$49.95
Aphrodite and the Mixed Grill: Greek Cafés in Twentieth-Century Australia celebrates the story of Greek shopkeeping in Australia. Beginning with the Paragon Café in Katoomba and the Niagara Café in Gundagai, it goes on to document the dozen predominantly Kytherian cafés that dominated the Ipswich streetscape in the 1940s and 50s. Aphrodite investigates the food cafés served – never Greek food – and relates stories of migrating as a 12-year-old, coming to Australia as a café bride, and growing up behind the shop counter. The fate of villages on islands like Kythera is explored, and the reasons Greek cafés and milk bars have melted into history. 200 pages.