Friends who answer my question are getting this fabulous lighter that advetises incontinence diapers (I think it was Joe’s but he might give it to me)
Tomorrow is Tsiknopempti in Greece. Which means Meat Eating Thursday. It happens once a year and it marks the high season of Carnival, a time to eat meat, cheese and drink alcohol, before solemn Lent begins. So people are making reservations, going out, or staying in, to eat mostly meat (it has to be really greasy, don’t think low fat here), and drink lots and lots of wine. It really smells bad outside. But I won’t go into the ‘flesh burning’ territory. I have got used to this barbaric custom, that for me, marks the day that I can’t or shouldn’t go out (I do go out though). You can imagine the looks I get when I go out on Tsiknopempti and tell waiters “is there anything meatless?” I become the hateful customer who just occupies a chair (and M is another, he doesn’t eat meat either) on a night when everything is packed with meat eaters (who by the way usually pay less money, because they order one thing, whereas I order five little things, but restaurateurs don’t know that).
Anyway, apart from the smell that permeates everything, it’s a night when people have fun, so we are preparing for it. Not inviting anyone over of course (it would be a major letdown to meat eating people if I made soya kebabs) but trying to find the kind of restaurant that could feed us on a night like that. And it usually is Italian or Chinese. Greek taverns are dangerous territory tomorrow night.
P.S. Do you have any special days when you celebrate food per se? I’d love to know.
February 22nd, 2006 at 3:56 am
In the states, Thanksgiving! Or here in Denmark, all before Christmas are the infamous Christmas lunches. To me at least, they are all about lots and lots of food. And beer and snaps, but I don’t like either of those, so food, yes.
Good luck with your restuarant experience…I would imagine that restauranteurs know that you will be paying more for your 5 small dishes, though, but are thinking of the work for the kitches, if otherwise they are only having to fry up meat. Enjoy, and I hereby request pictures of your friends’ meat dishes (how greasy is greasy is what I most want to know), and of the much better dishes that you and M have.
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:44 am
I think in Germany it’s almost everyday meateating! But let me tell you that carnival is starting here as well and I’m not part of it either. I decided that I will take the car (since I now have one again!) to go to work because I really don’t want to mix with completely drunk people on my way to and back from work!
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:44 am
I know in Sweden they have a celebration where they eat little white fish. (it has a special name that I couldnt remember nor pronounce at the time).
I think the festival is called erskling though im not 100% on that and it is something to do with the fishes breeding season
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:53 am
I thought about this for a while, and it seems that most U.S. holidays have some sort of food attached. It’s usually a meat-based feast that one cooks at home though, rather than a restaurant holiday. I don’t eat meat either.
I’d read that Superbowl Sunday (American football championship) is now the U.S.’s third (?) biggest food holiday. People eat tons and tons of snack food. There is no main dish, but recently, the “turducken” is emerging as at least a regional favorite. I don’t know if I have the order right, but that is a chicken put inside a duck, which is then put inside a turkey. It makes me a little sick to even think about it.
February 22nd, 2006 at 7:17 am
We have a celebration next week and it includes delicious home made pancakes.
Shrove Tuesday
28 February 20
Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. It’s a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins.
Shrove Tuesday is probably the Christian festival that the family enjoys most, after Christmas, of course.
But there’s more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.
It’s a fun day. Every body walks around with belly’s full of pancakes.
February 22nd, 2006 at 7:40 am
Chloe, I can just imagine you going to a meat-lovers’ restaurant and ordering fish! Haha! I wonder how can you stand the smell of meat, I once had a vegetarian friend who could easily pass away just by smelling fried chicken or liver..You seem to be very brave!
February 22nd, 2006 at 7:53 am
i just remembered erskling is wrong as it means darling. Hej Erskling
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:16 am
hey that’s my lighter. plz i need it back.
Trivia: The Clash members were all vegetarians.
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:19 am
A Bolivian tradition at midnight on New Year’s Eve is to eat a stew called Picana. (pee CAH nah) It has beef, pork, chicken, and lamb.
The four major food groups!
