Taverna, Religion, and Politics

this is the lovely taverna we went to -
the food was most excellent!

CYA treated us to a Taverna Dinner - a taverna is a restaurant frequented by locals who eat their evening meal rather late (like 9pm or later). Thankfully, that leaves us Americans our dinner hour with no wait. That is a good thing, because if you had to be on a waiting list at a Greek restaurant, it could be for hours. Greeks enjoy their evening meal for several hours enjoying the food, wine, and company of their companions. 

At our dinner we enjoyed all kinds of Greek food: spinach spanakopita, fava bean paste with the biggest capers I have ever seen, meatballs with tomato relish, spinach green salad with feta, a yummy eggplant and tomato dish, french fries with tzatziki, tryopita, and of course, souvlaki. Oh, and did I mention french fries? Yeah - I was surprised, too! We enjoyed the food with some wonderful local red wine and then we were treated to the Greek 'digestive' spirit after dinner called raki (which definitely smelled like nail polish remover!). It was very strong and we were told that it is often drank with honey (of which Greece is famous for) as a medicinal for colds or sinus discomfort. They said that you drink that and sleep it off - when you awake, you feel great! I can definitely see why - that stuff would kill anything that ails you!

To your health!

our group at the taverna dinner - so much food!

In Greece, there is no minimum drinking age - everyone drinks wine with their meals from a young age. Drinking to excess is strongly discouraged, and those who over-imbibe are not received well. Greeks don't drink to get drunk...they drink with their meals and to enjoy company and conversation. This is how it should be, I think!

Another difference from American culture is that of tipping service staff at restaurants and other service businesses. Tipping is just not done as a general rule (unless the service was above exceptional and then only minimal) - the reason is that the staff are all paid a decent, working wage and don't depend upon tips for their living. Therefore, while they won't turn down a tip, it is not expected. They actually kinda laugh at us Americans who want to tip...we are so well trained, aren't we?

here is one of the impressive churches near our school campus - one of our faculty
mentioned that it is difficult for those who live close on Sunday mornings
due to the ringing of the bells for service (early!)

close neighbors

Currently, a historic vote is coming up to determine the political direction of Greece
in the immediate future - to remain in the EU or go in a more liberal direction.
There is much talk of politics, posters like this one can be
found frequently, and everyone is holding their breath to see what happens.
The economic crisis is influencing the changes and the choice is difficult.
Greeks will be voting on a Sunday to ensure everyone can make it to the polls.