My Big Fat Greek Love Affair

By Colleen Walsh Fong

Euclid and I got off to a bad start when my mom stuffed me into a summer school class on creative writing in a school that bore his name. I was only 8 and had much better things to do with my time. Our relationship worsened with the onset of high school geometry, which truly was all Greek to me. The first bite of a gyro sandwich, at a place called Aphrodite’s around the corner from Chicago’s Loyola North Shore campus, changed everything for Euclid and me. Any culture that could create such a marvelous flavor combination was ok in my book.

Our relationship grew after my first meal at The Greek Islands restaurant, now on Halsted Street in the Windy City. I’d never eaten so much, or so well, in my entire life! After a smattering of scrumptious starters including taramousalada (fish roe spread), dalmades (stuffed grape leaves), spanakotiropita (spinach pie) and sides of saganaki (flaming cheese), and a healthy greek salad, I hardly had room for what remains my favorite dish, in my favorite Greek restaurant, Arni Aginarato (braised lamb and artichoke.) Don’t ask me how I did it, but when the plates were cleared, I managed to fit in a serving of baklava. And so my love affair with all things Greek began.

A good dose of world history and subsequent trip to Greece in young adulthood broadened my appreciation of the many contributions the Hellenic culture has made to western civilization. And the beaches, were great, too.

These days I get my gyros to go at Gyro-Gyro in Atlanta. Kyma fills the bill when in the mood for fine dine. Year’s of paying for my children’s activities, college tuition and Greek Life (sororities and fraternities) expenses have kept me stateside. But every year, when the Greek Festival comes to town, I spend an evening reliving those first days of Hellenic romance. The bouzouki music plays, vendors sell their wares, we dance and we eat.

This year’s Atlanta Greek Festival is right around the corner and promises to bring “all the aromas, sounds, tastes and traditions of Greece to your doorstep.”

Find Greek Festivals in your neck of the woods, and be sure to get out and go! Opa!