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American Life
Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940
Item 8 of 28
[Dennis Potinos]
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August 20, 1939
Dennis Potinos (Greek)
Proprietor.
Rectors's Cafe,
Cathedral Place,
St. Augustine, Florida.
Rose Shepherd, Writer.
DENNIS POTINOS, (GREEK) {Begin inserted text} {Begin handwritten}
Part I {End handwritten} {End inserted text}
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.
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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
clothe, 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/ {Begin inserted text} {Begin
handwritten} sickening {End handwritten} {End inserted text}
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.
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"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 [?] [?], 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 [?] 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.
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"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.
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"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 leaders.
"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 [?] 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 greatdeal 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.
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"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/ {Begin inserted
text} on the mainland {End inserted text} 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 '[Maorodaphne?].' 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.
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"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 {Begin inserted text}
/(public spirited citizens) {End inserted text} 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 come 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.
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"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 {Begin deleted text} [?] {End deleted
text} {Begin inserted text} under {End inserted text} the
Duke of Vienna, who had a mighty power at sea -- God protected the islands.
"The present dictator of Greece, {Begin inserted text} General {End
inserted text} Motaxis, 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.
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"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.
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"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 {Begin inserted
text} /by {End inserted text} 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,
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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.
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"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 Euphia has
been know 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?] {Begin inserted text} {Begin
handwritten} [/-?] {End handwritten} {End inserted text}
[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 [separated?],
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.
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"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.
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"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. [Eloni 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 [ouched?] 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
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and would turn over to the Federal Writers' Project for the valuable
information it contains. {Begin deleted text} [?] {End deleted text}
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 [Mrva 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
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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 {Begin
deleted text} [?] {End deleted text} 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 live -- 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)
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