14 minute read
Fiction Portland's Black Market. By Kendall Merriam
PORT B CK
D'S
BY KENDAll MERRIAM
sat down to my supper of Tandoori chicken, Basmati rice, patty-pan squash, and sliced kiwi fruit. I took a lime half and squeezed half of it on my chicken and the other half into my Portland Lager. I looked at the lime and then at the kiwiI paused and then said to my companion -"What is a kiwi then, if not haity lime? That takes me back , Vienna after the war - I knew .~Harty lime then - and the black market...." And now that I am some months away from that divided but beautiful city, I am assigned to write of another city, not as beautiful, perhaps, but early as full of intrigue - Portland, where the sea makes available the opportunity, and plethora of parking ....ges also make" portunity, for seedy e, and chits of onor such as radar 'tectors and hot lobers change hands 'tegularly. , Technically, a black market has something ,to do with a war zone, r a postwar zone, <where both luxuries rand necessities are hard to come by, especially among the occupied. In Harty lime's case, it was postwar penicillin which was unobtainable in Vienna except at militaty hospitals. It started seeping out by means of hospital attendants, and these smugglers made big bucks, but still the demand exceeded the supply by a substantial margin. So,in steps, Harty, with the addition of colored water and sand, supplied the demand fully - a few children died or went mental from meningitis - but so what, said Harty, he had made a handsome profit.
Portland should not be considered a war zone, though someone from Bangor or Caribou might think so. But there is black market crime (beyond drug crime) in Portland. On the other hand, probably no one is dying of it unless there is too much surimi in the crab salad and someone has a heart attack from indignation.
I have seen two mauve and puce BMW station wagons racing up and down the streets of the Old Port, their drivers offering to any likely prospect the opportunity to purchase a relatively new Realistic SCR 2500 AM-FM stereo cassette receiver for considerably less than $600 or a gold Rolex watch for a mere $7,000.
Actually, what these men are doing might be closer to fencing stolen goods rather than working a black market, but we won't quibble over fine distinctions; it's all illegal.
But it is business, and it fills evety niche, particularly those left by booming shopping malls. In Moscow (U.S.S.R.) it would be jeans and single-malt scotch; in Portland (Maine) it would be dragger lobsters (it is illegal to land lobster in Maine from a boat with a net on board) and VCRs.The techniques are the same; only the products differ. Probably lobsters and VCRs would be hot in Moscow, too, along with copies of Pasternak's works and Sade recordings. In Maine there is vety little demand for Pasternak's poetty and none at all for the sultty Briton.
Now that the tourists have gone, lobster prices will drop a little, but around Christmas, when a bowl of lobster bisque sounds right and the draggers are about the only sources, the "shiny shoes" (Department of Maine Resources wardens) will be looking for "bugs" being brought into Portland, either whole and fresh or cooked, picked meat. It is not unusual for a dragger to bring in 1,000pounds or more of live lobsters, or for a crew of 8 men to take off 25-30 pounds of picked meat apiece, which is worth around $17 per pound on the market. It makes a nice little prize for Christmas gifts.
There are 50 or so draggers of various sizes going out of Portland on trips ranging from 1 to 10 days. Last year, wardens made 20 seizures of illegal lobsters; they couldn't estimate how many got through.
UfNOT AIL of Portland's black market consists of lobsters. Other goodies come to light as the sun goes down. To wit: On a recent September evening, I was walking along Fore Street heading for Exchange when a well-dressed young man said, "Hey Buddy, would you like a watch?"
I replied that I hadn't worn one since 1958 when the watch I bought through the Popular Club Plan broke after two days. That one had cost $14.
He said, "Buddy, have I got a deal for you! I've got a solid-gold Timex here for only $6,500, $500 less than a Rolex." , "Does it work?" I asked. "If you wind it twice a day it will,' and how it will impress the women! That is the main reason for wearing a watch, n'est-ce pas?!"
I thought it over. I knew he wouldn't take a check, and even though I had eight thou in my money belt, I couldn't see any place around to get it off and open, so I decided I didn't want one anyway, gold or no. I told the guy that.
He immediately flagged down one of the mauve and puce BMWwagons. The car pulled up, blocking traffic, but there seems to be an unspoken code that nobody will hit a BMW,so the driver got boldly out and came over to where we were standing. "So you don't likeour watches?"he rumbled. "It's not that I don't like your watches, it's that I don't like any watches; I prefer clocks."
He said to me, "Clocks, we have a genuine antique grandfather for only $16,999." "I can't afford it," I replied. 'Jesus, this guy is hard to please." "I don't want anything except books."
