Monday, May 22, 2006

Spring Greek Festival

Last Saturday afternoon, we went to the Spring Greek Festival at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church at 36th and Massachussets. It was a wonderful day, bright and breezy and it was a lovely day to be out. The Festival, with an array of food stalls selling authentic Greek stuff and an arts and crafts display under a white tent, turned out to be less than what we've expected. Well, maybe we just expected something more.

We sampled loukoumades and souvlakis. We liked the loukoumades, it was the first time we ever tasted it. It's chewy and the texture matched well with honey and sprinkle of cinnamon. And David was a little disappointed with the souvlaki. He expected it to be juicier and tastier, however, we found it a little dry. But I'd like to think of it as a still nice experience. We were eyeing the whole lamb roasting on a spit (in the manner of dear old lechon), however, they were gonna serve it in the evening, and since we were not planning to stay there longer, we regrettably turned our backs on it.

Well, maybe we were expecting bands playing Greek music, men in those silly Greek costumes, and lots of other Greek-y stuff. I liked the silver-and-resin jewelry I saw at the arts and crafts, and also the variety of Greek desserts on display. There was this man who gave samples for his kettle popcorn and the popcorn tasted salty and sweet. Very strange. :) But I love the smell of the Festival- the spit-roasted lamb, Greek coffee made in the lovely-looking Greek coffee pot called briki, the skewered souvlakis on the grill, and this tiny stall selling lemonatha.

The Festival is small, being held just in the church grounds. So much like a neighborhood flea market. I love it. It's a new experience and a new appreciation of a different culture.

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