Description
Book Synopsis When Taso G. Lagos began to memorialize his family''s beloved Greek restaurant The Continental, he wrestled with 40 years of history and a clientele that stretched for generations. His family bought into the operation without a clue how to run an eatery, yet in time they became linchpins of their Seattle neighborhood. Customers became friends, and meals turned into memories. It wasn''t only the food or the company, though. The Continental also served as an entry point into mainstream culture for a family who had just arrived in the United States as Greek immigrants a few years prior. While the Lagoses cooked and cared for many people, they also learned valuable lessons about what it means to be American.
This memoir illuminates life in a Greek restaurant through the experiences of one member of a restauranteur family. It also emphasizes the role of restaurants as vital social institutions that often provide immigrants with a dynamic space for acculturation. Readers will
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
One. You Can Eat Here
Two. Rise of the Greek Restaurateur
Three. Through Bad Times and Good
Four. Restaurants at the Center of My World
Five. Restaurants as Community Centers
Six. Must It Always Involve Stereotypes?
Seven. Restaurants as Cultural Assimilators
Eight. America's Promise to All
Nine. A Place at the Table
Ten. The Check, Please
Conclusion
Appendix: Special Continental Dishes
Chapter Notes
Index
