#9 LAMB!!! (αρνί)

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 leg of lamb 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 leg of lamb 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.

EDIT: I originally described the oven lamb as “lamb shanks,” but my yiayia informed me that I needed to change “shanks” to “leg of lamb”. What yiayia says, goes.

#4 Drinking Responsibly

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day (clearly not a Greek holiday) and my brother’s birthday (yes, a Greek born on St. Patrick’s Day), I wanted to write about Greek-Americans and drinking.  

All Greek people love to drink, it is just a simple fact. The difference between a Greek-American and a lot of other Americans, however, is that Greeks love to drink responsibly, even the teenagers and college kids (I am one, so I would know).

Why, might you ask? Because Greek people don’ t make a big deal out of drinking. My παππου has quite the heavy hand when it comes to pouring the alcohol and my mom, well let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree (remember her two martinis?). However, neither of them drink too much, they just know how to have a good time.

Having had my first drink of ouzo offered to me at age 12, alcohol never had the mystery behind it that it did for my other friends. Getting drunk just never made any sense to me. Why not just drink in moderation, enjoy yourself and not pass out/throw up?

In short, Greeks encourage drinking, but not binge drinking (although binge eating is a whole other game).

So while your friends are pounding down pints today, remember that the Greeks would advise you to have a few beers and then enjoy the night. It will save you calories and a hangover!

#3 Eating Out

Whether its a cheap diner or a high end restaurant, Greek people LOVE to eat out, which is kind of funny because Greek people also love cooking (but more about that later).

Nonetheless, Greeks enjoy little more than being served food and drink. Obviously nobody can eat out all of the time, but I know that my grandparents eat out about 5 times a week (not the best for their health). And who do Greek people bring their regular business to…other Greeks of course!

There are so many Greek restauranteurs, the most common being the “pizza greeks.”

But then there are those higher end Greek restaurants, usually run by some successful Greek chef. For example, the restaurants Anthos and Kefi, owned by chef Michael Psilakis.

Now, my mom and I go to New York City a couple times a year and last time we were with my dad and brother there, we went to this great Greek place called Molyvos, named after the village on the island of Lesvos (where we’re from). The first time we went there I got sick and wasn’t really able to enjoy my meal, although from what I did eat I could tell it was the best octopus that I had ever had.  When we went back I got the same thing and, trust me, it was REALLY good.  My mom also got a lemon drop martini that she said was “excellent.”

The next night, we tried to find a nice Italian place, but, being the Greek-Americans that we are, we just couldn’t resist going to yet ANOTHER Greek restaurant called Avra.

This place is ABSOLUTELY my new favorite place ever in my favorite city ever. My mom and I split two appetizers and each had another appetizer to ourselves. My favorite dish was the Ouzo Mussels – so delicious. And my mom had their lemon drop martini an said it was even better than the one she had the night before. In fact, she enjoyed it so much that she got two.

Anyways, I’m getting off topic. My point is, this second place, Avra, was even GREEKER than Molyvos. Even the bathrooms (which were super nice), were decorated in a way that reminded me of the χωριο, aka the village.  I have a theory that if a restaurant can afford to make their bathrooms look just as nice as the dining area, then they’re doing something right.  So I think it goes without saying that my mom and I couldn’t help loving this place even more.

Moral of the story: the greeker the restaurant, the more a Greek-American will love it, guaranteed.