Introduction

It’s been a long time since I have had a word limit to reach before a piece of work could be submitted but I will do my best to write a salient piece of text that is at least as long as required while still being relevant and explaining who I am.

My main interest in life is Greece, its language, history, food, and basically anything that could be considered Hellenic. I love visiting the place, learning new facts about the language which I can speak a little of, cooking the food as it reminds me of when I go and just the culture and atmosphere is so great. I’m considered slightly crazy by many that I have not only attempted the Greek language but have stuck with it and I can read, write, speak, and understand a fair amount of it. I am by no means fluent but one day I hopefully will achieve that goal.

I think learning the native language of the place that you live in helps you to get more involved in the community and the togetherness is an important factor in feeling that you belong there and it’s a safe place to continue your life. So many people move abroad but only gain the basics that allow them to survive in their daily lives but to be honest, that’s not really living now, is it? You should develop your skills so that you can interact with the locals as that’s why you moved there right? You like a place; you should aim to integrate into the local populace. This is where you really discover what it is truly like to be a part of a different culture and you learn to appreciate their different values.

An understanding of history is essential if we are to learn from past mistakes. Quite frequently misunderstandings are passed from generation to generation and without any cultural awareness of the current situation you may inflame citizens in a manner that you didn’t know was possible so be careful. If we know our history then we can analyze why certain things are the way they are and why they may be resistant to change or to new people etc. Most things can be explained by examining past events to uncover the motivations of the participants. In a place like Greece, there is so much history to interpret that you may never come out the other side but that’s why we leave such complex issues to the professionals. You can still have a good never ending debate on the topic though.

The Mediterranean diet is considered the healthiest in the world and it’s not surprising as pretty much all of the ingredients are fresh, local produce that is cooked there and then for your enjoyment. Greek food is some of the simplest, nicest food around as they know how good their food is so they don’t need extravagant cooking techniques like the French and there is also not many sauces around, it’s just the food beautifully cooked and simply presented. It will taste stunning though I guarantee it and you will feel much better after it eating than before. This is why I like to attempt to cook these dishes as it reminds me of the times that I have spent there. I have been there in spring, summer, and autumn and the cuisine changes according to the weather and what is available at that time of year. Seasonality is something we have lost with an overabundance of food in our supermarkets from foreign shores but this is important as you learn the quality of natural food again

I hope you enjoy reading this and future posts from me.