From Jim, I learned that
"Panegyri" (pan E year E) is a common festival in
Greece and that what lay before me was analogous of the
traditional island event. There was a "bakaleeko", or
grocery store, gift shop, and art gallery, and, of course, a
restaurant and a cafe. All filled with the bustle of shoppers
chatting back and forth in a multitude of languages. Happiness
seemed to flow from everywhere. It was a warm, jovial place. Jim
helped me with my pronunciations from the small Greek dictionary
in the back of the brochure as Laura wandered the booths,
perusing the artworks and jewelry. After a very enlightening
conversation with Jim, I caught up with Laura at the doll rack.
These
intricately designed dolls were dressed in the traditional
festive gowns as was seen on the dancers performing just outside. And
then it was time to sample the local cuisine, and as we looked
over the hand printed menu, it was the appetizer plate that we
decided to try. Yiayia's Mezathakia, Grandma's hors d'oeuvres
featured Keftethes , (Greek meatballs) dolmathes (stuffed grape
leaves) feda cheese, olives, Greek sausage grilled with lemon
juice, and Saganaki, a kind of flamed cheese, followed up with
Greek coffee. Brewed in a small brass pot called a
"Briki", it is strong and thick when served in a
demitasse cup. The unhurried Greek lets
the grounds settle in the
cup as he slowly sips, a tradition that dates back to the 15th
century. All this in a beautifully laid out, clean, outdoor type
calf, with blue check tablecloths and flowers on every table. We just sat for a
while and watched the world go by, sipping until the residue at
the bottom of the cup was apparent enough to read a fortune,
which is also a Greek custom. The art of idle cafe sitting is a
learned talent, obviously taught with much more resolve in Greece
than here. As we cleaned our plates and swirled the coffee in the
bottom of the cup, I could feel that restless desire to be on the
move again. We were missing something somewhere, I was sure, so
accepting culture for being what it is, we gave into our urge to
move on and vacated the lovely setting.
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