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Finding Parking
Of course I do need to rent cars from time to time, especially when there are visitors around. And the money I save on car expenses means that the cost of renting isn't such a sting...
This past week I had (more!) guests in town. (One would ask why I haven't opened up some sort of hotel or half-way house by now... ). I decided to rent a car so we could spend some time down the coast, beach side.
Driving in Athens is in fact not so bad - and I would say has gotten better over the years. Compared to places like Rome or Istanbul, driving in Athens is a walk in the park. But by far the biggest challenge on Athenians road, morning or night, is the miracle known as Finding Parking.
Finding Parking happens only for the lucky few, those chosen souls who have clearly lead better lives than I have, and for whom the universe has decided to provide the last remaining spot in the city.
Finding Parking is the last hope of every desperate driver. When every sidewalk, driveway and ditch - literally every open space - is jammed with headlights and tires, the only thing to do is accept that Finding Parking was not your destiny. When you are three and a half hours late for an appointment, Finding Parking is surely to blame. When you have to drive around the block 75 times, only to find that someone has left their spot and someone else has taken it while you were at the bottom of the street, make peace with the Parking gods, since you will not win.
When I returned the car the other night, I breathed a sigh of relief. My two feet would get me home ('in' the house, not 'near' the house) in half the time it would take me with Finding Parking.
And that's the way I like it.
Until next week,
Jack
In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…
Ouzeri Sholarheion (Kouklis): Home Made Meze!
THE MOST TRADITIONAL RESTAURANT
You will find Sholarhio restaurant next to Akropolis, Location Anafiotika, in the street Tripodon. It is next to the sacred church of St. Nikolaos (it was built by the Byzantine Emperor Ragavas).
In the heart of Plaka (ancient town of Athens) is functioning the traditional restaurant Sholarhio in a listed building since 1935 as a family restaurant. Geranium is the flower present everywhere around and Kouklis is the name of an old family in Plaka.
At Sholarhio you can relax and enjoy your meel and drink in a friendly atmosphere flooded by the energy, radiated by the sacred Acropolis region over the centuries, along with romance and calmness.
The cuisine of Sholarhio is original traditional Greek cuisine and contains:
Salads: suchas gigantes with what a sauce! And all kinds of salads including season salads. Hors d'oeuvres (Hot and cold). Side dishes such as: Tzatziki Smirneiko for fresh breath, saganaki cheese, middle class caviar (taramosalata). Fried brinjals Tsakonikes, Tirokafteri (hot cheese cream). Meat dishes and sea-food such as: Lahanontolmades special Matoula papadopoula's. Granny Marditsa's type meatballs. Bekri meze for the people with discerning taste. Mousaka home made presviteras. Soupies alaniares Sholarhio style - octapus - Calamari - Codfish - Herring etc.
The Sholarhio cellar includes: Own production red wine - white winw - oyzo - tsipouro - brandy - cognac - beers. Drinks: cold drinks - coffees - teas - chocolate etc.
Serving happens as follows:
we offer to your table a platter with 18 - 20 Greek specialities and you choose the ones you like.
Our dishes are between 3.00 and 6.00 Euro.
House wine, one liter: 6.00 Euro
Large Beer, 330cc: 2.00 Euro
House Ouzo or Tsipouro 250cc: 6.00 Euro
Mineral water 1,5 liter: 1.50 Euro
Soft Drinks: 1.50 Euro
The dessert is free.
If you are 4 people or more of you, you can choose 10 dishes, and either one liter of wine or one bottle of ouzo or tsipouro or 4 beers or 4 soft drinks plus water, bread and dessert for 14 Euros per person.
Our food is fresh and of super quality. The service is perfect and fast.
Open every day from 11.00 pm until 02.00 pm
Address: Tripodon 14 str, Plaka
Phone: 210 3247605
Directions: Right of Acropolis , north of the Acropolis museum and metro.
Website: www.sholarhio.gr
Other Contact: info@sholarhio.gr
Do you have a recommendation or recipe to share? Send it to us at ideas@xpatathens.com!
