Tonight Kevin and I are heading to a traditional Greek restaurant to celebrate one of our friend’s birthdays.
I don’t really have too much experience when it comes to Greek food so I would really appreciate some advice. Here are the main dishes on the menu:
PASTITSIO - TRADITIONAL
Baked Ground Sirloin and Ziti Pasta. Topped with Parmesan Cheese and Bechamel Sauce.
MOUSSAKA - CRETE
Layers of Ground Sirloin, Eggplant and Zucchini. Topped with Bechamel Sauce.
SPANAKOTIROPITES - TRADITIONAL
Filo Filled with Spinach and Feta Cheese and Baked to a Golden Crust.
TIROPITA - ANDROS
Our Chef’s Special Recipe. Manouri, Feta and Kefalgraviera Cheese Wrapped in Puff Pastry and Filo.
SOUDSOUKAKIA - SMIRNI
Grounded Beef Morsels in a Mediterranean Sauce with Cumin.
DOLMADES AVGOLEMONO - TRADITIONAL
Ground Sirloin, Rice and Mint Wrapped in Grape Leaves. Finished in Avgolemono Sauce.
KORFU DAVA - SMIRNI
Cubes of Veal Baked with Tomatoes and Eggplant. Topped with Kasseri Cheese. Finished with Red Wine and Baked in a Casserole.
TORNEDO KRASSATO - ATHENS
Medallion of Beef Tenderloin Sautéed in Butter and Herbs.So my Greek experts what would you recommend?
Triton! The son of Poseidon, he rides one of his father’s sea stallions - yes, sea horses, if you must - which sport fins for hooves. He blows the conch to signal many events in Greek mythology, including the birth of Aphrodite.
Thank you for the lovely photograph of this underwater fellow.
Hecate
is the Third and final one of the Triple Goddess. She is the Goddess of the New Moon. She was also the Goddess of the Crossroads and the Witch Goddess
The Fates
The Fates, also called the Fates or the Parcae, determined when life begins, when it ends, and what happens in between. They were made up of three women:
- Clotho, who appeared as a maiden and spun the thread of life. Her name meant The Spinner
- Lachesis, who appeared as a matron and measured the thread of life. She was the Caster of lots
- Atropos, who cut the thread of life, and appeared as a crone. Her name meant, Unbending Though the smallest of the three, she is the most terrible.
They were the daughters of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (or of Zeus and Themis). Some say that Zeus could intervene in their decisions and that they could be manipulated, but in most myths they were eternal and more powerful than any of the Gods. Another story says they are the parthenogenic daughters of Ananke. In Delphi, they only worshipped Clotho and Atropos.
The Erinnyes
The Erinnyes (in English, the Furies) were some seriously fearsome creatures. They were conceived when Uranus’ spilled blood hit Gaia’s body, and were therefore older than any of the Olympian Gods. “These Erinnyes are crones with snakes for hair, dogs’ heads, coal-black bodies, bats’ wings, and bloodshot eyes. In their hands they carry brass-studded scourges and their victims die in torment.” It isn’t a great idea to mention their names in conversation, so instead you should call them the Eumenides, or the Kindly Ones. There are three:
- Tisiphone, the Avenger
- Megara, the Jealous
- Alecto, the Unresting
Their purpose was to torment sinners, which they did on Earth as well is in Tartarus. The sight of one could cause insanity, and they often drove offenders to suicide. Originally they punished only offenders of patricide, matricide, or breakers of oaths, but after a while they punished any sins. They lived in Erebus (Darkness) but traveled the Earth constantly in search of transgressors. The Furies get special press in the play the Eumenides from the Oresteia of Aeschylus. Sadly, the thing ends with the loss of a lot of their power. During their day they received plenty of respect, and that included sacrifices of honey and water. Narcissus flowers and doves seem randomly sacred to them. If you like them, you should check out their buddies like the Keres, Dike, Eris, the Harpies, the Fates, Nemesis, and Poene.
Greek Vegtables
Article, A little peice of it!
If you visit Greece in the summer and stay a couple weeks there are two things that will happen to you if you are able to break away from the tourist restaurants and find yourself in the places the locals eat. The first thing is that you will eat the best tomato you have ever tasted in you life. Shortly thereafter you will eat the best melon you have ever eaten in your life. It may be a karpoozi (watermelon) or it may be a peponi (honey-dew melon) but you will look at your wife or husband or child and say “I had no idea something could taste this good and not be bad for you.”
