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Published: January 3rd 2012
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As 2012 came rolling through, every social media outlet made certain to highlight the best and worst of our previous year; I won't attempt to clump the experiences of the past 365 days under select adjectives but I will do my best to provide some noted stats from my time spent in Greece. I apologize for the delay but when internet was scarce, I chose to enjoy the moment rather than monopolize the connection at the corner internet cafe. And so it goes:
Stats - Week In Athens # of miles walked - a whole lot
# of subway trains ridden - 12ish
money spent - $33 US per night for apt, + 7 Euro avg per day on food, etc.
# of stray dogs encountered - 1 per every 15 feet covered. See photo (while spending a few hours reading on the steps of the national library, a local pup snuggled next to my feet. I didn't mind).
Top iPod tracks to carry me through - The Wilderness of Manitoba, The Head and The Heart, Two Door Cinema Club
Hot On The Streets - Clementines, Balloons, Lotto Tickets, Acropolis Tees, Souvlaki (street meat
sorta like gyros = delicious)
My favorite discovery - the neighborhood of Exharia. I was warned that it was "the center for anarchists" but while there stumbled graciously across a series of bookstores, cafes, handmade jewelry, and friendly faces. I renamed it "the center of I wish I could spend more time here"
Things shouted at me - "blondie," "Obama," and "USA!"
# of stangers who tugged at my hair - 1
# of scowls I directed at strangers who tugged at my hair - 10 (if you count the strength of a single scowl)
# of friends made - 3: an American taking a break from her teaching position in France who spent a night swapping travel stories with us at a restaurant overlooking a view of the Parthenon, the daughter of our host family who took me for dinner along the sea and told me that Greeks don't follow three laws in particular - parking meters, no smoking in public places, and no cell phones while driving - her reasoning had something to do with lack of respect shown by police officers and a lot to do with their preferred lifestyle, and my
final friend I met while quietly enjoying my second of many Souvlakis - he joined my table at a cafe and spent an hour explaining (through broken English), the current political state of of Greece and his thoughts on America - see photo of napkin - he used this to compensate for his gaps in vocabulary. He left me with this to think about, "At least in the 1940s, we knew who the enemies were. Now that it's an ecomomic war, no one knows who to blame." İ agreed.
New travel destinations inspired by this trip - India, Egypt, and Japan
#1 thing missed from the states (besides the obvious friends & family) - tacos
Most Memorable experience - On our final day in Athens, Hassan and İ wanted to find an "A" meal to satisfy our trip. We spent our whole week grading each dish and had so far only encountered a B+ at best. So with our mission in mind, we set out to the winding streets turning down any restaurant that proved to be too empty or too full on the inside. Finally, we spotted a corner cafe that appeared to be populated by
locals and steaming plates of souvlaki. We looked at each other and without having to speak, headed to the first available table. We knew this was going to be it.
Without looking at the menu as we pointed out our selection and pronounced the three Greek words we desired, our server simply said "Good choice. Very good choice." İ ordered the chicken and Hassan asked for the meat plate that started with a "T." Fifteen minutes later, our server informed us that the kitchen had switched our orders but would have it corrected soon; the delay did not cause our enthusiasm to falter. When my plate finally arrived (see meal picture), İ did what my father taught me best when it comes to constructing and then diminshing a perfect bite. First you take the bread or whatever is closest to bread in the meal and fold it together. Once you have a solid holding vessel, keep it steady and place the heaviest food item in next. Follow with whichever sauce or topping is available (if all else fails, find ketchup). İf you need a better visual of this process, think of your Thanksgiving leftovers piled into a piece of bread and then covered with gravy (if you have not already tried this, I highly suggest it for next year).
So armed to destroy this "A" of a meal, İ ripped off a piece of pita and filled it with chunks of chicken, fries, onions, lettuce and to top it all off - fresh Tzatziki sauce.
All of Athens stopped to watch. Here I was, a passerby sitting amongst locals but with a similar dedication to their own for enjoying chicken souvlaki to the fullest. Immediately, I began compiling another pile to devour when İ felt a hand on my shoulder. The same server who had moments earlier shown little interest in my order was now completely devoted to my dining experience.
"Miss," he spoke, "You are doing it all wrong." Before İ could speak, he took half a lemon - the one İ had left untouched on my plate - and took to squeezing its entire zesty contents onto every inch of my plate. He did this with one hand, while the other rested now on my hand instead of my shoulder and he proceeded to tell us not to worry; "I am a good man, a good man," he said.
Proof for this claim took shape in the next ten seconds. After phase one of his tutorial, that being the lemon, he now used MY fork and knife and explained that the chicken needed to be consumed in small bites. Thus he proceeded to cut my chicken into smaller pieces as if I were a small child and then...he fed me. He fed me! And notin kind or playful swoops but in very direct, non-negotiable movements that started at my plate and ended with me.
Next came the pita and the fries and the lettuce, and before İ could chew or protest or process what was happening, the final phase was upon me. Four ripe tomatoes very purposely lingered on the perimiter of my plate as İ have always and continue to despise their taste; even the gooey seeds that often remain after İ have picked one out of a salad have been enough to turn me away. But there was no stopping this man - in his grand finale, he shouted loudly enough for others around us to hear that "This is not America and not everything is a sandwich!" and with a final pluck from my plate, the redness blurred and was gone. İ stared wide-eyed across the table at Hassan as the dining experience came to its completion.
Managing a Greek gulp, four or five consecutive bites somehow all disappeared and my utensils were returned to me. İ knew what my friend was thinking even before he spoke - "A+"
As the server moved onward, as if an assault on my food and I had never occurred, he received nods from those sitting around us. There existed a mutual understanding that my sandwich making days in Greece were over.
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Taylor & Angeles
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A+++++
Tisk Tisk Ms. Held! Don't you know Greeks and sandwiches don't get along!? What did you learn in school? Lol. Just kidding. All I know about Greek dining is what I've watched on barefoot contessa (food network show). Well that's all. Enjoy the rest of your trip. - Taylor & Angeles :) P.S.- We were cracking up when we read "He fed me!".