In southern Greece, at the foot of Mount Artemisio, is a tiny village called Nestani. About 500 people live there, some still herding goats, as did their fathers and grandfathers before. Above the town, built into the imposing Rock of Goulas, is a monastery, founded in the 13th century. And on the gate of that monastery is an inscription, honoring the women of "Sikago" for their generosity sending money back for renovations.
Local lore insists that more people born in Nestani live in Chicago than live in the village itself. Many came here over the past century and made a good living.
One of them is Petros Kogiones, whose Dianna's Opaa was a beloved fixture on Halsted Street from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.
"From every other house somebody came to America, came to Chicago," Kogiones, 89, remembered when I phoned to chat. "Some had coffee shops or candy shops."
Why did Greeks go into food service?
"It was the natural thing to do," said Kogiones. "For Greeks, it was the easiest thing. With a lack of language, what else could they do? Wash the dishes. Cooking, like me."
Dianna's closed 30 years ago. But we are still a city blessed with excellent Greek restaurants. My favorite, Psistaria Greek Taverna on Touhy, is a boisterous room. Lively service. And great food. The chicken spanaki. The center cut pork chops. The green beans.
Chicago's Greektown was decimated by the twin blows of UIC and expressway expansion. But there are still plenty of Greek eateries on the shred that remained: Greek Islands and Athena and Artopolis Bakery, where I would reverently visit to stock up on melomakarona, those luscious honey cookies, before diabetes made the practice unwise.
And those are just the old-school places. There are many newer Greek restaurants, like Lyra in Fulton Market and Elia in Bucktown.
With more coming. In Tuesday's paper, we learned that a La Grange restaurant, Prasino, is opening in the base of Trump Tower.
Normally, I'd welcome any addition to the Greek restaurant pantheon, particularly one as centrally located as Wabash just north of the river.
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Yes, those are those family restaurants. Try Mother's Day in No. Riverside on 22nd st. Desserts in the case and Greek run or used to be. Some good old fashioned meals too.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to the question you pose: absolutely not. Under no circumstances will I put money in Trump's pocket, even indirectly. So no, I will not go to this restaurant.
ReplyDeleteYeah, no. I foresee way too many potentially problematic scenarios playing out. Not until the stain is removed from the building and memories fade.
ReplyDeleteMany Greeks are conserv. so no surprise about going into Dump's building. No, thanks.
ReplyDeleteOn my last visit to Chicago I rode my bike along the lakefront and up the Chicago River. At one spot on the river I was pleasantly surprised to see people lining up to take pictures of themselves flipping off Trump Tower. Nothing vulgar about it - just people noting that they love our democracy - in front of a symbol of our slide into a 3rd world authoritarian grift.
ReplyDeleteI wish him lots of success. But i will never set foot in that establishment, or building, until the rent money is going somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteI drone on incessantly about how the best thing we can do is to spend our hard earned dollars in smart and principled way. This situation is exactly what I talk about and Mr. Maglaris and Mr. Pruger point out.
It’s not about blue, not about red,” "The most American thing is green... It’s about making money."
We view this as a hospitality investment, not a political statement,”
Both comments shed light onto their truths and fallacies. You make a political statement by renting the space. There is no way around it. You are saying that nothing matters to you aside from the possibility of making money. that's it.
But, until we all grow spines and stand up for what's right, nothing matters. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
I will do anything and everything in my personal power to avoid my hard earned dollars going to anyone who supports the right, the center, and anything right of center. And i implore you all to do the same.
It's hard not to spend money and time and energy on certain "bad" things, especially when you're almost 80 and have had middle-class tastes and habits for decades.
DeleteYou figure, what difference does it make if I still watch a CBS show? Same thing if I buy something via Amazon or fight with strangers on Fakebook. I'm just one shmuck out of millions.
Multiply that by those same millions, and it makes an enormous difference. All the difference. Gotta wean myself from CBS News after 50-60 years. It's tough. Only 32 years as a smoker. This is a lot harder.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Brought to mind what we said about Vietnam veterans in the 60s and 70s: Don't hate the warrior...hate the war.
And that also reminded me: Wasn't it Johnny Deadline (Bob Greene) who finally debunked those endless stories of returning vets being spat upon at airports? I know he wrote about it.
Didn't he say that was all a lot of right-wing bullshit, and prove it?
He wasn't a total jamoke. He did have his good days, early on.
Don't hate the black, don't hate the white; if you get bit, just hate the bite. Thank you Sly Stone. I read Bob G for quite a long time until he kinda jumped the shark. Probably too long.
DeleteBut Grizz, that's exactly the problem. the only person you can control is you. Don't worry about the others. just do what's right. the rest will take care of itself.
