A Lesson from Greece

It’s funny how much of our lives is based off food. It is scientific fact that we must eat to nourish our bodies and stay healthy, but meals have become so much more than just life sustenance. Since eating food is so important scientifically, our days have become planned around meals. Meals have changed from our Neanderthal days to become much more than food. A meal is an experience. It is an environment, time with family, a break from the daily tasks, a cultural identity. Now a meal is where bonds are made and strengthened, children learn traditions of their family, and people please their senses. It is by all this that food is a celebration.
As a proud Greek American and Greek Orthodox Christian, I jumped on the opportunity to travel to Greece the summer before I began college with other Greek Orthodox teenagers from across the United States. For three weeks we learned about the cornerstones of our heritage and our faith then traveled to see them- along with a good amount of fun and free time. I have always been very active with my Orthodox and Greek activities, so before I departed on my second trip to the “mother land” I thought I had a fine grasp on the culture. My previous trip had been 4 years earlier, before I started high school, and I knew that I would appreciate my trip in an entirely different way. I could not have been more right.
Before we boarded the plane to Greece I was reunited with good friends from Florida and made new friends from Kansas and California. The flight was just a rush of new meeting new people who would come to be some of my closest friends. As I walked out of the airport in Athens I was already beginning to feel at home and knew that I was going to have an unforgettable experience. The bonding continued as we traveled to the camp grounds where we would be staying. As strange as it may seem, the first meal we ate was at McDonalds. This was certainly the most I have ever enjoyed McDonalds despite a considerable lack of sleep. This meal was a break from travel and a reminder that the US is everywhere. We all grew closer as a zombie-like horde of groggy travelers from America.
At the camp, our days were busy. We split up and went on various activities throughout the day. We constantly had something to do (except during siesta), but to eat food we had set aside time when everyone was together. With the Ionian Sea in the background, together, we anxiously anticipated the Greek dish that would come out of the kitchen each day, and together we enjoyed every one. Food ranged from tender lamb to gyros on the beach. We bonded over our undeniable love for every Greek food ever made. Though repetition in meals is something one might avoid on an abroad experience to receive a more full taste of the cuisine, we had no problem eating the same appetizers every day. Feta cheese, Greek salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions), and fresh watermelon unlike any I had ever tasted only got better as time passed.

We quickly found that everything in Greece tasted better than it did in the United States. The milk produced in Greece causes every dairy product to have an unbelievable full, smooth taste. Fruit and vegetables were packed with more flavor and juice. The watermelon made watermelon in the States taste like plain water. Regional olive oil on bread made Maggianos seem like a cheap scam. Even Coke, beloved Coke, tasted better across the globe.
Meals at the camp were wonderful, but meals as we traveled were a completely different story. We traded a camp ground for a cityscape. Each meal became an urban escape. This is where we had our most complete meals. In the city of Patras, we ate a rooftop dinner overlooking a sunset behind mountains above an inlet. We ate and celebrated the night and our fellowship. After I finished my food, I started to look around, and I thought, “How beautiful is that sunset?” Then came, “How beautiful is this coke?” There was only one logical action to follow those thoughts. I ran the balcony and my friends rushed after me with their cameras which I had told them to bring without any explanation. This picture was the embodiment of my good feelings. As I stood gulping down coke, I felt just as happy as everyone in a coke commercial, not just because of the coke, but because of the meal I was having. This meal was full of fellowship and scenery, but it was only my second favorite meal.
My favorite came on the Island of Aegina on the last day of our trip. We went to the coast to shop and eat after visiting the monastery of St. Nektarios. We had three hours before the ferry left for Athens, so we set out to find the best restaurant. We were predators on a hunt. When we found a fish market alley, we walked through, sat at the closest restaurant, and immediately ordered mezzethes (tapas). Everyone was exhausted from three amazing weeks, and good food was all that we needed. We had each other, best friends, and a beautiful environment, the sea on side, seaside shops on the other. As we ate grilled octopus, calamari, smelts, and shrimp fresh out the ocean, we reminisced and celebrated the lives we had. When we finished, we used our extra time to eat ice cream. This was my favorite meal because of the brotherhood, beautiful environment, and food.
Greece taught me the power of food. Aside from being outright delicious, it brings people together anywhere and anytime. It has the power to please people around the globe. Meals are a celebration of the food you are eating, the company you are with, the place you are eating, and the fact that you are alive to eat it. Meals are a break from my day, and sometimes I only get two a day, but I will always spend those two times celebrating my life and the food. A day lived without joy is not a day at all.