Greek Chef Publishes Book With Support From Kickstarter
Three-quarters of a cup of creativity, two tablespoons of love, a pinch of anxiety, a few drops of doubt – these are just a few of the ingredients Alexandra Stratou listed in a Kickstarter video introducing what it took to create a self-published cookbook filled with family recipes. A year-and-a-half later, the book has won over fans around the world and has just been printed for its second edition.
“I believe every project has a recipe, and so does mine,” she says on the video. “It's a personal recipe, and that is what I'm going to tell you today.”
The project was fully funded within seven days of the Kickstarter campaign, and in the space of a month Stratou had raised the 28,753 pounds, approximately 36,050 euros, from 544 backers needed to create the 252-page hard cover book. The book, titled “Cooking to Share,” was featured in Kickstarter's weekly newsletter on the sixth day of the campaign, appeared on the Kickstarter homepage as Staff Picked and trended in the Most Popular Project section on the website.
“I never thought that I would have such a huge community supporting me in this venture,” Stratou told Kathimerini English Edition. “They were in it with me – when I finished with the Kickstarter campaign, I felt that I am making this book with all these other people.”
The first print of the book, which included an order of 1,400 copies in November of 2013, sold out fast, Stratou said. The second printing, which included an order of 1,500 copies, was delivered in the first week of August last year. It is available in select bookstores in the United States and Greece, as well as on Amazon and Stratou's website for 35 euros or 45 dollars.
Stratou grew up in Greece, then left the country for the US to attend Brown University, where she decided to get into cooking during her senior year when she made dinner with her roommate every night. She decided she wanted to go to a traditional cooking school, so for two years she lived in San Sebastian, Spain, learning in the kitchen of Escuela de Cocina de Luis Irizar.
She returned to Greece in 2009 after living abroad for seven years and worked for a catering company and a few restaurants, but said she found the experience of working in a kitchen difficult and didn't like the atmosphere in some cases. Stratou then found a job working for a food website for a year-and-a-half before the effects of the economic crisis made her decide to leave her post.
To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com.
The Tselementes Effect On Greek Cooking
According to modern-day Greek chefs and cooks, the best Greek food is based on centuries-old practices of combining naturally grown and seasonal foods with the best herbs and spices to create simple, fabulous dishes. Home sun-dried tomatoes, beans, legumes, and fresh vegetables, served with olive oil are among the best Greece has to offer.
Fish and meat are eaten less frequently, and in smaller portions, but are cooked with the same attention to herbs, oil, and simple cooking techniques. Olives, wines, spirits, and cheeses need no cooking at all. However, the foods that so closely identify Greece to non-Greeks are quite different.
Greek food expert and cookbook author, Aglaia Kremezi, writes in Some Thoughts on the Past, Present, and Future of Greek Food,
"Mousaka, pastichio, creamy avgolemono (thickened egg-and-lemon sauce), and Greek salad are the dishes that most non-Greeks consider to be the epitome of traditional Greek cooking. Yet, most of these dishes have very little to do with traditional foods. They were developed, or drastically revised, by professional cooks and restaurateurs."
The most influential of those professional cooks was Nicholas Tselementes, a Greek chef from the island of Sifnos who trained in Europe and worked in some of the world's finest hotel kitchens.
It's not clear whether Tselementes believed that French cooking originated in Greece (which it did not), or that French was somehow "better" than the simple Greek fare of the day, but the result was that he developed recipes and cooking styles based on sauces and French methods of preparation to "cleanse" Greek food of Turkish, Roman, and other influences that had been incorporated over centuries, influences Tselementes saw as barbaric. He preferred butter to olive oil, elaborate sauces to bare dishes. French was in, Greek was out. It was most probably Tselementes who created the moussaka and pastitsio we know today - with an inch of cream sauce, cheeses, and 700 calories per serving - from the original dishes which were simple combinations of ground meat and vegetables or pasta.
His theories and first cookbook, written in 1910, became the darlings of early 20th century "upwardly mobile" Greeks who saw a new sophistication in his recipes. Greek chefs and restaurateurs sought to imitate his techniques and style, hoping to attract an international and worldly clientèle with mild tastes and elaborate presentations.