February 22nd, 2006 at 9:06 am
I find the idea of a Greek vegetarian quite something. It’s quite a rebellious thing to do in a country that has a national meat day :-).
February 22nd, 2006 at 9:39 am
kimananda
i’ll try! If i don’t make it, i’m going to post past pictures of meat dishes, equally disgusting. xx
nevets
Hej Herr Nevets!
Hur är det?Ha det så bra!
xx
Ruby
are they that gross? blech.
stephanie
a poultry babushka? blech, blech, blech
ben
thanks, i had no idea! it sounds terrific. i want pancakes now. i’m going to look into this holiday more.
marina
i don’t eat fish either!
and the smell disgusts me too that’s why i don’t go to tavernas on that day. I can tolerate the sight of it if it’s processed.
joe
don’t have it. i only the the picture. M. steals lighters though, not I.
zona
that’s not food zona, that’s the animal kingdom on a plate.
February 22nd, 2006 at 9:41 am
jack
can you imagine the torture? I’ve been vegetarian for 18 years now, that means 18 Tsiknopemptes.
February 22nd, 2006 at 10:29 am
I would be interested in the figures for the UK’s vegans and vegetarians. They seem to be far more common here in the UK than on continental Europe.
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:01 am
During the Holiday of Festivus our food is compromised of regular New York hot dogs, and Rosemary’s New York style hot dogs. There’s also Soup Nazi Crab Bisque and a really big salad with lots of stuff on it. For desert we have muffin tops and Junior Mints.
February 22nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
When I went to medical school in the Philippines, one of my classmates brought me to an island called Camigan. There, they had a whole festival, with a Queen, floats and everything in celebration of a fruit Lanzones (sp?).
My classmates family gave me bushels and bushels of the fruit.
February 22nd, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Oh traditionally there are a lot of days to eat a special dish! Lamb or rabbit at easter (lamb in Greece too, I think), but the best is every Wednesday at my favourite tavern! They do homemade potato fritter! (totally vegetarian!!!)
You would love them (want recipe?)
did you got my mails?
xxx
February 22nd, 2006 at 12:57 pm
the clash were vegetarians? wow that is a good tidbit to know.
all of us veg-heads should meet in Chloe’s hometown for a meatless meal.
February 22nd, 2006 at 1:09 pm
jack
see here http://www.vegsoc.org/info/statveg.html
walter
you really must visit Greece Walter!
angel
i’ve never heard on it but it’s great that someone celebrates fruit. going to look it up in google images xx
gurgo
yes you are right, but Easter is a religious holiday and the food plays a big part, but on Tsiknopempti it’s just the food, there is nothing else to celebrate.
Got your mails and sent a quick reply because i am in daydreaming mode.
gina
maybe we could have a little demonstration tomorrow (i’m a sad person really :))
February 22nd, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Angel
just saw them, they look like a cross between potatoes and grapes. really weird.
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Atkineseians eat your hearts out. I love to hear of these customs that seem a little strange. They have some significant reason for them we just often do not know what that reason is.
Sorry chloe this Pirate loves to eat meat. Though i hate killing i have some crazy lust for meat as long as I don’t have to kill it or see it get killed. A hypocrite just like everyone else.
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Being such a glutton Tsiknopempti sounds really inviting to me!
Back home, they celebrate the harvest season or Sankranti and guess what most of the food served is vegetarian
Ofcourse there are so many more festivals we celebrate, so there is feasting all year round.
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:32 pm
April 17th…if it falls on a tuesday is ‘cheese on toast’ day.
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Definitely Thanksgiving! It’s a holiday where you are supposed to eat as much as you possibly can, and there is some strange mad dish involving sweet potato and marshmallows. Stay away!
Although the best thing about Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie… mmmm! Enjoy meat - less meat eater day!
February 22nd, 2006 at 3:43 pm
In India we celebrate a host of festivals…..most festivals are celebrated with vegetarian delecacies or with sweets….For instance there is “Sankranti” which means the last day of usually of the month of winter….and mom makes all kinds of sweets, which we call”pithe” which is nothing but flour pancake containing a mixture of jaggery and coconut,or “rasbada” which is again, made of flour balls soaked in sugar juice…and many more like this…..it all tastes yummy :-)….you could enjoy having all those goodies when you come over to India :), I’m sure you’ll love them.
