Greece Is the Word

VOL 24

6 JULY 2021

 

Photo Credit: Evangelos Mpikakis

This edition is dedicated to Andreas Giannitsopoulos. May his memory be eternal.


1. 

BETTER WITH AGE 

“Perhaps Aristotle's philosophy also reveals a deeper truth: how incredibly valuable the elderly of our society are.”


2.

SEND US A POSTCARD, BABIS

Though Guiness World Records no longer monitors the title of “world’s most traveled person,” in 2015 they bestowed the title on this Greek. Where in the world is he now, we wonder…? 


3. 

BEST PLACES TO STAY IN GREECE?  

Here’s a list of the top Airbnbs. Want to check out three of the best new hotels, as well? How about Vogue’s take on the “best hotels in Greece” list? But if you’re going to Ios, check this out. 


4. 

A FEW GOOD GREEKS

We’ve got 18-year-old footballer Giannis, who’s being compared to Messi. And 13-year-old Marita, who knows her history and how to write beautifully about it. We’ve got George writing and producing some of the best programming on HBO (or anywhere, really), and Nikos powerfully documenting a way of life that is fading away. And then there’s Nikolaos, who is retiring after 36 years of delivering mail by foot (and whose replacement will deliver mail by car), and of course Kelly, who now has as many Daytime Emmys as Grammys.  


5.

FOR THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE

This edition’s Bravo Sou Award goes out to Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Webster, MA for helping to eliminate $3,566,809 of medical debt for 2,200 families. 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
IRINI TZORTZOGLOU

Photo Credit: Irini Tzortzoglou

Photo Credit: Irini Tzortzoglou

In addition to being an absolutely gorgeous human inside and out, Irini Tzortzoglou is director of Irini’s Kitchen and winner of MasterChef 2019.

GITW: Who are you named after, if anyone?

IRINI: I was named after my mother’s mum, Irini. She was the wife of a priest, a very big lady in all aspects. Huge personality and a foodie, so big in body, too. She used to feed twelve people, on average, twice a day and was a tour de force. I remember her always wrestling with hens and rabbits—two or three at a time, to feed her seven  children, three grandchildren, workers who might live in to help with the olive or grape crops, and any passersby my grandfather, Papa Plevris, brought home from the kafeneion for the purpose of offering them a meal, sometimes even sleep. I am very proud to be named after her, and love the meaning of the word ‘eirini’ (peace). 

Where did you grow up, and what was that like?

I grew up in a tiny village in the center of the island of Crete. For the first three years of primary school, I attended the village school, which attracted children form two nearby villages. Still, all the pupils fit in one room, and therefore even at the age of six I was witness to the teachings of those aged eleven or twelve. It was a very strange arrangement, but I suspect that it was much worse for those older children to have to sit through us reading ‘pi, pi, to papi’ when learning the alphabet. When at the age of nine my family moved to Athens, I got the shock of my life the first day at school when I walked into a classroom with forty-five children, just for my year!

What do you think of when you think of your Greek background? What comes to mind?

In Athens, I was very lucky to live just beneath the Acropolis, and just the daily walk to school passed monuments; the weekends I used to walk with my parents all around the ancient Agora, Theseion, Filopapou, or the Acropolis itself. So, when I think of Greece, it is all those moments walking, living, breathing our glorious past, marveling at the beauty our ancestors were able to create thousands of years ago!

What was the first concert, film, play, or musical you attended?

It might seem strange to many, but the first films I saw were Indian, brought to the forecourt of our village school and played outdoors in the summer. All the grown-ups would attend and leave us, the children, asleep; or so they thought, as we would all just run and hide amongst the vines—there was a vineyard adjacent to my school, but it was also a couple of meters higher than the school yard, so in that sense perfect for watching the film and making sure we ran back home just before the end so we would not be found out. Many years later, when in Athens, I lived in the same block of flats as a record producer and found out that many Greek popular songs had taken their score totally from Indian film songs. There seemed to always be many tears and much singing in those films!

What projects are you excited to be working on now or do you hope to be working on soon?

Since winning MasterChef, I have probably spent every waking moment of my life in a state of excitement, always doing something different. I very much enjoy teaching the young how to approach food and how to cook in a program I developed specifically for university students called Uni.Yum. But I also like giving olive oil tastings and educating consumers of the many benefits—health and culinary—of extra virgin olive oil. In 2020, I attended an olive oil sommelier course and realized that most of us know very little about how to shop for olive oil, why it is good to use in all our cooking, how to store it, which oil to use with which foods, etc. 

What are you most proud of, and why?

I feel blessed and am very proud of my heritage. Greeks have the most amazing DNA filled with passion, achievement, intelligence, humanity, and so much more. Considering how small a nation we are, we see and read every day about one Greek or other who has excelled somewhere. In more recent times, I have learned to also be able to say that I am proud of me and what I stand for and have achieved. I am even proud of the fact itself, as I have struggled in the past with self-appreciation and self-esteem.

What are you grateful for?

I am grateful for everything in my life. I believe in the power of gratitude and practice it daily. Not only am I a much more contented person, but I have also noticed that since I started practicing gratitude, I have been happier, more successful, and financially better off than before. The best time for me to do this is when I drive—I thank God, the universe, members of my family who are no longer here, and all benevolent beings for major things like my and my family’s health, having all my senses, and being able to drive, as well as for the more obscure things, such as being sent safe and good drivers in my path at the time, or my car tires being good quality and safe. 

Thank you, Irini! We are grateful for you, proud of you, and excited to see what you do next.

Though face coverings are no longer required in some places, we’re going to keep rocking ours for those who have compromised immune systems or cannot receive a vaccine (#maskupforothers). If you could use another washable, reusable face covering, consider buying one of ours in black or white (select the color from the drop-down menu).

Mike “Stonie” Woods is on hiatus until August, but you can still subscribe to his YouTube channel so you are notified when he publishes a new video.

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Stay healthy and safe!

Opa!
Peter and the Greece Is the Word Crew