Greekfest 2009
Friday, Oct 2
There have been many books and brochures written describing the glorious wonders of our nation, state, city and world. Cruises, flights, trains, automobiles, all whisking you off to some exotic destination. 1,000 Places To See Before You Die comes to mind as a volume of descriptions and destinations designed to entice you out of the comfort of your home and into a near or distant attractions of our wonderful world. In the introduction of the book we read “she had sailed up Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River and camped out in the Szhara Desert with Bedouin guides”. Now that sounds great, but not very realistic. I would like to tell you of one of my more recent adventures which is within the reach of most anyone near an even modestly large metropolis.
Life is not measured by the number of breath we take but by the places and moments that take our breath away.
-ANONYMOUS
Our friends, Chris and Linnea, or as Chris says “That crazy cousin-in-law”, had told us of the annual Greek festival which would be held over the weekend. We had been to a Greek festival up in the university district those many years ago. Greek food, dancing, beverages and merriment; the memories slowly returned of a good night of entertainment, so we said “Yes, of course we’ll go”!
Friday night we all piled into the yellow Beetle and headed off to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Tacoma. As we approached the area of the church there were blocks and blocks of cars parked so close that even the Beetle would not be able to squeeze in, and there was also a constant stream of people heading the same direction which we were driving. This had the makings of a wonderful evening.
We parked the car and began to walk towards the church. Pungent aromas of grilled lamb filled the air, with the din of Greek music playing to the approval of a delighted crowd. We entered into a large tent; no admission required, no religious affiliation necessary, just a desire to partake and enjoy. That was our mission so enjoy we did. The tent was half the size of a football field. The sides were lined with booths hawking all types of Greek food, beverages, deli items and even a pastry bar. In the center was a small stage where a dozen Greek Folk Dancers, outfitted in traditional costumes, dancing their traditional dances; the tsamiko, syrtos and kalamatianos.
First off we decided that we should get something to eat. The lines at the food booths were long and the tables were crowded. The method of payment was with a token, which could be purchased for one dollar each so I bought twenty dollars worth of tokens. Over the years they had offered different styles of tokens, and now they were all combined together, so I had a brass token about the size of a quarter; a blue square token and a larger red square token. Not meant to confuse, but to heighten the experience.
The first booth on our epicurean tour would be the Gyros. A Gyros (pronounced year-os) consists of a spicy and savory pressed meat served with tomatoes, onions and Tsaziki Sauce on warm Greek Pita Bread. It was the pungent smell of this meat cooking that we could smell as we had approached the building. Because of the individual types of food being sold at separate booths we decided to split up and each one of us pick up a portion of our meal. Linnea took the Gyros line while I headed for the Calamari line. Sharon and Chris went into the main banquet hall to purchase a full dinner of Kotopoulo Riganato or a full half-chicken baked Greek style, with Salata (Greek Salad) , Fassoloia Yahni (braised string beans), rice pilaf and bread.
Linnea was first to win the prize as she returned with two fresh Gyros clutched in her tiny little hands. She then joined me in the Calamari line. While waiting in line we munched on our Gyros and began to make new friends. There was a fun atmosphere everywhere you turned, so we just made the best of it. As we approached the Calamari booth Linnea reached into her bag of tokens to get the required payment, when the entire bag spilled out onto the floor. In a shoulder to shoulder atmosphere we figured that all was lost, but one by one each token was returned, one by a big toothy man standing in line just in front of us. Others were returned by people standing close by in other lines, while two of them were returned by an anonymous arm protruding from the throng. Despite our concern, not one token was lost.
We were within reach of one of those wonderful baskets of calamari when the line suddenly stopped. They had run out of French fries and we would have to wait until the next batch had finished cooking before they would fill any other orders. Not to worry, that just gave us all more time to talk to the vendor, those around us, or just to take in the energy of the occasion.
After the calamari we went into the main dining room for the chicken dinner. While waiting to be served we managed to down a serving of Dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice) and some Tyropitakia (a warm flakey cheese pie).
The whole evening was a pure delight of new smells, tastes, and sensations.
After we had thoroughly stuffed ourselves, we settled down for the entertainment; Greek dancing! There were about fifteen dancers all in a line, arm to shoulder in the traditional style. The music was loud, the dancers were great and the crowd was very appreciative. The dancers jumped, whirled, slapped their feet and kicked their legs high into the air. One even balanced a glass of Ouzo on his head, awesome. I suppose that all that Greek Mythos beer that had been consumed had a lot to do with it. Not by me of course, but that had no impact on the other revelers.
All in all it was a great evening, something different; the culture, the dance and the food. As we headed home we were talking about what a great time we had and what could be next on the agenda. Then Chris came up with a great suggestion, “You know the Shelton Oyster Fest is being held this weekend”.