February 22nd, 2006 at 3:59 pm
This is not a cultural
celebration but rather a
celebration I have on my
Grandma’s birthday - (she has
passed away) - we make her
“special” recipes - dumplings and
chicken and it reminds us of her,
and it’s our way of celebrating
our love of her. Through our
tummmies!
Smiles!
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:33 pm
it was very interesting to me today to read everyones comments. I learn so much through blogging.
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Of course there’s Thanksgiving, but in America, we celebrate large amounts of food every day. We can eat you Europeans under the table.
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:41 pm
just remembered the food that we associate with this holiday is A paczki (pronounced “Poonch-key”) it is a Polish donut. It uses a richer batter than a donut. Here in detroit most people go to Hamtramck, a small Polish city within Detroit, that is where the authentic Polish bakeries are. People eat these on Fat Tuesday (this year Feb 28th) the day before Ash Wednesday. I don’t like them, but I will eat a donut, because for lent I will be giving up sugar.
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:09 pm
Urhg…that sounds terrible. On fat Tuesday people usually eat lots of meat and beans. Fortunately these isn’t a special day to eat greasy meat over here - I have trouble enough not eating meat in this meat-eating country. I can’t remember any special eating days over here. On special holidays the traditional dishes vary according to the region.
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:34 pm
I see daybyday4-2day has already listed mine–the paczki! It is this wonderful doughnut that is filled with a jelly or prune filling or a vanilla or lemon filled pudding! her eint he staes, it is better to get them from a Polish market, but virtually every deli, marketplace and cafeteria has them. It is usually the Catholics who give something up for Lent and who fast on Ash Wednesday so that’s where our “Fat Tuesday” gets its name, from everyone gourging themselves on food the day before they have to fast. This day has become so prevalent in America that it is no longer a religous day as anyone and everyone eats paczki’s on fat tuesday. Oh so good! FYI-they taste the exact same as a jelly filled doughnut, but for some reason they are better on fat tuesday b/c in most places(except Polish markets) it is the only day these paczki’s are made adn so we feel ifwe don’t overeat on them, then we haev to wait an entire year before we get them again. Mmmmm…
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:40 pm
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February 22nd, 2006 at 7:03 pm
I guess by the time you read this it’s Thurs..So happy Tsiknopempti Day! Enjoy every morsel..Hope your bringing something for indigestion
February 22nd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Yes, Pancake Tuesday!
Other than that, in true Canadian multicultural style, we tend to borrow everyone else’s traditions…we even have something called Greek Fest to celebrate Greek food!
OPA!
February 22nd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
There is a specific menu of food that is prepared for New Years Day by the Japanese but other than that I suppose Christmas is turkey day in the UK.
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Happy Tsiknopempti ( i had to cut and copy that, Greek is a tough language ! phew !)
India has a lot of festivals one of the biggest is Diwali ( The festival of lights) - Its a time when we exchange sweets with other families, wear new clothes (ethnic indian ones) and the city is fully lit up - It truly is a beautiful time back home !
cheers
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:50 pm
Mmmmm….nothing wrong with soy kebabs!
February 23rd, 2006 at 2:43 am
pirate
all my friends are carnivores. vegetarianism is not that common in greece. in fact, when i go to restaurants and say i don’t eat meat, they ask me if i am fasting for religious reasons. change is a very loooong process. i’ll be happy even if people give up meat for just one day a week.
wriju
want to change places? Sankranti sounds lovely. I have many many books on Indian Cooking and i love your sweets. They look as if they instantly melt in your mouth.
Oh, and once, i made Paneer!
bedshaped
don’t make fun of toast please! it’s my favourite food. there should be a national Toast Day when people would be allowed to run around in their pyjamas and eat toast and drink coffee or tea.
lady
thanks, i think i’m going to a russian restaurant. it’s not really a restaurant, more like a russian taverna. very simple but the russians have some great food.
