Foodie Corner

Last week Popi the Matriarch called us over to a table where cylindrical orange things were packed on a plate. Ruth could only think they were anthus - stuffed courgette flowers - which are delicious. No - Popi said they had been collected that day by Manolis (the grandfather - not the boy) waving vaguely to the wasteland. She handed us half a dozen in a kitchen towel, and we were none the wiser, but put them in the fridge!

Later in the supermarket we saw them on sale as frangosyka (French figs), and realised they were the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, which had been (thankfully!) de-prickled and peeled. There followed an internet research session to see what on earth to do with them. They were very pleasant on the breakfast muesli with yoghurt - tasting rather like kiwi fruit. So food for free - but pretty heavy on the labour!

Since Chloe arrived we have been eating out more as she has aa passion for Greek (veggie-again) food. She had three nights on ANEK ferries - coming down from Venice, and loved their cafeteria food! The weather has continued to be autumnal. On Sunday it was too windy for the beach so we went for a drive along the coast to Akti Krios, then came back and spent a long lunchtime in Methexis. Ruth had a scrumptious dish of stewed octopus and horta (mountain greens). Afterwards Chloe went across the road to their little beach and slept for ages in one of the hammocks. Let's hear it also for the schoolhouse kafenion in Anidri, where we went this week by taxi with Olga and Stephen! A stunning menu, including Drunken Rabbit, which was delicious! Whilst there we  managed a quick word with the kitchen folk:- Barry (ex-Calypso) and Mima (ex-cantina) - no wonder the food was so good!

Times they are a-changing

Yesterday Chloe arrived from Croatia (via Venice) - but more of that later! That means that it is definitely September! Not that there could be much doubt;- we have September weather, which started on 31st August with some cloud. Now we are getting regular cloud, chillier evenings and some mugginess, but less troublesome wind. The sea is gorgeous, but with the odd rock exposures caused by the big August wind and some big wave activity. So - how was the high summer weather?

Well the graphs say it all in terms of numbers of days over the last two years - entirely subjective of course!

On 1st September a sub-set of the Yiayia-Gaga club had an excursion. Six of us caught the noon bus up to Kandanos to join the French division for a long lunch al fresco on their beautiful terrace overlooking the mountains. It was the first time on a Cretan bus for half the group, and they found it a pleasant experience. Coming back we were over-cautious and waited a long time in the shade of one of the memorials to the village destruction. When eventually the bus did come (on time in fact!) we almost missed it because no-one got off, and we needed to cross the road. We all paid, of course, but no sign of tickets, as there was no way the inspector would get on at that stage of the journey. That was 12 euros odd into a private pocket, and no shame! There is much talk amongst the ex-pats and tourists as to just what the typical Greek (Cretan) attitude to honesty is - in the light of the stringent financial measures of the moment and foreseeable future. We think it is along the lines of "Why should I not do what everybody else does?" - A difficult one to crack - and that brings us to the Smoking Ban!

From September 1st they tried again at joining the rest of Europe over smoking. This must be about the fourth attempt. On the first occasion the Health Minister was forced to resign for having the audacity to threaten personal freedom! Most recently they tried the "Spanish model" having been warned beforehand that this was rubbish! This was presumably why they tried it. This time there is a complete ban on smoking in all public internal space, with savage fines for both smoker and owner, but the police will not be enforcing it, there has been very little publicity and the hotline for snitching insists on full names for callers. It has also led to brand new peripteros, because of advertising restrictions.

With baited (clean) breath we went that evening to Cosmogonia. The first thing we saw? A handful of smokers inside fully serviced with ashtrays! Ah Greece!

The music however was most excellent! Mike and 13-year old Sophia played a very varied selection for a good four hours.

We were back at Cosmogonia on Monday for a belated 60th birthday party. Dick had been on Gavdos for the occasion itself. We had a hilarious time, not least because of gifts sent from UK - the hat and the booze-goggles, and ended up getting gyros pitta from the boys next door and consuming them alongside the bottomless wine supply. Ruth was in recovery mode from a back-ache brought on by two days of trying to fix the laptop which had picked up malware that gives false infection messages, false blue-screens and horrible loud beeps. This was a  hair-tearing experience, which was only solved with a "system restore" and scan with AdAware. Be warned! The sainted Jeffri - on sabbatical in Gravesend- acted as consultant:- for which many thanks!

It must be September also because the twilight Tae Kwan Do are on the beach, and down at Zygos the entire retired population of Norway is trying to get an ouzo!