[lalffibra]

Dear Effie,

This is the opposite of anything remotely close to racism. I love the many cultures of Orthodoxy and the world. I really love the Greek culture in particular. I have even learned to like the food that has a grape leaf wrapped around some other things! I must confess though that at the Greek Festival, there is an instrument that plays on the speakers on the grounds all day, every day. It sounds like a little tinny sounding guitar or mandolin. After a while that thing really gets on my nerves. Initially, when I worked in the Greek coffee booth, as master coffee maker, I loved that instrument. But, after awhile it was like, 'somebody make it stop!' I even heard that instrument when I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep after the festival was over each night. In fact, I think I'm starting to hear it now again! de . .de . . de . . . de . . . dee . . .de . .de . .de . .dee . . de . . . dee-dee . . . de . . . Oh, great . . .

Oh bother . . . I love you too Effie!

In Christ,
Rick

Rick we can hire these guys for your festival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia34k...eature=related

but I want them to play this also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFtv5...eature=related

P.S You are lucky you have learned to like Dolmathes. Although my grandmother made the best in the world, I never learned to like them.
They are just in love with vine and branches I think, that's why they came up with that recipe. But I am not crazy about it.

[drugimpotence]

Oh man Nina, these guys and gals are great! They are hired (although they may take up most of the Church grounds for their stage

I love the two songs you have strung together--I've always thought it would be a double blessing to be both Hebrew and Greek. Brings the Apostle Paul to mind (but I guess he was Hebrew and Italian?)

Thanks for brightening my day with these clips. Between these and others you have shared with all of us you have earned the title "Queen of YouTube."

Thanks again.

Ciao,
Rick

[OEMCHEAPSOFTDOWNLOAD]

Oh man Nina, these guys and gals are great! They are hired (although they may take up most of the Church grounds for their stage

Umm maybe you will have to sell the church and the grounds afterwards.

I love the two songs you have strung together--I've always thought it would be a double blessing to be both Hebrew and Greek. Brings the Apostle Paul to mind. I wanted to link some Italian for you as well since you said that you miss Italian festivals, but Rieu did not not have any. So here.

Thanks for brightening my day with these clips. Between these and others you have shared with all of us you have earned the title "Queen of YouTube." Oh I am nothing, you have to see the rest of my friends. And youtube is no different from google, you just have to have been exposed to different things (we got to get you to Greece) and know what you are searching for. And Mike has already that title. You did not know that youtubing is a new word in this country? Kind of like googling-but this is old already.

I m glad that the de de de from the bouzouki of Rieu did not drive you nuts.

Ciao mio amico!

[ArraryTauTDew]

--I've always thought it would be a double blessing to be both Hebrew and Greek. Brings the Apostle Paul to mind (but I guess he was Hebrew and Italian?)



Ciao,
Rick

St Paul was Italian???? First I have heard of it. He was a Roman citizen but not through birth.

[Pharmadryg]

Nina's quote :

"P.S You are lucky you have learned to like Dolmathes. Although my grandmother made the best in the world, I never learned to like them."

Nina, did your mother make them with minced meat or just with rice and scallions?

I use my own vine leaves which I harvest in spring - before my husband sprays them with blue water even though this is supposed to be harmless.

I then blanch and freeze the leaves and use them whenever I want to. I tried using a jar of preserved vine leaves once but the taste was horrible.

Minced meat dolmadakia with an egg and lemon sauce are heaven.............. but don't forget the person saying this is the one who loves roll-mops!

Effie

One of my best friends is from Pontus and the Pontios people love black cabbage. My friend makes dolmadakia using black cabbage and I love those as well. My husband won't touch them............

[tickerinet]

St Paul was Italian????

Notice the wink after this proposition above Effie.

Ciao,
Rick

[estelle]

Dear Effie, my grandmother also made them with the leaves of their own vine. They had vine everywhere... above the front door (to provide shade in summer), in the back yard, in the gardens and everywhere. They had also land and vine was everywhere. In one of these pieces of land they had, there was this vine which was huge but the main trunk near the roots came up a bit and then would go parallel to the ground and then go up again. It was my "horsey". When shaking the vine I felt really like on a horse. And since I could walk, it was my personal horsey and I loved it; and growing up it was really accessible for my height until I became five years old. I played when my dad's family was there collecting walnuts, hazelnuts, tomatoes, green flat beans, figs (oh I miss these things so much!!!) and so on. When picking nuts and some kind of berries that I have not seen here, they made it a family affair (all my father's siblings and their families came) and it was so much fun to collect them, or eat them straight from the tree. I miss those walnuts that were so fresh that we could peal the (inner) skin off of of them and eat them raw like that, or with some honey. I remember all my cousins helping picking the produce and jumping and playing, running and playing hide and seek (I was the youngest and would hide in between the tomato plants or in the middle of the bean stalks and they could not find me most of the time - only my parents could ). But my favorite spot was my "horsey" the vine, although my grandparents had real horses too. And maybe because I loved the vine so much I did not like dolmathes... But on the other hand I love grapes... so I am not sure why I do not like them... maybe because I saw some transparent fluid (tear like) coming out when my cousins cut a part of a vine and its leaves and when I saw it and asked what those tears were, my "naughty" cousins who were older than I, told me that the vine "cried" and I was gullible and believed them.

