The Froth

Creme brulee with chestnuts

This year, my eyes are loking elsewhere, so Christmas has not been a matter of first priority. But I cannot let it go unnoticed. Unfortunately, most of the photos -especially the food photos- are from early November, when we were preparing the Christmas issue for the magazine.

Roasted vegetables soup

brownie

Vegetable lasagne

melting chocolate

decorative citrus fruit

My friend Scholiast had sent me that little Carl Larsson figurine

Year after year, my mum seems undecided as to whether she wants to display a Nativity Scene or Noah’s Arc (either there were penguins in Bethleem or Jesus was actually born in a zoo).

Merry Christmas to you and thank you for being here when I am not.

I know that some of you are worried by what is happening in Athens, indeed in Greece, right now. We are worried too. Not by the broken shop windows and burnt down bank branches though. We are very worried because we live in a deeply conservative society, under a deeply ignorant government, in truly desperate times.

I am a mother apart from other things, and when I think about my kid’s future, I am honest when I say that I don’t know if he is going to be able to find work to support himself, or make enough money to raise a family, or live in a decent house, or be entitled to a pension, which is too farfetched, since not even I will be entitled to that.  Under the light of recent events I am not sure he is going to be able to go out with friends and not be in danger of being shot by the police, if he so much as throws an empty plastic bottle at their car.

I know this may alienate some of you, but I want to be honest. Progress does not come without revolt and strife, especially where human rights are concerned. State violence is fought with violence. People cannot just march on the side of the road so as not to disturb shoppers and cars. I do not want the people fighting in the streets to go back home. I want them to keep on fighting and I thank them for doing so. I do not want peace and quiet to come yet. It’s no time for peace and quiet yet. These people are not bored youth, or unruly teenagers. They are angry and young enough to do the right thing.

Of course there will be unnecessary destruction, because you can’t control feelings when people operate under such stress. However, it is not blind violence in its greatest part. There are targets: banks, big, expensive shops, car companies, multinational corporations.

I will be very sad if beautiful public buildings are destroyed. Most of you have known me for quite some time and you know I believe in beauty, as a means to a better life. I believe in beauty philosophically, as a human value. But even beautiful buildings are vessels, and when people are desperate, when people are starving literally and intellectually, then these vessels have no meaning either. The central Christmas tree was burnt down. It had no meaning either. It was going to be surrounded by little kiosks that –again- sell things to people who cannot buy them.  Plus, Christmas is mainly for children and when the state kills children then you don’t really need Christmas, do you?  Because a 15 year old child was killed by the police on the night he had gone out to celebrate a friend’s nameday.

I am going to say it once more: Unrest is necessary now. Change won’t come by throwing roses at policemen’s feet.

If you can read greek, go here, to people who say things better:

http://stroug.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post_09.html

http://histologion-gr.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008.html

English here:

http://histologion.blogspot.com/2008/12/riots-by-all-accounts-alexis.html

Photo AP, via BBC

Once more, Greek police show that they are big bullies, using their guns against minors, spreading violence and death. Last night, they killed a 15 year old child in cold blood. Apparrently the reason was that he threw an empty bottle at them. And now Athens is burning. It’s total chaos. A sad and shocking day.

*8 December Update: To people who ask if Athens is still burning, I have to reply that the 15 year old boy is still dead.

In late October, I went on a little trip to Lake Plastira, in Central Greece. I completely neglected to upload photos because Christmas in the magazine intervened and I had to host a fake Christmas party with all the trimmings (photos of that are coming later on).

The Lake is a place of utter beauty and if you are into that, spirituality too. It’s very hard to escape the spiritual side of nature when you are there. It is so animated, every dewdrop is a whole world. You know me, I love big cities. But I felt so protected there and at times the beauty made me feel awkward and puzzled. Should I take photos, should I hug trees (I didn’t, collective sigh of relief), should I get lost in the forest and never reemerge, should I cry?

I was at a loss, most of the time. The photos have been photoshopped (more of them here). But this was not to make them look better. I did that in order to show the atmosphere and communicate the feelings I had. The camera can never capture what I saw, so, maybe photoshop is of help here. What you see is true. I was there.

To my friends in the US: That’s so great, what you did. You chose a good man for President and filled the world with hope. All these past years, you must have felt the despair of not being represented justly to the rest of the world.

Europe is a more cynical place, yet we too need this hope, not the one any messiah provides, but the simple hope an intelligent, eloquent, honourable person who will be able to sit down with allies instead of disregarding the United Nations.

Well done, it’s a good day today.

Some photos from the weekend and the last few days.

These tiles were in the forest. Honestly.

"Key Clinic" or maybe "Key doctor"

Lydia’s tavern in Kaisariani, Athens

"Vraziliana" in Petralona, Athens

"Kappari" in Petralona, Athens

At "Rakaki" in Kaisariani, Athens. It was M’s birthday

Your Hand in Mine: An amazing greek band. Listen to them here.

Monika: She is really lovely, also Greek. Listen to her here.

The recession? Does it scare you? It scares me seeing people losing jobs and homes. Here’s a song I thought very appropriate.

Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill
And while we still have the chance
Let’s face the music and dance