My sister wanted to live in Athens, among Socrates and Plato. I went with her to assure my parents she’d have a decent place to live. What we found was a smog-choked city with gorgeous ruins and no sign of Socrates or Plato.
I was 24 and celebrated my 25th birthday by sunning topless at Agia Galini in Crete. But I digress.
When we landed in Athens we sought out a very nice pensione with three single beds and sink, and shared very modern bath next door for $12/night. My sister thought this was way too expensive and wanted us to sleep on peoples’ roofs for $1 per night. No, I said, this is my vacation.
We couldn’t sleep after an all-nighter in coach class so went to a taverna for lunch. I ordered a Campari, straight up. Here came 1/2 inch of red liquid in an old juice glass. Thinking I was worldly, I took a sip and choked. So much for that!
I reveled in Greek food and my sister ordered spaghetti and meatballs at every meal. The Greeks served coffee, which I still do not drink, and think that if one orders tea one is ill. Not the case here. I just like tea.
My sister opted to stay and ended up on a kibbutz in Israel a week later (nothing I could do about that) but our last night was a Greek feast, a seven-course meal with ouzo, retsina and Metaxa brandy for a total of $15. No, not per person. The owner selected our meal and sat with us and explained the dishes. It was amazing. Of course, my sister was appalled at the price!
On my birthday Mom and Dad gave my sister $25 to take me to dinner. When sis told me that, I said that we were going to save $10 to buy us both dinner and the rest on a decent hotel room that didn’t have sand in the sheets and a shower over the toilet. Done. Best birthday present ever.
Now I make peasant food with the best ingredients I can find, and try to entertain well. Even though I’m French-trained as a cook, I lean more towards Italian and Mediterranean cuisines because of pure simplicity. While people think it’s simple, if you work with a few ingredients it’s easy to mess up if you don’t know proper techniques.
I’ve spent about 20 days over the years in Greece and love the people, food, sights, water. Italy, probably four months over many years and it is my heart’s home and I’ve yet to see so much of the country.
No more will I sit outside at a taverna and have a straight Campari. With age and wisdom I’ll seek out the best food possible, potentially from a street vendor. I thank the kind restaurant owner who walked us through a Greek menu many years ago. Enjoy the day! Dee
Cooking with Dee 