In a message dated 4/10/2009 8:01:12 AM Eastern Daylight Time, gfsche...@gmail.com writes: > Lexi/Marilyn, > > That's what George said...the men's entrance was because of the liquor. > > You never know with pictures. I had one that I took around for a few > years. I was helping a man at my FHC in Los Angeles on his Portuguese lines. > > We never found a connection (yet). He asked me to come over around > Christmas and meet his parents from RI. I came with old photos. His father > identified some of the people in the photo! My guess is that like so many of these little village establishments, this was a combination general store/tavern "tasca" or "taberna". In those days women NEVER went inside a tasca. It was strictly a place for men. A woman might stand at the entrance and call to husband inside to come home (before he got too drunk!), but going inside was not OK if she valued her reputation. The idea of a woman standing at the bat downing cachaças with the best of them was a scandal. These general stores-taverns were generally 2 room affairs, one for the store and the other for the tavern. There was a connecting door so that the owner could go from one room to the other and tend to business single handed on both sides.
In case you find this arrangement strange, here in New England (Billy's Café on Bedford Street in Fall River comes to mind) always had a "Lady's Entrance" The front of the bar was exactly that: a bar with stools, some tables, a TV, a pool table, etc. It was just for the guys. The Lady's Entrance brought you to the back room, a "lounge" with booths. Billy's is still there, and still has the back entrance, now called a "Family Entrance" for those who are there for a meal in the lounge and not just a few frosties in the front. By the way, Billy's still serves the best chouriço plate this side of the Mississippi. A Happy Easter to all! John --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To unsubscribe from this group, send email to azores-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
