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Familiarization
If you are used to doing your shopping for food in super markets, you might want to change your habits. Due to the fine weather of Greece, there are open-air fruit and veg markets in every neighbourhood on specific days of the week. They are called “laiki agora” and it is not just the fact that you buy things, it is the fun you have talking to the sellers, choosing your own fruit and vegs, meeting people and, last but not least, practising your Greek. The vendors are mainly producers who bring their fresh goodies from their farms to the city. Prices start a little high in the morning but get really low towards midday.
As you may know, we often organize outings at the “Laiki” in groups and we can reassure you that we all find it very entertaining and helpful for ex-pats living in Greece.
* this is a painting by one of the most famous Greek artists, Panagiotis Tetsis and his work on the open-air markets
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Laiki Visit
Dear Katerina
I so enjoyed being taken around the local laiki by you. The jovial interactions with
the stall owners with lots of loud exclamations on both sides, usually ending with
you taking a sample of their produce for us to taste and you to comment on, made
me feel that I was experiencing a part of Greece that would otherwise be closed to
me.
You took every opportunity to teach me the Greek names of the colourful heaps of
fruit and vegetables and tell me about which sun drenched (or windy) island they
come from. You demonstrated how to test the cabbage for freshness – it has to taste
sweet when eaten raw – showed me which tangerines have the ‘real’ flavour (the
original ones, with pips) and told me the legend of Persephone as we stood by a
stall displaying opened pomegranates with juicy red seeds spilling out.
Entering into the bustling chaos of shouts, colours and smells of the laiki once a
week has become one of my favourite Greek activities – thanks to you.
Gitta