DeleteI also get it. It's not easy. I spend a LOT more avoiding the bad people.
But you do point out something that is overlooked too often. Middle class tastes.
Life in American used to be something you could survive in on a single salary, tow and a half kids and a dog.
Then Reagan came, and in order to keep doing what everyone had become used to, the spouse needed to go to work. Everything kept moving on exactly as it was, but we'd given up everything to keep it that way.
Now we are faced with that same task. But now it's impossible. There is no third spouse to go to work. There is no suburb far enough away that lets you live like you did the last time this happened.
Americans are to self obsessed and absorbed in keeping their current middle class tastes and habits that they refuse to actually fight back.
oh its one little vice. oh its just easier. oh i'm one person what does it matter.
well it does matter. and you don't really get to complain about it if you're not going to do anything about it.
A lie has made it around the world twice before the truth has time to put its pants on.
As I often say its easier to give up cbs now than it will be to regain our freedom in another civil war. Amazon is much easier to say no to than Greg Bovino and his jackbooted thugs are. Its a hell of a lot easier to vote for a democrat now than it will be to never have a voice in a democracy again.
Imagine what would have happened to CBS if they'd just said no to their payday... hindsight is 20/20, but it does give us a pretty good idea of what comes next.
and as our boys would say "I could be wrong but I have seen your face before / You were the man that I saw running from his door / You owed him money but you gave him something more "
His best years were the 70s and early 80s. Enjoyed "Bagtime' too, around '76. Great parody of the Armistead Maupin series about San Francisco, with a lot of Chicago name-dropping.
DeleteAfter Bob went to the Tribune, his writing changed and his personal life changed. He got too mushy and too sentimental and way too nostalgic for his younger days as an Early Boomer who was just five months my senior.
And he engaged in other activities, ones that need not be repeated here. Took him another 20 years to finally go off the rails, but when he did so, the train wreck was a spectacular one. He was an NU grad and a frat boy, from the wealthy suburbs of Columbus. My impression of him, when I worked at the Sun-Times, was that he was still something of a rube.
I'd like to second Grizz's point that one person's deliberate choice, multiplied by millions of others doing the same, can result in major change.
DeleteBut even more than that.... the act of writing a letter to the editor or putting up a yard sign may seem small, but it often inspires others who were on the fence to act. It is the "ripple effect" concept that RFK (the real one) spoke about. Here is his quote:
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” -RFK
The carnival barker who is so obsessed with crowd size spends inordinate energy mocking the "No Kings" movement (the size of the turnout, the lie that attendees were paid by George Soros to protest) because he recognizes the danger of grass-roots influence.
We've got a mini-sphere of influence here in the EGD comments section (which I sometimes -affectionately!- refer to as the Valituskuoro (Finnish for 'Complaints Choir'). The shared views of like-minded travelers helps.
That said... is franco still here? If he's posted recently, I missed it.
I haven't noticed him. Nor missed him.
DeleteNames can be hidden or changed.
DeleteWriting styles and subject matter...not so easily disguised.
One of the Anonymice, and still around. Right here, right now.
Good to know, Grizz. Seems strange, though. Some of us don't respond to anonymous posts and one reason to post would be to dialogue. (as opposed to just verbal fly-dumping).
DeleteI once again do myself no favors by supporting Franco / FME, given our host's longstanding and freshly repeated opinion of him. He can be harsh, and it's not like I don't cringe at some of his more disparaging remarks. But he's on the proper side of most issues, IMHO, and has an impressive amount of experience with regard to many topics that turn up here. The number of times he has a personal familiarity with whatever random topic is the feature of the day continues to surprise me. IMHO, again, this comment section is not made stronger by his absence.
DeleteJill, even regulars around here seem to occasionally post anonymously, for whatever reason. (Uh, Clark St., for instance, if I'm not mistaken, and Franco, as noted by Grizz. Frankly, I think Grizz has a couple of times!) I believe it's often just because it's quicker and easier.
That being said, the anonymous route sometimes seems to offer certain folks the opportunity to fire off a more argumentative or obnoxious opinion than they'd like to put their name or pseudonym to...
Has mostly to do with where I post from.
DeleteTwo different systems, at home and at work (Habitat).
The Habitat computer involves more steps in order to activate the Grizz handle. Don't know why that is. Sometimes, I just don't bother. And If I've already posted four (or even five) times on any given day, I don't want to seem like a blabbermouth. That's why I occasionally post as one of the Anonymice.
Touché, Jakash. I agree on all counts!
DeleteGrizz likes to write comments but doesn't often read the other ones got stuck on The Bob Green portion of double B's comment and never saw the rest of it or at least didn't comment about singular behaviors compared to those of a group.