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"We don't cany books, nobody wants 'em, videotapes, yes, books, no."
WITI-I that the two young men jumped into their wagon and took off with a squeal of tires, finally unclogging the traffic jam. I walked disconsolately back to the parking garage. There I found my trusty red-but-rusty VW Rabbit, untouched and unsullied - I knew that all was right with the world.
Just as I was getting in, a guy comes up to me with a tray with a strap around his neck. "Lobster roll, Mister? Only $10.95, guaranteed to be hot off the boat, all clear lobster meat, no crabmeat, no pollock, no hake, no cusk."
That sounded like a bargain to me, so I fished out a $20 from my money belt and told rhe guy to keep the change. He flashed a badge and said he was a D.M.R.warden and that I was under arrest for buying draggercaught lobster.
"How was I supposed to know that?" I complained. "You know that you can't get clearmeat lobster rolls in Portland for any price, unless they're hot." "But how could I know; I'm from
Richmond. "
The warden said quite pleasantly, "We don't follow the rural dupe theory. We saw you negotiating for a gold
Timex with the boys in the BMW." "They accosted me. I didn't approach them." "Let the buyer beware, as the old saying goes." "You must have flunked Latin, too." "Never took it myself; I was a shop kid, learned how to build boats." "You from Calais or Lubec?" "Hell, you can't bring on that old native brother stuff with me. I hail from Secaucus, New Jersey. Come with me, you're under arrest; anything in the lobster line over $15 is a felony." "But, but, you said the lobster roll was only $10.95."
"This is your twenty, is it not? I can either get you for receiving illegal lobster or bribing an officer. They both'll get you three to five."
So I followed him out to the parking garage. Just as I was leaving the floor, I looked back to see one of the BMWs pull up behind my VW, break open the window, take out my ailing radio, and pull away from the car - it had only taken 30 seconds. "Good thing you didn't have a radar detector; they would have taken that, too. You might as well let them haul the car away; the parking fines and fees that build up before you get back here will be more than the car is worth." ''You mean I don't get bail?" "Nope. You see, around here the lobster is sacred; any crime against lobsters is a crime against every Maineac. It's even on the license plates. Five years, young man, five years." "Where is Harry Lime now," I said Wistfully.
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SELECTED AREA RES TAU RAN T S
Restaurants are listed as a courtesy in this section as space allows. To guarantee inclusion of your listing for the next year, call Portland Monthly Classifieds, 154 Middle Street, Portland, Maine 04101. (207) 775·4339. Alberta's. 21 Pleasant Street, Portland. All the selections from Alberta's ever·changing menu are cooked to order over their mesquite charcoal grill. Steaks, seafood, and butterflied leg of lamb are accompanied by homemade soups, breads, and desserts, including "Death by Choco. late." Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch. Major credit cards. 774·5408.
Christopher's. 688 Forest Avenue, Portland. Greek wines can be had with the baked lamb in tomato sauce and other Greek specialties. Philo pies and stuffed grape leaves lead crisply into the fresh baklava and other desserts. A relaxed, spacious restaurant. Lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, dinner onlyon Saturday, closed Sunday. Major credit cards. 772-6877.
Deli One. 106 Exchange Street, Portland. Spinach and sausage pie, pasta, omelets, deli sandwiches are among the international attractions in this cozy place. The soups and chowders are intriguing as well. Asunnypatio when season permits. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Sunday brunch. Art exhibits by local talent. MC, V. 772·7115. DiMillo's floating Restaurant. Long Wharf, Portland. Unique floating restaurant has steaks, seafood, Italian cuisine, ribs, and, always, lobster. Fine wines, nightly chefs specials, and entertainment. Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch. Major credit cards. 772-2216. Dock Fore. 336 Fore Street, Portland. Daily specials in this coZy Old Port setting include burgers, quiches, soups, chowders, fresh fish, steamers, and mussels. Lunch and dinner. 772-8619. EI Mirador. 50 Wharf Street, Portland. The true taste of Mexico comes to the Old Port. Direct from New YorkCity, EI Mirador is one of Portland's newest and finest restaurant additions. Authentic Mexican recipes are created from the freshest ingredients daily. Dine in the Ixtapa, Chapultapec, or Veracruz Rooms. Linger over a margar· ita in our exciting Cantina. Or enjoy those warm summer nights on the Patio. Open for Lunch and Dinner. Call for reservations. 7~1-0050. The Galley. 