From the Editors
Posted by estiator at 9 November, at 11 : 24 AM Print
History: By, for, and of the Greeks
November is, above all else, a historical month. Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, funny black hats; you get the picture. For the more shallow observers of American culture, however, November is often overshadowed by a goofy-looking bird that goes by the same name of country that shall not be named. If, then, November has traditionally been a month unfriendly to Greeks because of that silly bird with a name that is unfriendly to Greeks, then let these paragraphs serve to set the record straight on the true nature of November in America. And yes, you can quote us:
All the world knows that Greeks have been at the forefront of innovation in all manner of disciplines. Since ancient days, they have laid the foundations of science, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, literature, theater, and the culinary arts, just to start. And never content to play just to the home crowd, Greeks have taken their show on the road, landing in ports from China to Chile and at all points in between.
Such was the case in the early 17th century, when, bored with almost two centuries of stagnation under the Ottomon yoke, a few hundred Greeks boarded boats and headed as far east as the waves would allow, sailing and sailing until they hit North America. In a new land devoid of feta and gyro, the Greeks had a rough time of it at first until some of the locals taught them to harvest crops like corn and barley and hunt those funny-looking birds. And as soon as they had the whole “not starving to death” thing down, they did what all Greeks throughout time and in all places around the globe do: They had a party. They invited all the locals and put out the best spread they could (although still no feta and gyro). And there you have the truth of the first Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, because they had entered the country without documentation, they masked their identities by adopting English-sounding names like Miles Standish and John Alden. But don’t let that fool you. It happened just as we say it did.
And since we’re saying stuff, we also say to check out this issue’s pages, with our cover story on a Connecticut restaurant and its owner, “Viron Rondo Osteria: Viron Rondos Creates a Mediterranean Dining Oasis in Cheshire, CT.” Also be sure to check out restaurant guru Constantine Kolitsas’s Managing for Success column, with this month’s topic “Desperate Times”; a visit to Apola Greek Grill in this month’s Restaurant Spotlight; and a taste of pistachios and dishes from the Zillers Roof Garden in Athens (in our Greek-language pages).
Enjoy the issue, and be thankful that on your holiday table this year, there is plenty of feta and gyro to go around!
The Editorial and Publishing Staff
