The norm for us in America if we want something to eat, whether we are feeling fast food or something exotic is to drive by a place and settle, Yelp the best places to eat or we go to our favorite restaurants. Here in Greece it's quite interesting how restaurants work to help you choose where you would like to eat.
No matter the city you visit the tactics are the same.
As a traveler there's not much driving but a lot of walking. While you're walking through the market place the managers of each restaurant are standing outside with a menu wide open as they wave their hand for you to come sit and eat at their restaurant. If the waving doesn't work they try to persuade you with free wine and free wifi, which were the magic words for us.
At the start of every meal the server asks whether you want white or red wine and then proceeds to place bread, oil and vinegar onto the table. And depending on the restaurant you can have up to a 4 course meal to a 15 course meal like we had in Athens due to a longtime friendship Dr. Catalano has with the restaurant owner.
For Dinner:
Greek Salad served at every meal.
Loukoumades, Greek Donuts made on the Celestyal Olympia Cruise Ship.
The food here compared to back home is completely different as you can see. It's fresh, healthy, flavorful but not thick. You can clean your plate and have room for dessert or you can clean your plate and because the food is so good force dessert. But no matter what, you never leave hungry or disappointed. The restaurants are very accommodating to everyone's dietary needs. There is always something that the restaurant brings that you will love and want more of.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
This article is making me hungry! I like how you describe the experience of ordering and food and then how the food itself is so different. It really was strange to have the restaurant owners so openly eager and enthusiastic to get you to eat there.
ReplyDeleteGreat article and I'd like to see the full article with all of the pictures you mentioned!
You definitely nailed the routine of eating at a Greek restaurant from the process of being recruited and bought by restaurant owners with free wine and free wifi, to the placing of bread and oil and vinegar. This post really captures that experience, and makes me crave gelato!
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