215 Foreside Road, Falmouth. Located at Handy Boat Yard, The Galley offers a beautiful view of Clapboard and Chebeague Islands plus sleek racing yachts and an impressive, varied menu of seafood specialties. Cocktail lounge on upper deck. A must for the yachting set. 781-4262. The Good Egg Cafe. 705 Congress Street, Portland. Breakfast is the specialty in this comfortable cafe. House favorites are the homemade hash, English muffins, and multi-grain pancakes. The egg variations are endless, and there are herbal teas and fresh ground coffee. Monthly exhibits by student artists. Weekdays 6-12, Saturday 7-2, Sunday 8--2.773-0801. Gorham Station. 29 Elm Street, Gorham. A lovely full-service restaurant in a restored railroad station. Steak and seafood; American favorites. 839-3354. The Great Lost Bear. 540 Forest Avenue, Portland. The exotic burgers, the friendly service, the etched glass, the hilarious menu make The Bear a special spot. There's also award-winning chili, ribs, chicken, and steak, and of course, the homemade Toll House Cookie Pie. For summer days, there is a patio in Bearidise Alley, and for Sundays, a champagne brunch. Lunch and dinner 7days served right to 11:30. 772-0300. Moose CroNing Dinnerhouae, coastal U.S. Route I, Falmouth (3 miles north of Portland, minutes to L.L. Bean). Relaxed cabin atmosphere. Featuring fresh Maine seafood, aged Iowa beef; mesquite grilling.T eriyaki steak and grilled salmon "House Favorites." Lounge opens at 4 p.m. daily. Serving dinner at 5 p.m. Children's menu available. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express accepted. Reserva. tions available for parties of 5 or more. 781·4771. Bohemian passengers are buried in Calvary Cemetery on Munjoy Hill. What cargo survi ved was stored in freight sheds at the Grand Trunk Railroad Garages, which were in turn sold at auction.
The celebrated case 0f "The Bathers" (see inset story from LIFEmagazine, April 3, 1945) still has Kennebunkport buzzing. Radcliffe-educated Guggenheim Fellowship winner
Elizabeth Tracy, who had never seen "genteel" K-port before, was awarded a commission by the U. S.Department 0f the Treasury to paint the local post office mural. As the painting took shape above the scaffolding, locals were shocked to see "The Bathers" come to li fe - a seriocomic, realistic depiction 0f scan til y clad, bulbous tourists disporting themsel ves on a resort beach. Sensing the town's righteous wrath (perhaps at seeing itself too closely re fleeted in the artist's mirror), puckish Tracy fueled the fires even more by painting her bathers in the nude dUring her original dra ft, onl y mirthfully covering them with bathing suits in the final moments. After four years, however, the outraged town replaced the Guggenheim winner's art with a competent-but-prosaic shipping scene 0f the Kennebunk River by local favorite Gordon Grant. Novelists Kenneth Roberts and Booth Tarkington, along with then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Wallace H. White, Jr., of Maine, were instrumental in forcing the Treasury Department to take "The Bathers'"back, courtesy 0f an amendment White tagged to an unstoppable $3.15 billion appropriations bill. The trio should have known better. Rolled up (even today) in Washington, D.C., under the watchful eye of Commissioner Art Rowan, "The Bathers" is likel y to be worth quite a bit more than its 'scenic' replacement. Perhaps art-conscious Kennebunkportians, recognizing their loss, will mount a campaign to ha ve "The Bathers" reinstated in its rightful space!
Across the ri ver, in Kennebunk, Edith Barry's safe "Arrival of the First Letter in Kennebunk from Falmouth - June 14, 1775" struck a more conservati ve tone. It's a clear and simple painting yet motionless and without emotion. <
The Portland Post 0 ffice has two murals by Henry Mattson. Both are shore scenes of ocean rocks and trees which are reminiscent of the style 0f the Monhegan realists (just as the success ful works 0f Eric Hopkins are today). Though not cause celebres like "The Bathers," Mattson's paintings are solid pieces of work. Because more social moti fs'~ook hold in a further step toward more abstract and highly stylized - interpretations of reality, as derived by and through the works of Milton Avery, Sisson Laurent, Thomas Hart Benton, Diego Rivera, John Marin, et. al., sociall y .dri ven art soon became a guiding force for murals popping up across the country, often accompanied by controversy. (Diego Rivera himself ran into trouble with his Detroit Murals, e.g., the ill-fated "Head of Lenin," for which he was sent back to Mexico. Later he returned to paint murals for Ford, which are now in the Detroit Institute of Art.) Tony Rich is himselfa mural painter who has had the privilege of painting six murals in Montreal for Benson & Hedges; eight murals in New York City for Lever Bros., the Kaplin Foundation., Pratt Institute, and City Walls, Inc.; and the world's tallest mural, in Detroit.
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