Where Joanie Fails...

I know you are all thinking that Joanie the Greek is perfect.  I’ve known Joanie for 35 years and I thought she was also.  But now I know... she has a BIG flaw!!

Back to that tour guide again.  When I told her about my friend now named Joanie the Greek, she said that she guessed I knew then about ouzo.  I told her I knew what ouzo was, but that was all.  Well, apparently, in GREECE,  GOOD GREEKS have ouzo BEFORE the meals and the hostess makes 4 dishes of cold mezes (appetizers) and then 4 dishes of hot mezes and then 4 dishes MORE of cold mezes and 4 dishes MORE of hot appetizers and on and on.  She says it is harder to have family and friends over for ouzo than a dinner, since there are always so many mezes and sometimes it just doesn’t end -- and the hostess is stuck in the kitchen all evening.  NOW I HAVE BEEN TO JOANIE THE GREEK’S HOME MANY TIMES AND NEVER BEEN OFFERED OUZO OR MORE THAN ONE MEZE(APPETIZER).  Since I am Scandinavian, all I have to offer when we have Joanie the Greek over is one appetizer made up of herring or sardines.  So I don’t count...whew!!  See what I mean?? She is not perfect!!

Also, for breakfast Greeks do not eat at home.  They eat these pretzel-y looking things from carts that are roasted with sesame seeds on them. They also eat sweet corn roasted on the street for breakfast. THe pretzels actually looked good, but I never got to try them.  And I know Joanie the Greek does NOT serve pretzels or corn to Annie for breakfast -- so what kind of Greek Grandma is she??

So while I love Joanie the Greek like she was my sister, she does have a thing or two to learn about entertaining...