“Every time you drink a Coke, enjoy an ice cream or sweet
chocolate treat, go to the cinema, or listen to the latest popular music hit,
you can thank Australia’s Greek cafés.”
-Leonard Janiszewski and Effy Alexakis
Hurstville Museum & Gallery is hosting a touring
exhibition from the “In their own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project,
Macquarie University, Sydney.
This photographic exhibition, curated by Effy Alexakis and
Leonard Janiszweski, explores an important chapter in the development of
Australian culture. Greek cafés were known for their introduction of American
sodas, ice-cream sundaes, milkshakes, hamburgers, milk chocolate and hard sugar
candies, into communities right across Australia.
Leonard Janiszewski and Effy Alexakis tell us more about the
first modern Greek Café in Sydney:
“In 1932, Mick Adams (Joachim Tavlarides), opened
Australia’s first modern ‘American-style’ milk bar, the ‘Black and White 4
pence Milk Bar’ in Sydney. The ‘milk bar’ was created by Adams based upon his
observations of American drugstore soda bars – he had visited the United States
two years earlier. In Australia, the Greek-run oyster saloon and soda
bar/sundae ‘parlor’ had placed prime importance on sit-down trade for meals,
drinks and desserts. American drugstore soda bars emphasised quick stand-up and
bar-stool bar trade (soda drinks, milkshakes and sundaes) over sit-down meal
trade. Adams firmly took up the American soda bar catering emphasis and highlighted
the milkshake.
Seating capacity in Adams’ premises was restricted to just
six small two-seater cubicles along one wall, the main feature being a long
hotel-style bar with soda fountain pumps and numerous Hamilton Beach electric
milkshake makers (imported from the United States). No cooked meals were
offered. On the first day of opening 5,000 customers frequented the milk bar,
and as many as 27,000 per week then began to patronise the establishment. Other
food caterers were quick to adopt the idea and within five years of the opening
of Adams’ original Black and White Milk Bar there were allegedly 4,000 milk
bars in Australia; most were Greek-run. Food caterers in Great Britain and New
Zealand were also quick to embrace the concept.”
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Black and White 4d.Milk Bar exterior,
Martin Place, Sydney, NSW, 1934.
Mick Adams is pictured here with
children from the Dalwood Health Home.
Photos courtesy L. Keldoulis, from the
‘In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians’ National Project Archives, Macquarie
University.
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Selling an American Dream: Australia's Greek Café will be on show at Hurstville Museum &
Gallery from 2 August – 28 September 2014
Don’t miss the exciting public programs and book in here
