I’m sleepless in Seattle at the moment. Or rather trying to
sleep on a plane headed out of Seattle to NYC. Week One of the book tour is over and I’ve had
a terrific time all along the way, starting with Cara tantalizing me with
sausages (Pittsburgh spelling) at our Berkeley appearance together, and
surprising me two days later by showing up at my signing in San Francisco
albeit sans saucisson. Thanks again, blogmate.
Even though it’s been only a week, I’m detecting a trend in
the audiences. Not sure why, but there’s
a heaviness in the air. Not in general,
and certainly not in the folks who come to see me, but nonetheless I feel it. Perhaps it’s just me. Having jumped from
Greece right into the tour, I’m still a bit jetlagged. Or is it another sort of
lagged?
 |
| At the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ with Barbara Peters |
People tell me that the news out of Greece is so sad. That they weep for the country and its
people. They ask me what is going to
happen. I wish I had an answer. I wish
anyone had an answer. Better yet, a
solution.
I’ve come to a decision.
No more talk here for a while about the difficulties facing Greece. It’s
time to lighten the mood. Let’s talk
about recipes, crazy quirks, gods, superstitions and sex. That last category is to keep the weak minded
among us interested.
The question is where to start. Or better yet, when. I have some dynamite Greek recipes but
they’re not with me. I’ll get to them next week. HEY, don’t laugh. I had dinner
this past week with author Julia Spencer-Fleming and she said that’s a sure
fire way increase mystery book sales—include a recipe with your book. Nothing
ventured, no pounds gained.
Crazy quirks are a possibility but having spent three days
earlier this week in Scottsdale, Arizona, I’m still a bit disoriented on that
subject.
And though I’d like to write about the gods, I need my
reference books at hand. That, too, I’ll
get to.
Superstitions I wrote about almost a year ago practically to
the day, so that’s
been done. Which leaves me with
sex. Nah, I’ll wait ‘til I get home for
that too. OUCH!
How about humor? I skimmed through the Greek newspapers
looking for any example of the Greeks’ terrific sense of humor. I know it’s out there somewhere, but honest to
God, all I could find were two headlines that marginally qualified:
“Oprah Handpicks Eulogia Organic Fir Honey as One of her
Favorite Things for the Holiday Season.”
“Breakstone’s Unveils First-Ever Nationally Distributed
Greek Style Sour Cream.”
That, my friends, was as close as I could find to “humorous”
in the Greek papers. Which leads me to
conclude that my instincts are right. It’s time to leave the heavy stories to The New York Times and Greek
papers. We need a change here and so
next week tune in for some of the best Greek recipes ever.
Jeff—Saturday
Welcome home, dear peripatetic friend. Your New Yorkers are hoping you will stay with us for a while. Answer my last email so I can bring out the troops in your honor.
ReplyDeleteYour wish is my command...until Thursday when I head off to Chicago with a followup Saturday to Stan's Minneapolis, but I'll be back in town right after for Thanksgiving week! And I never received your last email:(.
DeleteI've been trying to lighten the mood and cheer you up for months now, Jeff, but all you want to focus on is the dreariness of Greek sex following a bloating gorge of food from 3000 year-old recipes drawn from Greek mythology. And then blogging about it. Talk about quirky.
ReplyDeleteYou sussed me out there, Everett. And here I thought my innocent routine would work. Must have been that heady Pacific Northwest air that made me think I could fool all of the people all of the time:). Like Starbucks.
DeleteCheer up blogmate...think about John Stamos who's lightening up the mood with those Greek yogurt commercials
ReplyDeleteYou always make me smile, Cara. As for Stamos and his commercials, what makes them particularly "poignant" to Greece's current situation is that Oikos yoghurt is not owned by a Greek company. It's a Dannon product appropriating the great fondness of the American market for Greek yoghurt...and doing so quite effectively, as is Chobani, another US based company.
DeleteSo, my question of the day is when is Greek yogurt really from Greece? Is there really any on U.S. shelves? I see nothing then at Whole Foods that's the authentic stuff.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, Kathy...or should I say "tasty" one?:) Fage is the largest yoghurt company in Greece--though they recently moved their corporate headquarters to Luxembourg--and successfully mounted a challenge in the EU courts against Chobani (a US company started by two young men of Turkish origins) calling itself Greek yoghurt. Fage and Chobani are both available in the US, with my personal favorite being Chobani...especially if you like the 0% fat style.
DeleteHmm, I guess I'm getting this food gig going a week ahead of time:).
Addendum to Kathy. SInce you live in NYC, you should try Titan Foods on 31st Street in Astoria. There you will find "authentic" Greek yoghurt.
Deletehow to Greek your super market yoghurt. Place watery yoghurt of any fat percentage in a paper coffee filter in a cone holder. Let the whey drain away. Presto...Greek yoghurt. Add honey...or tzadzikfy it with shredded cucumber, garlic and dill...olive old and lemon as desired.
ReplyDeleteThe patriarch's one infallible rule. ANYTHING is better with lemon on it.
O.K. I'm ready for eggplant salad hints. How to get that elusive smokey flavor?
Shrew, I shall check further on your smokey melitzano question but I understand two ways to do it are first pierce skin with fork, then grill or broil the eggplant close enough to the flame to char the skin or, for those with electric ranges, achieve same result placing directly on the burner coil. Just remember to keep turning eggplant until blackened/charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I could adapt this technique to some appropriate political comment but I promised not to go that route.:)
"charred on the outside and tender on the inside"??
ReplyDeleteThat'll be Guy Fawkes again....
As a matter of fact, Caro, Guy Fawkes would feel right at home in Pittsburgh for that is precisely the style of broiling steaks called, "Pittsburgh rare." :)
Delete