Γεια σας από την Αθήνα! (Hello from Athens!)

So far today I have:

• watched the YouTube video posted above to get a visual point of reference of the city and there are some great food photos at the end of it as well.
• taken a long walk – many sites mention that this is a great thing to do in Athens. There are even streets where cars are not allowed to allow more pedestrians.
• gone to the market – this is something I like to do whenever I’m traveling, even in The States. To me, I can learn a lot about the place I’m in by the market.
• spent time looking at the Parthenon Frieze – how could I not take in the sights?!
• learned some local phrases - ευχαριστίες Google Translate! I know it might not be 100% accurate, but I like that Google Translate allows me to hear the words so I can repeat them back.
• listened to Greek Radio – thank you internet!

I also took some time to learn about Greek Cuisine. It was no surprise to me to learn that olive oil is considered the characteristic ingredient. After all, Homer called it liquid gold. Thanks to Wikipedia I learned that olive oil is quite the helper to the human body. Not only does it make food taste delicious, it also benefits the heart, can moisturize the skin, and has some medicinal purposes such as lowering a fever. The Greeks were resourceful to make this a staple of their diets. It’s a multipurpose food. While at the market today, I made sure that I picked up some olive oil that was a product of Greece to make sure that the food that I make this week is authentic as possible, food my γιαγιά would be proud to eat.

As I type, I have pita dough rising in the kitchen. This is my first attempt at making Greek food since 2004 for the first biennial Olympic Opening Ceremonies Dinner with my friends where we cook the food of the host country. I’m looking forward to trying it to cook it again.

Stay tuned, I’ve got some classic Athenian meals and snacks lined up for this week. Until then, αντίο!

Photo credit: Van Zai

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Tags: athens, food staycation, greece