This morning we started the day with a lecture about food safety. We learned about how the refrigerators in Greece are much different than ours. Their fridges have a wide range of temperatures that are quite a bit warmer. The warmer temperatures allow for more growth of microorganisms that become pathogenic and cause food born illnesses. The problem in Greece is that many people are uneducated about how to care for their food and monitor the shelf life. There are regulations regarding shelf lives and open air markets, however there aren't enough authorities to enforce them. I also believe that is is so much a part of the culture regarding open air markets that it will be difficult to transition to safer handling processes. Next we waited for over an hour and a half to go to the archeological museum. We are learning that Greeks are rarely on time, and we're struggling to become accustomed to the schedule changing often. This will be good for us in the long run to become more flexible. Tryfon accompanied us to the museum, and walked us through explaining the significance of the different artifacts. Below is a skeleton that still has her hair (!!!) including eyebrows still attached to her skull. This was rare to find in Greek artifacts because the hair was even still in a braid; the iron coffin was the reason her hair lasted so long. Most of us however got in trouble with the museum employees for standing too close or leaning on the walls. Afterwards we headed for coffees in the park. We had a cooking lesson that transitioned into dinner. The sweetest old Greek grandmother, Soula, taught us how to make cheese and spinach pies, stuffed grape leaves, and tzatziki.
- Kyre
- Kyre