Speakeasies
and Fine Dining
Bad Apple Restaurant
Text by Joanne M. Anderson
T
There appears to be no definitive reason for the term “speakeasy”, though it referred to places which illegally sold alcoholic beverages during Prohibition. Perhaps patrons might “speak easy”, as in a whisper, for their participation in buying and consuming unlawful liquor. The entire Prohibition Era, 1920-1933, was implemented with the lofty goals of solving social issues, improving health and reducing corruption. It turned out to deliver a study in contrasts. The dark side involved bootlegging, moonshine, illegal liquor transported across state lines and rampant crime and bribery. A hopelessness permeated the nation following the brutality of World War I. Speakeasies sprung up all over the country when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect Jan. 17, 1920, banning “the manufacture, transportation or sales of intoxicating liquors.”
18
NRV MAGAZINE
On the bright side, women got the vote, liberation exploded in public and private circles, and prosperity was at hand. Americans were treated to movie theaters, baseball games, dance halls and amusement parks. They had money for radios, new home appliances, phonographs, cars, travel and entertainment. Inventions in medicine and excitement in fashion captivated the population. Notable names from the 1920s include Babe Ruth, Coco Chanel, Charles Lindbergh, Al Capone, Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Duke Ellingson, Jack Dempsey, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many more. The Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture, and glamour and glitz commingled in society with copious corruption and a dose of despair. It all ended when the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment in 1933. It is this fascinating slice of time that three New River Valley restaurants have embraced as a theme. May/June
2022