Now I will eat dolmathes if someone puts them in a plate in front of me. I will not reject them but still I do not like them. So I told that to Rick to show him that he is more Greek than he thinks he is although bouzouki drives him crazy. But he has not been in a real, authentic bouzouki, therefore I do not blame him. We got to get Rick to Greece.

[wizardasa]

You have beautiful childhood memories, Nina. I was introduced to the grape vine as an adult but I really believe that it is the vine of life, as we are told in the bible. It gives us so many things, its leaves, its fruit and from it's fruit it's wine, and from it's wine, our yearly vinegar.

It also gives us kindling for our bbq when the vines are pruned each spring.

Effie

[Agedprepdoock]

Dear Effie, yes childhood memories. Like you, I also love my family and ancestors and I am also very proud of my family and love whatever they provided for me, especially Orthodoxy . Without them I would not be Orthodox. Although I know God will have found a way to make me Orthodox, even if my family was not... knowing my pride though, I say that it would have been really difficult.

Yes we love vine with everything it provides for us and God gave it as an example because it is very precious.

But Rick is missing in many other things since dolmathes are not the only representative of Greek cuisine, and that is why I was surprised he mentioned the thing I like the least.

[Agehoobionibe]

Howdy Rick!

Are you talking about a "zither" maybe?
Unceasig zither music gets on my nerves too!
(It has ever since the first time I saw the movie
"The Third Man.")

I shouldn't complain tho...
My Barbershop and Doo Wop music probably get
on peoples nerves too!

I know that it isn't what Betsy (the choir director)
has in mind when she talks about a capella music!

[fount_pirat]

Howdy Rick!

Are you talking about a "zither" maybe?
Unceasig zither music gets on my nerves too!
(It has ever since the first time I saw the movie
"The Third Man.")

I shouldn't complain tho...
My Barbershop and Doo Wop music probably get
on peoples nerves too!

I know that it isn't what Betsy (the choir director)
has in mind when she talks about a capella music!

Hi David,

Of course Rick can tell his own experience with the Greek festival of his parish, but I have never seen a "zither" in a Greek festival here in US (at least the ones I have been to). The main two instruments that I have seen are the bouzouki and baglama/tsifteteli (since they dance tsifteteli and dances of this kind here). But I am no expert of course! And yes if the person playing is a dilettante amateur, it is a pain to listen, but not all churches can afford to hire someone like Mikis Theodorakis for instance, to perform in their festival.

Hi Effie,

It is raining here and maybe because I am talking to you here on monachos I am craving Prasopita Kozanis, mmmmm, with some additional feta, or kefir. I am allowed to talk about delicious things before Lent, am I not?

About the vine leaves, do you also make fish with them (wrap the fish in them with herbs and spices and bake it)? We do and it is delicious. But here I have never seen it.

Also since you have vine at home if you can collect the liquid (is it called sap if it is transparent?) of the vine -which I think it is known in English also as Lachryma = tears in Greek - it is very useful. You need to collect it in May and June as my grandmother said. It is used as rinse for eyes, facial skin, mouth. It is a mild astringent and it is so good. I wish I had vines here too .

[Snuddyentaine]

Prasopitta is indeed delicious. (leek and feta pie).

I didn't know that about vine leaves. Thank you so much Nina. I think I once read that a few vine leaves in hot water is a good footbath for those you have varicose veins, but I'm not absolutely sure.

My husband just told me that the vines start to "water" in a few months - just as your grandmother said - I'm going to try to collect the fluid. Yes, it is sap and you can cut across a twig in the spring to obtain it. It also comes out of the ends of the veins on the leaves by itself.

No, I haven't tried tiny fish wrapped in vine leaves. I have this recipe in one of my cookbooks but I have never tried it.

One of the best cookbooks you can buy is the "Greek Cookbook" by Tess Mallos. She travelled around Greece and put together the traditional recipes in this book. Everything I have tried has turned out to be delicious.

Effie

[Efonukmp]

Who is watching the beautiful full moon that is out there tonight?

[Abanijo]

Nina Who is watching the beautiful full moon that is out there tonight? I've just had a look - it's beautiful here also, and the time is almost midnight.

[Ervins Dervish]

It is beautiful. It is about 30 degrees up from the horizon here at 7:48pm. We have clear skies and it is about 68 degrees f. A cool gentle wind and... Why the heck am I in here typing? I'm going outside with the dogs.

Paul

[BUMbaronos]

Why the heck am I in here typing?

Paul

Yes. I typed the Q and went to watch the moon last night.

[Fausqueuego]

Who can go outside and look at the moon? It is amazing, again!

[CuittisIL]

Sorry, It is 8:45pm in Houston and no moon yet.

Paul

[Mediconlinee]

This thread reminds me of the old folk tune:

I see the moon, the moon sees me
Down through the leaves of the old oak tree
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the one I love.

Fr David Moser

[Appenianags]

The moon is beginning to wane but it's bright and makes the frosty ground look like it's spangled with diamonds!