Altered Visions

When you have been in one place for your entire life your views of people and society revolved around what you see and experience in that place. When thrusted into a new and foreign country where you do not even speak the language, the vision I had before cannot help but change.

Food is a great part of life, and with every culture it varies with style, taste, quantity, color, and the list goes on. The "American" eating schedule is much different than the Greeks. Who would have thought. Whereas Americans eat dinner anytime from 5-7 on average, Greeks don't reach the dinner table until 9, which is even considered early at times. If they are eating dinner so late I would like to know when the after dinner snack is, the popcorn with your favorite show.

Shopping for food in America is like a mission that must be complete. We also have enough varieties for about 10 other countries. We have an entire aisle devoted to cereal. Seems like a bit much. The cereal asile was one of the first things I checked out when we went to the market in Greece, which takes up a small portion of the aisle.

The specialty or outdoor markets in Greece make the shopping experience much different than I had in America. Granted America does have these outdoor markets, but the experience is much different in Athens. The food in America is mass produced and the quality seems to diminish more and more, whereas in Athens the fruit seems to be quite fresh and other items such as the olives are like a whole new food.

Experiencing the food in Athens has given me new insight into the culture of Greece. I was surprised at how something as simple as an olive or olive oil could be of much higher quality than I had experienced in America. Eating in America will never again be the same.