Go for gold
The spectacular opening ceremony drew gasps of admiration from viewers all over the globe as the Olympic Games came home.
For me, the memories of my last trip to Greece came flooding back. Thick ewe’s milk yoghurt drizzled with local honey for breakfast at the Hotel Maronika in the little fishing village of Epidavros. Octopus with lemon and rigani, at the Ampeloesa Taverna across the quay. Or Melanzana salata, a delicious salad of black-eyed beans finely sliced scallion and dill, drizzled with Greek extra virgin olive oil and lemon. And not forgetting the ubiquitous taramasalata.
After the simple feast, my new Greek friends Georges, Dimitri, Charles and Andreas jumped up and spontaneously started to dance to the juke box, with their arms linked they stepped lightly and swirled gracefully, they knew all the words of the songs - sad songs, rebel songs, love songs and there was a wonderful easy camaraderie between them. They danced and sang for sheer joy.
Now that we’re in the Greek spirit, why not recreate the atmosphere of a Greek taverna at home? Think whitewashed walls and blue paintwork, check table cloths. Set the table with white utilitarian style plates and glasses, a bowl of fresh lemons as a centrepiece and maybe a few branches of olive or bay leaves.
Greek food is all about conviviality, communal pleasure and taverna-style dining and is marked by its simplicity and generosity, with dishes of food brought to the table for guests to share. Try to find some ouzo and retsina, the Aleppo pine-flavoured wine to serve with the mezze.
It’s easy to recreate Greek flavours, if not always the climate. Think olives, lemons, feta, lamb, cod’s roe, dried figs, walnuts, pistachios, honey, vine leaves, saffron, yoghurt, capers, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and strong coffee.
Plan your menu, ring up the pals, whip up a Greek salad, snatch a few minutes of the Olympics. Or find a CD of Greek music to get you into the spirit. Demis Roussos or the theme music from Zorba the Greek would be terrific - and, who knows, after all that ouzo, you too might want to dance!
