the boom he put $10,000 in the slot
machine business and went broke. He had left only $500. He sent the $500
to his poor widowed niece and this left him on mercy. He had a gambler's
heart and now he iss a subject of pity to all who know him.
"I tell you this little story so that you will know that he was not a poor
man all the time, and to let you know that it was poor management that put
him in the condition he is in now."
The old man got slowly to his feet, mumbled his thanks to Varnakus in
Greek, who answered in the same language, the look of sympathy and pity on
his face once more.
"He has a peanut wagon on a busy downtown corner but the location iss not
a paying one, for it not every corner that you can sell enough peanuts to
make living. He does not make enough to live on so I give him his lunch
everyday and his afternoon coffee. He iss feeble and seems to live a
lonely life. No one to care but others of his race and some are not kind
to him because they know that he has gambled his everything away.
"Everything in life is relative.
Although many people in my community say that I made a success in
business, and not a little envious that they don't do so good, I feel like
almost anyone can do joost as well by using common sense. Of course,
common sense means never to make the same mistake twice, and learn at all
times by the mistakes of others.
"Yes, I done good in America, and I was happier man when the Armistice was
signed and I left the service because I felt I had repaid some the country
that had done well by me.
"When the World War broke out I enlisted in the Navy. Many friends told me
I was fool, but I must admit that I was proud to wear the American
uniform. I still feel proud today, when I think about it. I was fighting
for America and its ideals. A country where any one can make good, if he
has courage and wants to work.
"Maybe you like to look at pictures I make while I was in the United
States Navy. Take the album and look while I take care of customers."
The first photograph that attracted our attention was a picture of a
poster displayed in all the principal cities of Italy after the World War.
Columbus is depicted standing in a pose indicating disgust, his arms
crossed on his chest, his expression unhappy and disgruntled; the caption
below in Italian, "What the hell did I discover America for anyway!"
Varnakus came back as we were enjoying this one and said, "Italians don't
like the allotment of lands after the war. They think they been cheated so
they got out those big posters, to show their displeasure to America and
President Wilson."
He turned several pages and paused at a group picture in which some of the
men were receiving gifts of cigarettes.
"That Y.M.C.A. it did no good over there. We buy a carton of cigarettes
from the Y.M.C.A. for $2.00. Wat we find when we open? Little note inside
saying, 'this carton of cigarettes donated by such an such a club,' an the
Y.M.C.A. make us buy for $2.00 that carton wat has been donated.
"Now here iss pictures of a bull fight I see in Tangeria, Spain. That iss
a very cruel sport an I cannot see how they get so much enjoyment out of
it. It iss terrible to look at, still it iss a great thing to the natives.
You never saw one did you? I will tell you about it."
He drew a plan of the arena where the action was to take place and as he
talked became more and more excited, "It takes three horses to each bull,
see? The horses are usually old horses that have been pretty well worn
out. Probably about 15 or 20 years old because they are nearly always
killed and if not, they are so badly injured that they have to be shot.
"It takes four hours to see this fight. There are stone walls at intervals
around the stadium, so the men can jump behind to save himself from the
infuriated bull.
"You see this bull has been pierced again and again by the rider, with a
short spear that has a point on it like a fish hook, a banderilla. When it
goes deep enough it catches and stays there sticking out of the bull as he
runs and jerks himself that way, that way trying to get it out and getting
madder and madder all the time.
"The spears are thrown from time to time by the rider into the bull's
back. When at last the bull is so mad the rider has to protect himself, he
rushes his blindfold horse to the stone wall and gets behind just in time
to save himself.
"Now come the most cruel sport in all history, for now the bull is seen
many times to thrust his long horns all the way into the horse's belly."
Illustrating the length of the bull's horns by the length of his own long
arms, Varnakus is by this time so excited that his hair is waving from
side to side, his shirt tail is out and large drops of perspiration are
falling from his forehead. His last customers had finished their meal and
were standing awe-struck watching the highly emotional Greek relate the
story of the bull fight.
"The horns they would tear the belly of the horse so mooch that his guts
would fall out and maybe then he would step on them himself and break
them. Then the crowd goes mad and roars and roars.
"The more cruel the more better bull fight. The horse is forced to prance
around and suffer the abuse of the bull. When it can no longer stand it,
he lies where he falls and other blindfolded horses are brought in to meet
their death the same way.
"At last after three horses have fallen either dead or so injured they
can't move, the man comes in that can hypnotize the bull. He dances around
with his very sharp spear concealed in a red cloth and keeps his eyes on
the bull's eyes every second, never allowing them to stray away, for if he
should it would mean instant death.
"Gradually the maddened bull calms down under this man's eye, and is seen
to be almost kneeling on his front feet before the man. When the bull
lowers his head the man thrusts his spear directly between the bull's
shoulders and into his heart, which instantly kills the bull. The man must
not miss the important spot, for if he make a mistake the bull will then
kill him right, because the man is close and it would be easy. Just before
the man kill the bull, everything is very quiet; not a sound is heard, but
in the moment the bull is speared and falls, the crowd goes crazy."
By the time the story of the bull fight is complete, Mr. Kivelos is a
sight. His hair is wild and his sweat-soaked shirt hangs rakishly out of
his rumpled pants. He apparently feels no concern for he walks calmly to
the cash register where he thanks his customers and tells them to come
back.
"When the Armistice was signed," he continues, on his return, "I left the
service. I tell you before I was a happier man because I repaid the
country which has given opportunities to millions before me and millions
after me. A country where there is only one aristocracy, the aristocracy
of achievement. Today I have my own home and garden, a nice wife, a fine
restaurant. I do not owe any bills because I know that respect of your
fellowman is the most valuable asset. I express seldom my political views,
but study every question, and have never failed to cast my vote."
"What do you think of the present administration?" we ask mildly.
"My idea of the present administration? Well, that is a very funny
question and I don't dare to answer it just so, for that would not do. You
are working for the WPA, aren't you?"
"That doesn't mean you can't say exactly what you think," we assure him.
"Well, I think President Roosevelt meant only good for the people and has
been able to accomplish a lot of good things all right. But there is an
awful lot of money being spent. It's not all getting to the poor people
like he wanted it to, either. It is spent in the higher brackets. I can't
exactly call it graft, but it just doesn't get into the channels that the
relief money was intended.
"Ah, that is a funny question let's talk about something else. You see, I
know that the President means only good for the people and everybody makes
mistakes sometimes and you could not put anybody in that office and please
everybody.
I'm grateful for the Home Owners Loan Corporation that has materialized
through the present administration. It helped me to save my home that I
might not have been able to do without it."
He rises abruptly, "Well, this should be all. I will give you anything in
this store if you will let me alone. Here take this package of chewing gum
and good bye." He was smiling as he said this, but there was an
undercurrent of seriousness. We thanked him for giving us so much of his
time and left hastily.
May 20, 1939
James Kivelos (white
Atlas Restaurant
318 Main Street
Jacksonville, Florida.
Proprietor
Lillian Steadman, writer
Evelyn Horner, reviser
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
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