ανθοπόλεμος

[Theseus]

I'm stuck on the last paragraph of this story, entitled ΟΙ ΓΑΡΔΕΝΙΕΣ, Ο ΣΥΖΥΓΟΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΑΓΝΩΣΤΟΣ ΘΑΥΜΑΣΤΗΣ.
This is the whole paragraph. The context is still the fish restaurant. A flower seller has passed by the table of this lady & placed a bouquet of gardenias on her plate. She clearly enjoys this gift, smells the flowers, & looks in a certain direction with a smile as if she knows the sender. The upshot is that the husband eventually seizes the flowers & throws them all over the place & one lands in the prawns & mayonnaise of a very important banker. He wants to know the sender. The wife, now embarrassed by his action, leaves the restaurant & drives off in an Opel, leaving her husband & friends high and dry, so that they have to take a taxi home.
Ο μόνος θριαμβευτής της βραδιάς ήταν κάποιος μελαχροινός κομψευόμενος, καθισμένος μερικά τραπέζια πιο κάτω, που έκανε την νίλα και την ταραχή στο σύζυγο. Ο ανθοπώλης τον ξέρει και τον παραξέρει. [Here I lose the thread totally!] Αλλά για να φτάσει κανείς σε συμπέρασμα θα χρειαστεί ολόκληρη ανάκριση και μεγάλο πουρμπουάρ. Ποιος έχει τον καιρό για τέτοια, και μάλιστα ο σύζυγος που οι δουλειές τον πηγαίνουν θαυμάσια και είναι κυριολεκτικά πνιγμένος.
Στην ιστορία την τελευταία στιγμή προστίθεται και το παρακάτω. Μόλις έφυγε το Όπελ, μια Μερσεντές 220 ξεκίνησε από το κέντρο προς την ίδια κατεύθυνση. Οι κακές γλώσσες ισχυρίζονται πως σε κάποιο ζαχαροπλαστείο της λεωφόρου Συγγρού τα δυο αμάξια σμίξανε και έτρωγα. παγωτό καϊμάκι για να πάνε οι πίκρες κάτω.

I simply want to know what is supposed to be happening here. Some of the meaning of the sentences is to me wholly obscure.:angry:

 

[drsiebenmal]

The only one who emerged as a winner was this dark beau, who sat some tables further away and prepared this defeat and fuss to the husband. The flower boy knows who he is, he knows it very well. However, to reach some conclusion it would take a big interrogation and a big tip. Who has the time to spare, especially not the husband whose businesses flourish and who barely has the time to think.

Let's add to this story a final point. As soon as the Opel drove away, a Mercedes 220 followed it in the same direction, towards the center of the city. Vicious tongues say that the two cars came together at a patisserie on Syngrou Avenue and ate kaimaki ice to hunt life's sorrows away.

Τα δύο αμάξια σμίξανε και τρώγανε is α case of μετατόπιση of the meaning of the word; the drivers are meant here.

 

[daeman]

...Τα δύο αμάξια σμίξανε και τρώγανε is α case of μετατόπιση of the meaning of the word; the drivers are meant here.

metonymy

---

Dos gardenias - Antonio Machin

Ibrahim Ferrer

Dos gardenias para tí
Con ellas quiero decir:
te quiero, te adoro, mi vida

Ponle toda tu atención
porque son tu corazón y el mío
Dos gardenias para tí
que tendrán todo el calor
e un beso de esos besos que te dí
y que jamás encontrarás
en el calor de otro querer

A tu lado vivirán
y se hablarán
como cuando estás conmigo
Y hasta creerás que te dirán:
"Te quiero"

Pero sí, un atardecer
las gardenias de mi amor se mueren
es porque han adivinado
que tu amor me ha traicionado
porque existe otro querer

 

[drsiebenmal]

[...]a patisserie on Syngrou Avenue [...]

11. Ο Παπασπύρου στη Λεωφόρο Συγγρού, δίπλα στον Άγιο Σώστη

the picture is from here (Καφενεία στην παλιά Αθήνα).

The firm's history, here

I remember Papaspirou at Syngrou Ave. from the mid 60s at least (the school bus made a stop there to pick me up).

 

[Theseus]

Thanks for the picture of the gardenias, 'Man. I don't think I've ever seen any before your picture. And your translation is very much appreciated, επτάπλε Δρ. I hope you can see where I was confused. I've nearly finished this third book of passages (in between all my other reading!) & the penultimate passage of book 3 with its 'lit-up horse races' has thrown up a lot of stuff which has foxed me. A new book of passages---thoroughly up-to-date---has arrived this very morning. No doubt there will be many more questions to come.
That history of Papaspirou you've just sent is fascinating! I'm going through it now.
Reminiscing about your boyhood: I love such reminiscing, bittersweet sometimes but one thing can stir up very many wonderful memories....:) The past still lives & sometimes I at any rate don't feel I'm growing old.

 

[daeman]

Thanks for the picture of the gardenias, 'Man. I don't think I've ever seen any before your picture.

You don't say! Wait till you smell them, too. A heavy scent, too sweet perhaps, but certainly sensuous.

And the flower of choice in σκυλάδικα, particularly in the days when "dogs were tethered with saucages" as the saying goes.

A new book of passages---thoroughly up-to-date---has arrived this very morning. No doubt there will be many more questions to come.

Keep 'em coming. And since we're on the subject of gardenias and gardens:

 

[Theseus]

Hahaha..The lady in our story smelt their aroma & shut her eyes in delight. More (metaphorical) food for his anger as he choked on his (non-metaphorical) fishbone & suddenly flipped, flinging the gardenias all over the place till the gentleman whose prawn cocktail had been affected exclaimed: 'Δεν νομίζετε, κύριε, πως το κέντρον δεν προσφέρεται απόψε για ανθοπόλεμο;:woot::inno:
It adds a new twist to our idiom 'say it with flowers'....

 

[SBE]

Ανθοπόλεμος flower fight- hurling flowers, usually not a dangerous sport, but quite common in some κέντρα διασκεδάσεως
Χιονοπόλεμος snow fight- hurling snowballs at each other
Σοκολατοπόλεμος my favourite part of the Carnival procession in Patras, always the last float, usually sponsored by Pavlidis. Here is a photo from the 1965 parade. The four chocolate floats are surrounded by a relatively well behaved crowd who can be seen at the left bottom of the photo picking chocolate bars from the ground or waiting for them with their hands up. On the top of the photo huge crowds are closing in on the last float and are held back by police whose dark blue uniforms make them look like a thick black barrier (top right)

More reminiscing: of course in ye olden days all local businesses in Patras sponsored the carnival lavishly, and used it to promote their products and advertise. So you would get huge amounts of branded chocolate bars thrown from the chocolate float. Then on some years they used chocolate bars specially made for the carnival, which were much less chocolate than the ones on sale in the shops. No idea what they do today.
Speaking of local industry, one year Madison (socks and tights firm) had a float with people throwing boxes of women's tights. It was placed before the chocolate float, so you can imagine the surprise of those who thought they had managed to grab a chocolate and ended up with a pair of tights.

And of course, just because I found this, here is a photo of an amazing flower float, depicting the chariot of the Sun. No idea how old the photo is, but I would say 1930s or later. The float is drawn by horses.

 

[SBE]

As for your original story, Theseus, I think it is part of the gossip column. The Mercedes 220 mentioned in the text is from the 1960s and I can imagine this being about some well-known Athenians and that some of the people who read the article originally understood who the people involved were. If nothing else, they probably understood which restaurant it happened in.