We Talkin' Food?

It’s only been a week since I’ve arrived in Athens, and it feels like three weeks. In a good way. I’ve experienced the nightlife near school and our dorms, as well as the nightlife in downtown Athens. I’ve met new people from different states, different countries, and new people from Loyola. I’ve experienced food and different forms of transportation. I’ve also began experiencing things that I do and don’t like compared to America. One of my top favorite topics to discuss in Greece is the food.

For one thing, the food is amazing. The portion sizes are also just right. I’ve only been truly stuffed a few times, and besides that I’ve been comfortably full. 

The one thing that did take me by surprise is the fact that majority, if not all restaurants, charge for water to your table. And also, charge for the bread brought out, which I first thought was complimentary since no one at our table asked for any. Also, every time you order something, the waiter brings out a new check, which to me is interesting and different compared to how America distributes the check. 

On the first day of classes, a group of us went to a spot called MILF. It means Meat I Live For. Not what you were thinking, right? There I had one of the best gyros so far. Of course, I’ve only been here for a week and never had a gyro before I came to Greece, but it was delicious. It’s pita bread, your choice of meat, lettuce, onion, tomato, and a yogurt sauce. And the most dangerous part is that it's 2.40 euro. Very inexpensive, very delicious, very fast served, very dangerous for my diet. 

An interesting meal I had so far, was at a restaurant called Apika Slow Cook. I feel like I received a very Greek experience with this dinner. Usually when I go to a restaurant or any food place, there’s also an English menu, but at this restaurant there was no English menu. Our waitress, who was very patient with us, read out the options in English. 

Nine of us; myself, Jade, Shannon, Molly, Anna, Liv, Kathryn, Bridget, and Allie shared a few dishes. We had bread, octopus, eggplant, a Greek salad, and sweet and sour chicken wings. It was very different from what I’m used to, but tasty. The chicken wings were not what I was expecting at all. They were slightly bigger chicken wings than what I’m used to and were lightly breaded with a sauce similar to jam. They fell apart as soon as I attempted to eat it. Out of all the dishes, the wings were my least favorite. But besides that dish, I found the octopus and eggplant to be the most tasteful. 

One other night, I was craving some basic American food. Could I get any more basic by wanting a burger? But this wasn’t just a regular burger, to me of course. It was called the Peanut Butter Burger. The menu described it as “a brioche bun, a veal burger, peanut butter sauce, caramelized bacon, mozzarella & caramelized onion”. All I can say is, it was yummy. The menu at this restaurant, Food Academy, was huge. It came in Greek and English and included pictures. I felt like a kid again, but the pictures were very beneficial for my single language knowing self. Their food options ranged from Greek food such as gyros, to burgers, to Asian food-to name a few. I will definitely be testing out more options at this restaurant. 

On the other hand, the coffee here isn’t my favorite so far. Perhaps it’s because America Runs on Dunkin, but I find the coffee here to be very bitter and nothing special. They fill it halfway and a good part of the coffee is simply foam. I’ve been to a few cafes, and I haven’t been to one that offers any flavors. But I did get the chance to put cinnamon on top of the foam to which of course I had to accept any flavor adding option. At first, I considered the idea that maybe the baristas know I’m a tourist so they’re just taking advantage of me being a “stupid American”, but looking around, everyone’s coffee was the same. Currently, I’m still looking to find a flavorful coffee to which I will mark down where Dunkin Donut lovers can go to.

Bouncing around to different restaurants and cafes, I haven’t been truly dissatisfied with any of the food options. I’ve been exploring different food options and learned what I do enjoy. Being a student trying to save money, I’m glad Greece is inexpensive so far and very tasteful, but I would advise bringing your own water to restaurants.