Friday, Oct 2
There have been many books and brochures written describing the glorious wonders of our nation, state, city and world. Cruises, flights, trains, automobiles, all whisking you off to some exotic destination. 1,000 Places To See Before You Die comes to mind as a volume of descriptions and destinations designed to entice you out of the comfort of your home and into a near or distant attractions of our wonderful world. In the introduction of the book we read “she had sailed up Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River and camped out in the Szhara Desert with Bedouin guides”. Now that sounds great, but not very realistic. I would like to tell you of one of my more recent adventures which is within the reach of most anyone near an even modestly large metropolis.
Life is not measured by the number of breath we take but by the places and moments that take our breath away.
-ANONYMOUS
Our friends, Chris and Linnea, or as Chris says “That crazy cousin-in-law”, had told us of the annual Greek festival which would be held over the weekend. We had been to a Greek festival up in the university district those many years ago. Greek food, dancing, beverages and merriment; the memories slowly returned of a good night of entertainment, so we said “Yes, of course we’ll go”!
Friday night we all piled into the yellow Beetle and headed off to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Tacoma. As we approached the area of the church there were blocks and blocks of cars parked so close that even the Beetle would not be able to squeeze in, and there was also a constant stream of people heading the same direction which we were driving. This had the makings of a wonderful evening.
We parked the car and began to walk towards the church. Pungent aromas of grilled lamb filled the air, with the din of Greek music playing to the approval of a delighted crowd. We entered into a large tent; no admission required, no religious affiliation necessary, just a desire to partake and enjoy. That was our mission so enjoy we did. The tent was half the size of a football field. The sides were lined with booths hawking all types of Greek food, beverages, deli items and even a pastry bar. In the center was a small stage where a dozen Greek Folk Dancers, outfitted in traditional costumes, dancing their traditional dances; the tsamiko, syrtos and kalamatianos.
First off we decided that we should get something to eat. The lines at the food booths were long and the tables were crowded. The method of payment was with a token, which could be purchased for one dollar each so I bought twenty dollars worth of tokens. Over the years they had offered different styles of tokens, and now they were all combined together, so I had a brass token about the size of a quarter; a blue square token and a larger red square token. Not meant to confuse, but to heighten the experience.
The first booth on our epicurean tour would be the Gyros. A Gyros (pronounced year-os) consists of a spicy and savory pressed meat served with tomatoes, onions and Tsaziki Sauce on warm Greek Pita Bread. It was the pungent smell of this meat cooking that we could smell as we had approached the building. Because of the individual types of food being sold at separate booths we decided to split up and each one of us pick up a portion of our meal. Linnea took the Gyros line while I headed for the Calamari line. Sharon and Chris went into the main banquet hall to purchase a full dinner of Kotopoulo Riganato or a full half-chicken baked Greek style, with Salata (Greek Salad) , Fassoloia Yahni (braised string beans), rice pilaf and bread.
Linnea was first to win the prize as she returned with two fresh Gyros clutched in her tiny little hands. She then joined me in the Calamari line. While waiting in line we munched on our Gyros and began to make new friends. There was a fun atmosphere everywhere you turned, so we just made the best of it. As we approached the Calamari booth Linnea reached into her bag of tokens to get the required payment, when the entire bag spilled out onto the floor. In a shoulder to shoulder atmosphere we figured that all was lost, but one by one each token was returned, one by a big toothy man standing in line just in front of us. Others were returned by people standing close by in other lines, while two of them were returned by an anonymous arm protruding from the throng. Despite our concern, not one token was lost.
We were within reach of one of those wonderful baskets of calamari when the line suddenly stopped. They had run out of French fries and we would have to wait until the next batch had finished cooking before they would fill any other orders. Not to worry, that just gave us all more time to talk to the vendor, those around us, or just to take in the energy of the occasion.
After the calamari we went into the main dining room for the chicken dinner. While waiting to be served we managed to down a serving of Dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice) and some Tyropitakia (a warm flakey cheese pie).
The whole evening was a pure delight of new smells, tastes, and sensations.
After we had thoroughly stuffed ourselves, we settled down for the entertainment; Greek dancing! There were about fifteen dancers all in a line, arm to shoulder in the traditional style. The music was loud, the dancers were great and the crowd was very appreciative. The dancers jumped, whirled, slapped their feet and kicked their legs high into the air. One even balanced a glass of Ouzo on his head, awesome. I suppose that all that Greek Mythos beer that had been consumed had a lot to do with it. Not by me of course, but that had no impact on the other revelers.
All in all it was a great evening, something different; the culture, the dance and the food. As we headed home we were talking about what a great time we had and what could be next on the agenda. Then Chris came up with a great suggestion, “You know the Shelton Oyster Fest is being held this weekend”.
Oyster Burgers……..Mmmmmmm.
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