From the Editors
Posted by estiator at 11 March, at 09 : 30 AM Print
Zito!
“God has signed for the liberty of Greece, and he will not take back his signature,” declared Greek war hero Theodoros Kolokotronis.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, March signals the beginning of spring. For students of Shakespeare, it’s remembered for the month that Julius Caesar was stabbed by the senators of Rome (“beware the ides of March”). And for Greeks, it is the month in which their ancestors from the 19th century revolted against Ottoman Turkish rule. “Freedom or Death” became their rallying cry, and following it they secured their freedom after four centuries of tyranny and oppression.
If 2021’s bicentennial anniversary of the modern Greek state was canceled because of the pandemic and again last year’s celebrations were somehow muted due to lingering Covid measures, then this year, we have some lost ground to cover! Tune up the clarinets, get the foustanellas ironed, and start soaking the salted codfish, because 200 years of Greek pride is worthy of a party!
To get you going, Estiator celebrates Greek Independence Day with a cover story dedicated to the wonderful world of Greek gastronomy. In “Greek Cuisine’s New Wave,” contributor Nicholas Vlamis takes us on an informative and delicious tasting tour with a talented handful of Greek and Greek-American chefs who are helping to chart a course for Greek epicureanism on both sides of the Atlantic.
As always, Greek Independence is synonymous with the change of seasons, and with the warm weather returning, Estiator helps you spruce things up for spring with a survey of design trends in the dining room and in the kitchen. Senior contributor Michael Kaminer’s “Changing Spaces” has some great design tips from reputable sources. In the meantime, restaurant consultant Constantine Kolitsas argues that your landlord may be more eager to help you with some improvements than you may think in this month’s “Managing for Success” column.
In our Greek-language pages, our Athens correspondent Gina Kallitsi visits the restaurant Cookoovaya (The Owl) in the Ilissos neighborhood of Athens, and also turns in a piece about the significance of the Greek flag.
When the Greeks of 1821 revolted, they were largely a ragtag amalgamation of seafarers, brigands, monks, and political philosophers. Their victory over the dreaded Ottoman Turks was in many ways miraculous. In the end, Kolokotronis gave us another quote to understand how this rebellion was met with success: “Greeks are crazy,” he said, “but their god is wise.”
Zito!
The Editorial and Publishing Staff
