Between Parkland and Pangrati. Currently: Accomodation. Goal: Acculturation?

Before we got here, the thing I was looking forward to most in Greece was the food. Greek food for a month? Yes please! I don't have to cook for myself and Greece is much more promising than Parkland, in a culinary sense. I knew that there would be familiar food items, exotic foods, and even some "scary" food. Knowing all of this, I braced myself for the culinary adventure ahead. I knew of all things this would be part of the culture I couldn't hide from. I have to eat while I'm here. While I'm here, I eat like a Greek.
But I'm not Greek. So how do I find an "in-between" that would keep me adventurous but comfortable? On the second day I thought I found an answer: sandwiches.

This is the best tasting sandwich I've ever had in my life. Seriously.

Katie and I stopped by a cafe on that second day and I got a salami sandwich. Sandwiches are familiar territory and it was only the second day! What could be crazy different about a sandwich?
Everything, my friends. Up until this sandwich, I hated salami. Now I cannot get enough of it. I do no know what they do that is so different that makes the salami taste good to me, but I love it. This sandwich was just Greek enough to get my foot in the door of a new culture and their food. Salami, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and a mayo type condiment that tastes 100 times better than mayo. This was the "gateway" sandwich to more adventure. Before, I thought I knew Greek food; now I'm ready to figure out how much I really know Greek food.
Food isn't the only thing I can't avoid. I am an avid coffee drinker. Back home, ordering coffee is like brushing my teeth. I do it every day and sometimes I don't even think about it because it is so normal. Not in Greece. Every time I order coffee it's trying to find that drink that's in between; not as American as a mocha, but not as Greek as an espresso shot. The results have been pretty good so far. Everything I've had had been called a latte but they all taste different (good, but different).

It's been a week and I've tasted many wonderful things. Some better than others and some more adventurous than others. So far, in my search for an in between of comfort food and adventurous Greek food, I've found that soup is the answer. I feel like very culture has a soup, or soups, that come standard in a restaurant/cafe. You can't go wrong with soup and you can put almost anything into soup! It's a versatile food. I've had two really good soups. Both were soups I had never tried before yet they didn't make me feel like I was trying to hard to impress the locals.  

The bottom one is a Greek lemon soup with meatballs. I know it sounds weird but you have to believe me when I say it is divine. If you don't appreciate the kick of lemon and the subtle after-taste of the the broth, then it might not be for you. I don't regret eating it, that's for sure! If nothing else, I have meatballs in front of me. Always a little bit of home on a foreign plate. :)
<3Christine