Sorry for the delay in posts! I’ve been job searching (unsuccessfully) and traveling so that’s taken up a lot of my time.

However, since Nia Vardalos’ new movie premiered last week, I thought it fitting to send a nod in her direction. I was also inspired by Mr. Panos, of course.

There is simply no getting past it: Nia Vardalos is, more or less, responsible for the popularity and status that Greeks have gained in the US. We really didn’t have that much exposure before My Big Fat Greek Wedding became a surprise box office hit.

Sure, the consequential follow-up TV show My Big Fat Greek Life was nowhere near as successful as its parent film (I still watched it of course), but how many spin-offs are? Has any one seen the previews for the 10 Things I Hate About You TV series? Do you really think that’s going to be good? Of course not.

Anyways, I have yet to se My Life in Ruins (hoping to see it this Monday ) but I will be seeing it…and I will laugh. And you better too. Because Nia Vardalos can do now wrong.

Here’s to you Nia Vardalos. Thank you for your work in the advancement of Greeks in American society.

Who doesn’t love sleep, right? 

Well, Greeks love sleep too, but we prefer daytime sleeping. As an insomniac Greek-American, I can tell you that nighttime is the best time to do things. There is seldom a time when I want to start doing something until about 7pm if not later.

This is a major problem in America (with the exception of NYC) because pretty much everything closes after 9pm except for shitty take-out restaurants like Wendy’s or whatever. In Greece, however, the real fun begins around 9 or 10.

When I visited family in Greece, my cousin George would stay out at the club until past 3am, even on the day that he had to drive me and my grandparents to the airport. Maybe not the smartest idea, but certainly the Greekest.

My Greek-American friends (that are really more Greek than American) live in households where the whole family doesn’t go to sleep until past midnight.

It isn’t that daytime isn’t great, it’s just that nighttime is better. Greeks recognize this and thus have claimed it.

That’s right, Greeks are cooler than you.

In light of yesterday’s festivities, ΠΑΣΧΑ! (Χριστος Ανεστη by the way ), I think it is only appropriate to mention the best part about Orthodox Easter (besides Christ being resurrected and family of course) is the lamb.

Sorry for all you sensitive vegetarian/vegan types, but we eat these succulent baby sheep straight of the spit and unapologetically at that.  Some might not like the image of a whole lamb roasting slowly in the backyard (ok, side yard, but at least it wasn’t the front), but at least we are connected with where are food actually comes from. Needless to say, your hamburger doesn’t originally come from a package; sorry to burst your bubble. 

I meant to snap a picture of our lovely lamb, but I was too busy enjoying seeing my family and drinking some good wine and ouzo (one right after the other) to do so.  This picture I found on google images will have to suffice:

This is pretty close to what ours looked like, except ours was roasted over a charcoal pit and included my παππου sitting beside it in a lawn chair sipping his ouzo.

Now, we almost did not do the spit this year. My grandparents actually wanted to do lamb shanks in the oven, but I insisted that we do the lamb on the spit and, as the favorite granddaughter, I got my way.

I was surprised to find out, however, that many of my cousins don’t like the lamb on the spit. They’d rather have the shank that my cousin Dimitri makes each year as extra. But let me reassure you, I had a little of both and the lamb off the spit was so much better (no offense Dimit).

Maybe it is the fact that I generally only have lamb once a year, but I’m pretty sure that my meal yesterday proves that lamb is the most delicious meat on the planet.