DeleteWhen you post as anonymous or use some other random handle the proprietor doesn't seem to have preconceived notions about your point of view.
When I posted as FME my comments were already tarnished
Franco became another suspect soon enough. Tom, bill, Orville, Wilbur, Steve or any of the other various pseudonyms I use now get through and get tolerated same guy right in them all.
Comment section is just mostly random anonymous people
Maybe Janet Dahl, John Howell, Eric Zorn, the late great Tony Fitzpatrick and a couple of others are clearly known commodities.
The rest of us no matter how many events we attend or appearances by the proprietor we participate in are just a blob.
I know I've been extraordinarily harsh to Mr Steinberg and for some of that I apologize it seems like harsh is reserved especially for him.
Still I enjoy his work read it every goddamn day appreciate his point of view though I don't always agree with it but if he disagrees with yours well that's a bridge too far for him can't remember ever reading him changing his mind about anything
FME/franco/Tom....I didn't know why you left to become anonymous. Thank you for stepping back in to explain. I worried something might have happened to you after you moved to NM. I can't speak to your experiences as a commenter, but as Jakash noted, your personal knowledge and perspective of life in Chicago has been noticed and appreciated. While it is true we are all just random people here (with a few exceptions), why should that reduce us to blobs? I don't think it does.
DeleteMy name is Frank verciglio. I say this because I am not afraid of people knowing who I am.
DeleteI have put my full name in comments before. This does not make me separate from the blob.
I appreciate your kind words .
I consider myself much further to the left than most other commentors.
I've spent my adult life working on my anger issues.with limited success.Mr. Steinberg has told me I'm stupid several times. He could be correct.
I spend most of my time living in a shack in the high dessert of South western NM with my ex wife and dog.
I return to Chicago from time to time where I have a three flat in Garfield park.
I have a very satisfying life.
I wish you all the best . I do not think recycling is the answer. I'm not sure what the question is.
I severely doubt that, Frank. I don't deploy "stupid" too much because, if it's true, then it's kinda cruel to say. Maybe I implied it and you drew the inference, which requires one to have something on the ball. A shack in New Mexico sounds nice. If it helps, I rarely associate past comments with specific commentators, Grizz excepted. There are too many of them, and I don't study the comments, I tend to skim them. Remember, I have to approve them, and if I'm doing something else for three hours, then there might be 20 waiting. Fascinating as they are, people also comment at length, and sometimes my impulse is to get 'em up so others can read and react. I'll try, in future, to explain that what you're saying is stupid, and not necessarily you, yourself, though, as the person saying the stupid things, you might consider taking some responsibility.
DeleteOn a separate note, I do love Psistaria Greek Taverna. It's owner (or original owner) used to be the maître d’ at the Greek Islands; and my family was more than happy to spread the love when he put down his own roots on Touhy.
ReplyDeleteI support your frequent "boycott the bastards" posts in theory, Double B. In practice, we're far from consistent in complying with your exacting directives. I won't have ANY trouble refusing to spend a dime in the Trump Tower, however. Though I do very much enjoy avgolemono soup.
Delete"Reader," above, states that "Many Greeks are conservative." Uh, aside from anything else, the Greek Orthodox Church would tend to make that seem pretty clear, though I don't know how much of this is a stereotype and how much is valid.
We also love Psistaria. I'm just wondering. Do you have any knowledge about that establishment's owners' political affiliations? Regardless of the answer to that specific question, it seems to me that lots of restaurants are probably run by people who support the orange felon. It would be quite the chore to investigate the political leanings of those serving up the Athenian omelets and gyros at every Greek diner before deigning to slide into a booth at one.
Jakash, I appreciate your comments.
DeleteYou are correct. However, a persons politics are between themselves and the ballot box, unless they decide to make them public.
I have no reason to go searching for a reason to support or boycott someone. If that information becomes public, it will change my perception.
If the owner of Psistaria decided to fly his flag at half mast for the death of charlie kirk, as a public expression it will effect my decisions to frequent his establishment.
If my favorite restaurant that supported all the places i support and shared the very same morals I did, moved into trump tower, I would boycott them. Because i cannot support a place that i know is giving money to something that is pure evil.
I will never understand how any republican on the planet is ok driving a gar powered car; especially after 9/11. The idea of being your own person, the lone cowboy, the one who can alone save the world, being so controlled by a foreign interest. In our wars in Iraq and afganistan we were activily supporting both sides, hell, with what's going on in Iran we are too. We say we want Iran to not have a nuclear bomb but we're ok buying oil and driving cars that are funding the research for Iran to build a bomb. that makes no sense. But i'm rambling...
my point is simple, unless you're forcing your views on the world, it doesn't matter what you do. But the second you make it clear what your priorities are, I can decide (and will) take my business elsewhere.
