Modern+Greek+Food,+by+Nate

Modern Greek Food  The sources of and the preferences for food have evolved in Greece over the past 300 years. In the past, Greece’s mountainous topography limited food variety to the ingredients most easily available. For example, if a person lived in the mountains and far from the coast, fish would be rare. But today, with improvements in transportation of food and increased variety, the people of Greece are much less restricted in their choices in food. To understand traditional Greek food, it is important to understand the geography of the country. Greece is a tiny 50,942 square mile country, which contains many micro climates. A micro climate is a climate that changes as the geography changes. For example, the vast plains give way to towering cliffs with the rolling seas beneath or high rocky mountain ranges above. This all happens in a matter of miles (Gall p.134. In ancient Greece, all of the different communities were isolated from one another. The only way to communicate from one colony to another was to send a messenger by foot. Due to the diversity in the geography, the people living in the different sections of the country traditionally ate foods that were locally available. In the south the people ate a lot of fish. In the north people depended on hunting for animals like, mountain goat. In the central region, the people ate some beef and domesticated goats. [|Staple foods] for all of the regions include grapes, beans, cheese, figs, and cereals. The one thing that everyone also had no matter where they lived was wine. Wine was the staple drink of the Greek. It would be watered down so that it had the taste but not enough alcohol to get someone drunk after a couple of glasses (About.com). Another important ingredient in ancient Greek food is [|olive oil]. This oil, made from crushing olives and collecting the juices, is used to flavor many foods and has even been known for its medicinal purposes (Kremezi).

[|Modern Greek food] is not just a variation on the traditional cuisine but also includes access to new foods and fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King. There are many foods that grow in Greece and are a huge part of their modern cuisine but the ancient Greeks did not have them. Some examples of these foods are lemons, bell peppers, oranges, eggplant, and tomatoes. These are the ingredients that give Modern Greek food its well known flavor and character. Fast food restaurants have also changed how Greeks see food. To modern Greeks it is an easy way to get food, since many more people work in the cities rather than work on a farm (About.com).

The transition from ancient Greek food to modern Greek food took place as shipping and communication improved. The construction of roads, railroads, and the invention of the airplane revolutionized modern shipping. This improved the freshness of the food because people could get it quicker. Communication played a key role as to why new foods became more widely known. The radio, TV, and internet include methods of advertisement that over the years change how people think of food. A good example for this is the fast food industry. Without all of the advertisements that promoted burger and fries, the greater population would have never considered eating them (Sichter).

[|The Greek Orthodox religion] also plays a role when it comes to food. In Greece, all of their national holidays are usually related to a Saint. To celebrate this particular Saint, families around the country used to make huge feasts of traditional food. As the modern times have come and the influence of food other than traditional foods has entered the collective confidence, people have started to replace traditional foods on these holidays. Imagine walking through a picnic area during the Fourth of July. You see a lot of people sitting on the red and white checkered blankets. You smell the burgers and hot dogs sizzling on the grill. Well this has become common in Greece today. People celebrating holidays are now making burgers and hot dogs on the grill instead of making their traditional foods. This isn’t true for everyone though. There are still some people who make and eat the traditional food, but there are also people who have switched not to just modern traditional food but also to fast food (Kremezi). [|Greece’s economy] is the poorest in the European Union (EU). They have been in debt for a long time. This issue is important when it comes to food. Think about the families in the US who cannot get enough money to afford the ingredients for proper homemade meal or have too many jobs to be home to cook for themselves and children. Now multiply that number of poor families by 10. That’s what’s going on in Greece. Greece has been plagued by high taxes as well as the nation’s declining economy. How does this relate to modern food? Well as unemployment in Greece increases, they don’t have enough money to buy food or are too busy balancing several jobs to stay afloat. They are forced to buy cheaper fast food (BBC). Today people talk of eating healthy and modern Greek food is considered to be healthy. But, because of shipping, many of the foods being shipped to Greece are processed with chemicals and preservatives to keep them fresh. This means that many imported foods are less healthy than the food that was available 300 years ago.

Today, people are realizing that our societies should become more sustainable by eating locally. This reduces the need to use chemicals to keep food fresh during shipping. It is ironic that modern Greek food could be healthy and better for people if it was more similar to ancient Greek food. This lesson applies to all countries, not just Greece.

Citations: "An Introduction to Greek Food and Greek Cooking." //Greek Food at About.com - Greek Food and Greek Recipes - Traditional and Modern Greek Cooking//. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. . Bliss, Pamela, Kathy Klein, Susan Messer, and Rita V. Meulen. //T////he World Book Encyclopedia of People and Places//. Vol. 2. Chicago: World Boo, 2000. Print. D-H. "BBC News - Greece Timeline." //BBC News - Home//. BBC News. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. . Gall, Timothy L., and Susan B. Gall. //Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations//. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007. Print. "Greece - Greek Language, Culture, Customs and Doing Business Etiquette." //Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training//. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

 “Greek Food FAQ: What Did the Ancient Greeks Eat? Question About Ancient Greek Foods.” //Greek Food at About.com- Greek Food and Greek Recipes- Traditional and Modern Greek Cooking.// http://greekfood.about.com/od/quenstionsanswers/f/ancientfood.htm. Web. 11 December. 2011. []. "Greece: The Next Fast Food Nation." //The Food Section - Food News, Recipes, and More//. New York Times. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. [|http://www.thefoodsection.com/appetizers/2008/09/greece-fast- foo.html] Kremezi, Aglaia. "GREEK FOODS and COOKING." //Greek Food: A Complete Guide//. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. . "Modern Greek Food." Interview by Nate L. Sichter. //Lee Sichter//. (808) 2362836, Kaneohe, Hawaii, 11 Dec. 2011. In person.