![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.pixabay.com\/photo\/2017\/11\/04\/21\/50\/table-2918953_640.jpg\")
<\/a>Image via Pixabay by dimitrisvetsikas1969\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n
After watching some videos and reading the menu of random Greek American tavernas (\u201cGA taverna-s\u201d in this post<\/em>), I decided to write a post about the food experience in a typical Greek taverna (\u201cGR taverna-s\u201d in this post<\/em>) in my country.<\/p>\n To avoid any misunderstanding, I would like to make clear that I don’t intend to judge anyone or to state that GR tavernas are better. Actually, I find the effort of the Greek owners of GA tavernas to maintain and to promote the Greek culture, remarkable. Besides, as I have never dined in a GA taverna, I don’t want to make assumptions nor generalizations. There are differences even between the tavernas in Greece: a taverna in an island of massive tourism is not the same as the taverna in a small or remote village. I just want to point out a couple of differences between the GA and the GR tavernas.<\/p>\n #1. Some information on the dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n GR tavernas do not serve food such as humus, tubule, felafel and lamb souvlaki. Felafel and humus are very trendy at the moment and are found in street food restaurants in urban centers. The equivalent of humus\u00a0 is fava soup or puree (\u03c6\u03ac\u03b2\u03b1 <\/span>is a type of legume) and can be eaten in any GR taverna.<\/span><\/p>\n #2. Belly dancing performance<\/strong><\/p>\n In Greece, belly dancing is performed only in Middle Eastern, Turkish or Egyptian restaurants, as it is not a Greek dance.<\/p>\n #3. Traditional Greek dances<\/strong><\/p>\n After watching many videos, I suppose that one is not very likely to see traditional Greek dances in a GA taverna. About a GR taverna, this is also the case. Is there a way to know if the music and dance\u00a0 are traditional? Yes. Any composition with drums, keyboards and bouzouki accompanied by dancing is not traditional. I would say it is just a \u201ctangle\u201d of sounds and steps.<\/p>\n Syrtaki, the most famous Greek dance, is not a traditional dance but a choreography made for Zorba the Greek<\/a>. It is very nice to watch and the music is nice to listen to, if the instruments are not electronic.<\/p>\n #4. Plate smashing and \u201copa!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, plate smashing is still popular in Greece but not in a typical taverna. People smash plates in a \u03bc\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03b6\u03bf\u03c5\u03be\u03af\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf, <\/span>the famous bouzoukia<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0“Opa!” (\u201c\u038f\u03c0\u03b1!\u201d) <\/span>\u00a0is an interjection expressing different emotions, depending on the context. The “opa!” that foreigners know is another tourist \u201cattraction\u201d and we do not use it so much. To put things into perspective, imagine being in an American diner in Greece, watching men in boots and cowboy hats making acrobatics with a lasso, screaming “heehaw!”.<\/p>\n #5. About the taste<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of my students tell me that they don’t know if the food they had in a GA taverna was original or if the food tastes the same and has the same quality as the typical Greek food. About the quality of food, there is good food and bad food in any country. About the taste, I always assumed that it is difficult to find good\u00a0 Greek products outside Greece and I changed my mind only after I had the best feta cheese in my life in Massachusetts. Moreover, traditional Greek cuisine is simple and most recipes consist of ingredients found in America, although olive oil is expensive and would probably not be an option, so I don’t see any reason why the food in GA tavernas would not be good.<\/p>\n As always, if you have comments, feel free to post them! \u0393\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 \u03c3\u03b1\u03c2!<\/span><\/p>\n