To read more, please visit greekfood.about.com
Earth Hour 2015
Earth Hour 2015 will be held in Greece on Saturday March 28th from 20:30 - 21:30.
Earth Hour was first held Greece in 2009 with more than 500 municipalities and towns switching off! The Greek capital of Athens, and the cities of Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos, Herakleion, Ioannina and Alexandroupoli took part. Even more landmarks and iconic buildings than ever showed their support in 2011, from the Parthenon at the Acropolis, The Greek Parliament Building, the White Tower, the bridge of Rio-Atnirio. WWF Greece is responsible for coordinating Earth Hour in Greece.
To watch Earth Hour unfold around the world, visit:
http://www.earthhour.org/earth-hour-live-watch-the-hour-unfold-around-the-world.
Superstitions Greeks Still Believe In
Greeks are known for their many superstitions, some of which have regional origins. Here is an assortment of superstitions (or customs) that are still prevalent in the lives of many local Greeks.
Evil Eye
The evil eye is perhaps the most talked-about Greek superstition, can strike a person at any given moment. There has probably been an occasion when you were all dressed-up, and minutes after someone complimented you about your looks, you spilled coffee all over your outfit. That's the evil eye. According to Greek tradition, there are a few different things you can do to keep away the evil eye.
You can buy a blue eye-shaped charm and wear it on a necklace or bracelet. The color blue is thought to ward off the evil eye, but it's also commonly believed that blue-eyed people are prone to give the evil eye. So beware when a blue-eyed person pays you a compliment, as the compliment could end-up in disaster.
Other ways to ward off the evil eye's effect include asking an older woman (such as a mother, aunt, or grandmother) to recite a secret prayer called 'xematiasma,' spitting (or rather a spitting sound), or throwing salt over the shoulder.
Pomegranates
In Greek culture, the pomegranate fruit is associated with fertility, luck, prosperity, renewal, and regeneration since ancient times. The custom of smashing a pomegranate on New Year's Day is very symbolic. According to tradition, the juicy, bounteous ruby-like segments of the fruit fill the home with health, happiness, and joys as many as the pomegranate's arils.
Perfume
In Greece, there is a weird taboo against giving perfume as a gift, as it is thought of ruining friendships and relationships. To counteract the harmful effect, it is customary that the recipient of the gift gives a coin back to the gift giver.
Garlic
Greeks believe that garlic has the power to keep evil away. You'll often see braids of garlic, or large garlic heads dangling over the entryways of stores, restaurants, and homes. Apart from warding off the evil eye, garlic is also assumed to keep away evil spirits and demons. It is common for some folk to carry a clove of it on them or in their pockets.
Knives
Never hand a Greek person a knife, as giving a knife directly into another person's hand means they will fall out. Instead, you are supposed to set it down and let them pick it up.
Money
Greeks believe that money attracts money, so don't leave your pockets, wallets empty–always leave at least a coin or two–and never withdraw all the money from your bank account. It is also customary that when you gift a wallet or purse, you put a coin or two inside before giving it to the recipient.
Touch Red or Piase Kokkino
When two people say the same words at the same time, Greeks believe it's a sign that the 2 will get into an argument. To avoid the fight, they immediately need to say 'Piase Kokkino' or 'Touch Red' and touch something red, such as clothing or a piece of food.
Spitting
While Greek people spit for several superstitious reasons, the most common is to keep evil away. Spitting, or rather the spiting sound which sounds like 'ftou ftou ftou' is always done 3 times to represent the Holy Trinity. Greek people often say 'ftou ftou ftou' when they hear about another person's misfortune to protect themselves or their loved ones from it. Another common occurrence is with children and babies when people engage in spitting to protect the child from harm and bad luck.
This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab
The Best Of The Greek Islands
To read more of Rachel's top picks for best Greek islands, please visit: Conde Nast Traveller
How Much Did The Greek Language Influence English?
To read this article in full, please visit: Tornos News
December 20th - Celebrating Christmas In Greece
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