Kitchen Politics: Varoufakis or Marmalade?

Kitchen Politics 2: Varoufakis or Marmalade?

We are soon leaving Greece for this year. Our children will stay on in the house but we need to return to Australia. And, although we’ve had another quiet and pleasant stay on Lemnos we have not been able to escape the noise of politics and an overriding sense of gloom.

The Greek Political Drama!

The  weather is warmer and our discussions have moved outside

Is it over or not? As they say it ain't over ‘till the fat lady sings.

This colloquialism means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is, or appears to be, nearing its conclusion. I hope!!

Great headlines for journalists.

The TV has been continuous churning out stories about 'Starving Greeks' and a country ‘On the Knife Edge of Collapse’.

Varoufakis

 

While the ex-finance minister's words struck cords with a lots of folks (we all wish that capitalism did more for the poor and taxed the wealthy more) in his position he had a duty to the country he was representing, and, as far as we could see, he actually made things worse.

 

The moves made by this government so far may sound clever, but were they really?

 

I was reminded of a text I used to hear at church as a child.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only are sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13: 1 Kings James Version ‎

 

We’ve been hearing plenty of gongs by noisy politicians and clanging economic cymbals recently!

 

 

 

But it was decided a week ago that Varoufakis was a banned subject, but what to talk about instead?

Other Topics?

Well this is a village and so there are other topics to discuss, criticise, and shake our heads over.

This past week we’ve discussed the council’s continued love of cement. Were they actually improving or destroying our parks with all these cement seats and paths?

Or the way more and more café, tavernas are being built in our small bay, in spite of a turn down of tourists. I counted the seats this week 500! Ten years ago there were two tavernas now there are five. It means less income for each, and very little beach left for the rest of us!

Yet another taverna!

But the BIG topic was - Marmalade

This is a topic I’ve often had to listen to as it is one of Takis’ favourite but even I found it a great counter to this country’s current obsession with politics.

Every so often Takis becomes obsessed with making Marmalade. So this last week, while drinking our coffee we’ve also had to listen to his latest improvements.

And should a stranger drop in a bottle is produced and a spoon, and they have to sample and give their opinion, and after the recipe might be twigged, or the slices made finer and the next day another batch is produced. We probably have 50 bottles now in the cupboard.

But now this has gone one step further, Takis has approached a local store and one of the ‘English’ holiday villages, the obvious place to sell marmalade, as everyone knows the English go mad for this stuff. The next stage? A cottage industry here?

My Escape from Politics and Marmalade?

Well, this week the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelly

 I love tranquil solitude,

And such society

As is quiet, wise, and good;