Last week, when Steve and I were moving things into the building that housed my family’s Imperial Dynasty and Chinese Pagoda restaurants, I became obsessed with the old phones that were left over.
Behind the front counter of the Chinese pagoda, her black rotary phone sits on a shelf, a red rotary phone hangs on the pantry wall. I was flooded with memories of answering that phone and getting takeout orders of curry tomato, sesame chicken chih-ma, and pineapple pork polo.
In the pantry area of the Imperial Dynasty, a push-button desk phone sits on a small table next to a sad-looking telephone set. I remembered the many nights I drank too many times when I scooped up coconut ice cream, tossed salads, and answered that phone, seemingly all at the same time.
But what I had missed most in the phone upgrades were the two pay phones that are still in the building. One hangs on the wall of the corridor that connected the imperial dynasty to the Chinese pagoda. The other pay phone dominated its own alcove in the cocktail lounge, and this phone had a life of its own. It seemed like everyone knew her number. I had it memorized too, though now I’d have to look it up in a Rolodex I no longer use. Cocktail lounge regulars, bartenders and bar waitresses took calls from that phone. It was a hub for many lives before cell phones.
All my phone memories and stories reminded me of one of Uncle Richard’s. In 1944, while in Army Basic Training at Camp Roberts in San Miguel, California, he was assigned as the personal chef to General George C. Marshall and later was assigned as the general’s personal aide and food taster when they traveled to China for China Mission.
General Marshall became Secretary of State and was scheduled to be at the Conference of the Four Major Foreign Ministers in Moscow in late February 1947. Uncle Richard accompanied the Secretary of State and they stayed at the Spaso House, a grand residence for the time Ambassador/ US General and Mrs. Bedell Smith. Uncle Richard’s bedroom was adjacent to the telecommunications room.
One evening he noticed a group of staff members gathered outside the communications room and was told that they were waiting to sign a roster that would be scheduled to call home in the United States for just two dollars for a five-minute call. This diplomatic courtesy was an arrangement for that day only.
Uncle Richard thought this was a wonderful deal. He signed his name on the list and awaited his connection. Uncle Ernie answered the phone in Hanford. He was very surprised and excited to hear his brother’s voice all the way from Moscow, but he was also worried that something was wrong. Aunt Harriet got on the phone and asked a series of questions – was Uncle Richard ill or had an accident or some misfortune. She couldn’t understand why he would be calling from Moscow, there just had to be something wrong. Due to short time constraints, when Uncle Richard was finally able to speak, he was only able to speak ten words.
Uncle Richard had not expected that his two-dollar call from Moscow would become such a raging nightmare for Aunt Harriet, and immediately wrote a letter to explain. What was supposed to be a “joyful moment” instead became “transcontinental confusion.”
The next morning Uncle Richard told Secretary of State Marshall about the two dollar incident. Secretary of State Marshall thought the story was very amusing and worth more than two dollars.
I love my cell phone. Well, maybe love is too strong a word. Its technology fascinates me, but it often goes over my head. Seeing old phones in restaurants made me a little nostalgic for the days when phones weren’t so complicated (unless you called your house in Hanford while you were in Moscow) and didn’t make life so “busy”. Simpler days.
In honor of those days, this week I’m sharing another recipe where simplicity is key. It’s also a great way to use up the abundance of summer squash and herbs. In the New York Times recipe for Caramelized Zucchini Pasta, the vegetables are cooked, the pan cleaned, including all the delicious caramelized bits in the sauce. I grew zucchini, garlic and lemons. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week. It also freezes well. Enjoy!
