*korres products are amazing! - *kayak ice-cream, its pure magic - *aztec style scarf image from thisnext - *aztec inspired dress image from mifashionblog.com - *image of feathers from superstock.com
In Greece one will often hear a person (generally a male) call another (male) by a short word - 're'. It is slang and literally means - you. ie "Ti kanies re" translates to "What you doing" and "Re malaka" translates to "you -dot dot dot" and if you don't know what malaka means, ask one of your moussaka eating Greek buddies to explain it!
Re. It is a word that sits on my mind as those two short letters have so much meaning even if it is in another context or language. This is the recap of my short term sabbatical that I was recently on. I renewed not only my love for the Mediterranean but for my own personal spirit. I revisited places, in my mind and physically, pushing those little boundaries. I re-energized my batteries (by solar power) and I re-evaluated many aspects of my life as well as my blogs life.
To the untrained eye it would seem that I was just lying there, on a beach lounger, dipping my toes in the turquoise clear ocean while sipping on a frappe cocktail and staring at the 'view', that I was in true holiday non thinking mode. But that is not so. Beneath my Tom Ford aviators my mind was in a whirlwind of decision factors regarding what exactly my next blog write-up would be about. Would it be in the blogs best interest for me to comment on the various fashion factors taking the Greek isles by storm this summer season? Do I mention how aztec patterns have influenced their way in and are creeping into textiles and fabrics? This trend was even brought through with the use of american red-indian style feathers and beading on flat sandals. Do I pass comment on how it seemed like the Gods truly knew what they were thinking when they brought the wedge/platform heel back into fashion. It's as if they were smiling down on me and lending me a helping hand for walking down those cobbled streets (if they wanted to be laughing down on me they would have chosen stilettos!) And just because I have a slight fetish with shoes doesn't mean that is the only thing I was looking at from a design perspective.
The interior design of many of the authentic restaurants, better known as tavernas, seems to also have come a long way. In the past I recall it was the higher priced places that felt to be authentic didn't mean having to have the cookie cutter postcard style image. They actually attempted using a different shades of blue, green or red to the normal taverna style and obviously their extremist take on what is typically Greek has now filtered through to the average priced establishments. In my opinion it seems like an even more authentic look has therefore been achieved. As if those restauranteurs called up their grandmothers and asked for crochet curtains. Walked into a paint store and took the daring chance of going with a different hue of blue. Or went up to their remote mountainous village and filled their car with hand painted pot-plants filled with the most pleasant smelling basil/thyme/mint and then placed those strategically around their restaurants. The glorious food coming out of greek kitchens these days could rival the 'invention' tests sprung on contestants in a Master Chef programme! Vegetarian dishes have always been in greek households, but now many secrets are finding their way onto menus. Meatballs (keftedes)? Soooo 2009! How about a tomato ball (tomatakeftedes) or zucchini ball (kolokithokeftedes)? - it sounds so wrong translating these beautiful greek tongue twister words into english! Spinach pie (spanakopita) or cheesepie (tyropita)? Hell no! Try a Paros style mushroom pie (manitaropita). Trust me, I did try and even got looked at strangely the following day by the waiter when I went back to the exact same restaurant and ordered the exact same items as the evening before! There's even a new take on the traditional gyros at some places as they add rocket and lettuce! I don't know if this is due to the economic crisis hitting their shores at the moment, but at first glance I was not liking it, until I took a crunchy bite, then it all made sense! And for heavens sake, if you are ever in Greece, hunt down Kayak ice cream! Jasmine, ginger and lemon all infused together as a single mouthwatering and very asian inspired flavour. Mastixa (gum mastic-google it!) flavoured ice-cream...not my favourite flavour but they have done it right and it is a completely greek inspired flavour! And no, I didn't just eat and eat! Well...not that much anyways.
I'm not a food blogger. I'm not a fashion blogger either. I am a designer who is influenced and absorbs my surroundings like a sponge. And then I blog about it. I don't have a set style that I can define and pinpoint as my own. Instead I am like a chameleon and I enjoy changing my colours because it's those many items in my daily living that inspire me. That is what I realised on my vacation. The stressing and worrying about where I will find ONLY design related inspiration from to blog about was around me the whole time!
x
me
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