The Bear Flag Restaurant

Cannery Row's local whorehouse with a confusing name (no sandwiches served), the Bear Flag is located across the lot from Lee Chong's grocery. Owned and operated by Dora Flood, a veteran of fifty years in the business, the Bear Flag is a decent, virtuous, clean, honest, old-fashioned place to drink a beer with friends. Hard liquor and profanity are banned. Neighbors might not like the Bear Flag but depend on its abundant charity. The house normally employs twelve working girls, a Greek cook, and a knowing "watchman". Flood stays in her illegal business by keeping order and giving generously to every charity that asks (or in her case, demands). The Bear Flag experiences its busiest time ever during the big sardine catch, which coincides with the arrival of a new bunch of soldiers at the Presidio. Three girls are out of action. The fishermen...