Sunday 11 November 2018

Sunday in the Sun

A beautiful autumn day today. 

 A tough old rooster is slowly stewing on the outside gas stove.  We'll boil rice in the juices.  The tastiest rice you can imagine , full of flavour with a  little olive oil, lemon juice and lots of pepper added to the mix.  





The, hopefuly by now tender,  meat gets liberal squirts of lemon juice, a sprinkle of good fresh olive oil ( the first press of this years olive harvest) , and lots of fresh ground pepper.  A rustic meal with local sourdough bread and liberal doses of last years wine (it's Sunday so we can drink an extra glass or two).  The rooster was almost local. He came from a small rural 'farm' with goats and rabbits, just down the road, up the hill and round the corner .   Oh and a typical greek cabbage salad with a couple of cloves of garlic, carrot, celery and our own lemons.  The garlic will keep vampires and loved ones at bay for a few days.

Enough of the food.  Being a blog written in Greece the food always come first. Or almost first, behind the wine.



The men are outside in the sunshine happily fiddling with men-things 

In Athens the 'Authentic Marathon' (Classic Marathon I think we would call it)  has started.  42 odd kilometres from the town of Marathon, site of the 490BC battle between Greeks and Persians, to the Kallimarmaro (beautiful marble) Stadium in central Athens


The marathon finish line



Marathon start line

Thousands and thousands of runners from all over the world.  The first Kenyans and Ethiopians have already crossed the finish line in just over 2 hours.  
28 kilometres behind are hundreds of runners, many of them walking after their first 14ks but pushing on hoping to finish whatever time it takes.  We just saw a lady from Rotorua NZ with nordic sticks.

Marathons and triathlons are popular all over Greece.  Even Poros has it's own Triathlon.  The longest 'marathon' is the Spartathlon. This is an Ultra race, 250kms, from Athens to Sparta following the path taken by Pheidippides who ran from Athens to the city state of Sparta . 

If you're an athlete then put Greece on your running calendar

Kali sas mera
Good Sunday to you all





14 comments:

  1. Ironically, I am wanting to re-home two roosters right now. I do not wish for them to be eaten, however. They have names. -Jenn

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    1. I don't think I'd be eating them if I knew their names! However, the danger would be always lurking around here. Not a good home for feathered friends

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  2. What I love, about Greek cooking, is your emphasis on pepper, rather than salt!!!!

    Said as someone who is new, to going salt-less. It would be so much easier, if I had not developed such a *love* of salt, earlier.

    Marathons! Eeeek! I'll not be joining in. I couldn't, even when young!!!! -grin-

    ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

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    1. We do love our salt but often eat saltless food as one of our grandchildren has kidney problems and should eat no salt.
      You do eventually get used to the taste. Eventually...... feta cheese has lots of salt, we eat salt cod, olives and sardines are preserved in salt. Not easy to completely avoid the stuff!

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  3. Thank you for the information about the running. I am not a runner and never have been.

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    1. Neither am I. However many in the family are good athletic kiwis and australians. They run for fun, for themselves or in races and triathlons. I'm happy to cheer them on

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  4. I am sure the chicken and rice will taste supreme.

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    1. It will need to be reheated! The day had a n unexpected turn......for the better!

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  5. I once cycled from London to Brighton, with my oldest son; but I would never dream of running it.

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    1. London to Brighton sounds like enough exercise!

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  6. There is never "enough with food",I always get good ideas here in your blog, this time is the lemon in the rice, i shall try that.

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    1. The lemon really compliments the rice, especially when it is boiled in juices which are a little fatty

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  7. No. I don’t think I’d ever run, let alone a marathon
    The closest I ever got to being an athlete was walking around the stadium in ancient Olympia lol
    Not very Greek of me is it lol

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    1. Good on you for walking round it. I just took a photo.

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