why? john t. edge: this place is like a reliquary of like indiscretions past. you know? anthony: but maybe, to really tell the story of this place, you have to start with the story of its most famous employee booker wright, who had been working at lusco s as a waiter wince he was 14 years old. booker: thanks to y all. we don t have a real menu. i d be glad to tell you what we re gonna serve tonight. anthony: in 1965, nbc news came to town, making a documentary on race relations. booker s entertaining recitation of the menu at lusco s was famous around town, so they asked him to do his usual routine for the camera. booker: we have fresh shrimp cocktail, lusco s shrimp, fresh oysters on a half shell, baked oysters, oyster rockefeller, oyster almadine. anthony: but at the end of his usual litany is where he dropped the truth bomb that nobody was ready for, right here. booker: now as with my customers, i say my customers, be respecting of me. some people nice, some is not
like a reliquary of like indiscretions past. you know? anthony: but maybe, to really tell the story of this place, you have to start with the story of its most famous employee booker wright, who had been working at lusco s as a waiter wince he was 14 years old. booker: thanks to y all. we don t have a real menu. i d be glad to tell you what we re gonna serve tonight. anthony: in 1965, nbc news came to town, making a documentary on race relations. booker s entertaining recitation of the menu at lusco s was famous around town, so they asked him to do his usual routine for the camera. booker: we have fresh shrimp cocktail, lusco s shrimp, fresh oysters on a half shell, baked oysters, oyster rockefeller, oyster almadine. anthony: but at the endf his usl litany is where he dropped the truth bomb that nobo was ready for, right here. booker: now as with my customers, i say my customers, be respecting of me. some people nice, some is not. some call me booker, some call me john, s
most of it of the not good variety. known unfortunately as much for byron de la beckwith, and tom brady s infamous speech after brown v. the board of education as anything else, fairly or not, it s hard to get past that. during all the years of cruelty and struggle from 1933 on, through it all and until today, this place, lusco s, was a beloved institution. once a grocery store, it turned restaurant to the money class, serving them in discreet quarters in the back where one could enjoy an alcoholic beverage in what was then a dry state. still going after all these years. and unchanged. why? john t. edge: this place is like a reliquary of like indiscretions past. you know? anthony: but maybe, to really tell the story of this place, you have to start with the story of its most famous employee booker wright, who had been working at lusco s as a waiter wince he was 14 years old.