Bingo. You knocked it right out of the park, Double B. Fifty and sixty years ago, a middle-class life in American could be had on a single salary, the way it was when most of us here were growing up. My mother worked during the war, but after that, she never worked again. Her house was her job. She washed and scrubbed her own floors. No "colored girl" (sorry) for "ten dollars a day and carfare".
DeleteThen the Reagan Era dawned, and two incomes were needed. And maybe a teen-ager or two had to kick in. And the Reagan recessions were among the worst since the Depression. Two-tier society...two-tier wage scales...yuppies and yuffies...and something not seen in decades...homelessness. Hated Ronnie. or thought and said I did. Didn't yet know what hate really was.
Now we need three or four incomes. And developers are still paving over farmland and building Plasticvilles in the boonies...McMansions sell for what a whole street once bought. People and jobs still moving further and further out. Ridiculous commutes at five bucks a gallon. Not just in far -off pricey SoCal, but right here in the Midwest.
The urban sprawl now stretches west to Kane and DeKalb counties. The distant sticks when I lived there in the 60s and early 70s. But still never far enough away to allow kids to live the life that Boomers and Xers grew up in. That dream is gone.
You nailed it. Kudos.
Thanks for the reply, Double B. I can go along with that. I guess that between our host, you, and Jill A., the takeaway seems to be that we can't all change the world, but we can all do something. And an individual's primary actions are with regard to the people / places one knows about.
DeleteFree publicity for someone paying the trump organization rent.
ReplyDeleteOrdering from Amazon
Paying for cub tickets.
Watching just that one show on CBS
Just sneak a peak at Facebook
Pop in to whole foods
We try not to but can't help ourselves there's always a reason that we need to so the things we hate and object to we support
We've done work at the tower for 10 years thought about not but the guys right it's all about the green and we've never had any trouble getting paid
Bill
You receive payment because its namesake us not the owner. The owners just pay him for naming right. Poor saps
DeleteTrump tower in Chicago is one of properties bearing his name owned AND operated by the trump organization.
DeleteThe only thought that comes to mind is that a sizable percentage of prospective customers would have zero interest in ever visiting that building in the first place, and thus would never know that a nice restaurant resides there, and thus the pleasant discovery of enjoying a meal there and recommending it to your friends would never happen.
ReplyDeleteIf they advertise their location by its street address instead of by the building name, as is the practice of real estate agents, I've heard, then there would be an extra sense of being misled when guests arrive and realize where they are.
Those are both great restaurants. Psisteria knows how to do Greek food. Anyone dealing with Trump doesn't do well in the long run; he's like the Tar Baby. Prasino's is taking a big risk, I'll bet they got a very generous lease. A lot of the protesters at the No Kings rally last year in La Grange grabbed lunch after at Prasino's, so that was good for business.
ReplyDelete“Steengold — thank you for alerting me to the pending arrival of Prasino — I will be going there with my Atomwaffen Division cell to celebrate next April 20!”
ReplyDeleteThat's a rather harsh takedown of suburban Republicans, but I gotta admit -- it's gold, Jerry!
Originally I used "Mount Greenwood." But I'm tired of hearing from those folks.
DeletePetros Kogiones was legendary for dancing around a glass of roditis, then stooping down to pick it up with his teeth and drinking it hands free. I often went to Dianna's Opaa and loved it, but the real thrill was being hosted and entertained by the owner. It is wonderful to know he is still among us. His story about Nestani only adds another layer to his already remarkable life. Thanks Neil. And thank you Petros for all those memories.
ReplyDeleteMy friends and I joke that all Chicago area restaurants are really owned by Greeks. We're only half joking. We mean, of course, the traditional family style breakfast and lunch joints. Carol's Garden in Carol Stream. The Blossom Cafe in Norridge. The Hen House in Wheaton. Booby's in Niles. Name a suburb, any suburb, and there's a go-to breakfast restaurant with a smiling Greek man waiting for you with his armload of laminated menus. NOBODY does a big sloppy old Sunday morning breakfast better than a Greek! The four-egg Wisconsin omlette with either Texas toast or a short stack on the side. Keep the coffee coming! I'm thinking of bygone Greek coffee shops with grand breakfast and lunch service. Kmar's in Rogers Park. The Hollywood at Lawrence and Western. Salonica on 57th Street in Hyde Park. Nothing better! Maybe we go to The Egg Yolk Cafe on Route 59 thsi Sunday!!
ReplyDeleteAh, I used to love Prasino's in LaGrange. No more.
ReplyDeleteAnd - RIP Santorini, with the best fresh fish in Chicago.