From the Editors
Posted by estiator at 12 July, at 11 : 35 AM Print
Unalienable
Ah, dear readers, July is upon us. The summer exodus has begun, barbecues are blazing, and there are fireworks in the sky. Where has half of 2023 gone? It seems that every year shrinks, giving us less time to accomplish what we’ve set ourselves to do. But the glass is half full, my fellow optimists, so let’s push hard in the second half to score as many touchdowns as possible (pre-season football starts soon, so the metaphor isn’t wasted).
As you are all aware (if not, the weight of this issue gives it away), each July Estiator celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence with an issue that bursts with appreciation. This is appreciation from you for the nation that accepted us, or our parents, or our grandparents, offering unparalleled opportunity and the environment in which hard work, discipline, and risk-for-reward can result in wealth and prosperity. Take a moment and read the messages of our supporters and let each word in each of those ads resonate with you, and then take in its totality. God Bless America; warts and all it’s still the best place on earth. It’s still a place where someone can arrive penniless and in the span of a few years create wealth for themselves.
But this issue isn’t just about gratitude; it’s also got some compelling content, beginning with this month’s cover story, “Back to the Future: Costas Lazaridis revives Drama’s ancient glory days of Winemaking.” Here, senior editor Constantine Kolitsas heads to northern Greece, where he pays a visit to one of Greece’s finest wineries. There’s a wine renaissance happening there, and Kolitsas is tasting his way through it just for us, God bless him.
In his more sober moments, Kolitsas inks his Managing for Success column, putting on his consulting hat this month to offer some locker room pep talk that separates the winners from the losers.
From Greece, our Athens correspondent Gina Kallitsi hops on a ferry from the port of Rafina and lands on Andros, the second largest of the Cyclades and one of Greece’s true island jewels and home to the Afoi Tridima Meat Shop, where traditional meats from the island and charcuterie boards are the raison d’être. One more island stop and she brings us to the island of Tinos and Estiatorio Marathia.
That we (or our precedents) all came from somewhere beyond these borders is as self-evident as the unalienable rights that Jefferson wrote about in that 247-year-old document that we celebrate this month. Within your restaurant, you surely work with individuals who originally hail from Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, or Europe. And we all came because a handful of people almost three centuries ago believed that by decoupling from a faraway disinterested king, they could forge a nation that offered life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Within this issue is just a small showing of our collective gratitude.
Cheers, and Happy Independence Day!
The Editorial and Publishing Staff