Ashmi
i love indian cooking, it’s mostly vegetarian and fragrant and the texture of the foods is so inviting. it is a dream of mine to go to India, maybe during Diwali or Sankranti!
Madelyn
that’s a great idea!!!!!
your granny is in your hearts and in your tummies. it’s always good to be there!
Day
paczki sounds gooood. i’m going to check the russian tavern i’m going tonight, maybe they share the recipe with the Polish!
I think it’s great you are giving up sugar for Lent. That’s the meaning of it. To go without something you think you can’t do without.
Erikku
I know Americans eat more than Europeans, I’m not sure if this applies to Greeks as well. And maybe that’s why Greek immigrants adapted so well in the States.
Devil
there is this rumour about Portugal, that you eat fish for many holiday dishes. True or false? Do you eat fish at christmas too?
Etchen
Fat Tuesday and Tsiknopempti are really the same thing in essence. But i’d choose paczkis over meat any day!
Mr Baldo
Your shiny wax is going to be very popular in greece, sir. males here are overloaded with testosterone and you know what that does to hair, don’t you?
Heidi
thanks xxx I’m going to post pictures.
Finn
a new japanese shop has opened in athens, near Blondie’s place, and it sells japanese drinks, food and sweets. we got some japanese sweets made of beans. i thought they were great. oh, and there was Hello Kitty candy of course. That should be a National Day in Japan. Hello Kitty Day.
Cathy
my friend Ben said, they celebrate Pancake Tuesday in Britain too.
Canadians are great for giving credit to other cultures that helped make Canada the multinational state that is today.
(by the way, i watched a game of ice hockey the other day on tv. didn’t understand a thing. it was like golf but with running and without the leisure part!)
true blue
you and all my indian friends have been telling me about the different holidays, and i think you must have one of the richest cultures on earth.
spider girl
nothing wrong at all. they are yummy. i have posted the recipe in my food blog, “Eat It”.
February 23rd, 2006 at 3:26 am
Everyday is a celebration of food !!! I don’t need a reason !!! Can’t actually think of any, other than Pancake Day (whenever that is), but don’t know if that is an Australian custom, or where it came from. Not very insightful, am I !?!?!
Take care, Meow
February 23rd, 2006 at 4:18 am
I hate carneval, in the kindergarten they are having a party. A week agow my son told me, he wanted to go as Batman, today he was dead unhappy, he would rather to be a knight!
Hopefully enaugh there are knight stuff in the kindergarten for him to borrow.
As of me, I am trying to stay away of it.
What a lovely idea, to serve “soya kebabs” to meat eaters. Would they tell that the won’t contain meat? It would be an interesting test to make
February 23rd, 2006 at 5:52 am
Most of our holidays usually are centered around food–meat–and it is always a home cooked extravaganza. Nowadays everyone will bring a side dish. My daddy was from Tennessee and I picked up all his meat eating habits…sorry. If you were to come to my home Chloe, I would cook you something special you would like (meatless)!
Hugs, Connie
February 23rd, 2006 at 12:19 pm
Yes, that’s true. Our fish of excelence is cod-fish from Norway. We eat it on Christmas Eve. It’s a really special fish over here because it is conserved in salt so it gains a totally different flavour (fresh cod-fish is terrible! yack) We eat LOADS of cod-fish throughout the year - actually we usually talk of the 101 ways of cooking it. lol Some people in the North eat octupus at Christmas, other people eat turkey.
In Easter it’s usually meat, especially lamb. There’s also some holidays in the summer (because of the patron saints of the cities) when people usually eat grilled sardines or pork. And that’s it basically, you’re informed of our gastronomic quirks.
February 23rd, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Paneer! I love paneer …
You must visit sometime
March 7th, 2006 at 5:24 am
i guess you should stay here for a whole year and try being a part of all the colourful festivals we have in India.India has variety, be it food or celebration of a festival by different cultures…you must come here sometime….there are much more important festival than sankranti…which i bet you’re gonna enjoy!