It is one of the few countries to have a National Holiday celebrating a famous "Ochi!" ( “No!”) - the blunt refusal was Prime Minister Metaxa’s reply on 28 October 1940 when Mussolini asked him to hand the country over. This Thursday, just like every autumn, Greeks celebrate a famous refusal. When every balcony sports the blue and white national flag it can mean one of two things – either Greece has made it to the Final of a major athletic event, or one of the country’s two National Days is around the corner. The air has cooled, the first rains have rinsed summer’s dust from the city streets, and leaves are starting to change colour… but it’s another thing that really signals the start of autumn for many Athenians. Oh well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Maybe I’m just getting nostalgic in my old age? And just around the corner was the promise of lighting up the skies for Bonfire Night. It was a simple pleasure that came with the season – along with the scent of bonfires in the air as devoted gardeners burned off their garden waste, the joy of wading through fallen leaves in the park in search of conkers, and coming back to the house after a walk with your cheeks burning from the chill. Growing up in England in the '70s & '80s, we were still relatively unsophisticated compared to today's children and Hallowe’en held a thrill of fright and anticipation (a bit like watching Dr Who from behind the sofa), but none of the pallaver we see these days.
And sure enough, a male figure appeared from the shadows behind me - but it was no tall, dark stranger from my future, just dear old Dad coming to tell me that it was well past my bed-time and to go to sleep! Mum must have wondered why I so enthusiastically offered to peel a couple of pounds of Bramleys for apple crumble during the day (well, I had to practice, didn’t I?) but come midnight, I managed to peel my apple in one intact snake of peel. Tradition has it that if a young virgin peels an apple (symbol of fertility) anticlockwise, keeping the peel in one unbroken coil, in the front of a mirror at midnight on the night of October 31, her husband-to-be will appear to her. One year, I decided to conduct a Hallowe’en experiment. Grated cheese and yoghurt to wrap up and stuff our faces with.Īs you can see, it always go down well. And that meant meant whipping up a pan of Chilli Con Carne for the carnivores (plus a veggy version for weirdo Mum), then providing soft tortillas and various accompaniments like lettuce, tomatoes, Today, it was 'Taco Time', or Mexican Day. Then we have 'Build A Pizza' evenings where we provide the pizza bases (or rounds of Arabic bread if we're feeling lazy) and a selection of toppings for them to create their own Italian wonder - anything from the simplest Napolitan to the most complex (or disgusting!) combo that the male teenage mind can come up with. Friends of his have loved our 'Hamburgers for Heroes' when we make our own burgers from good fresh ingredients, grill them and then lay them out with all the extras (buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers, relish, etc.) and let the kids to build the burgers of their own choice. Well, I'm afraid I must be a big disappointment to her, cos now that I'm a Mum there is nothing I like more than having fun with food, and getting everyone involved in real 'hands-on' style.įun food days have been a big help in preventing our 13-year-old from becoming a fast food addict. Remember when you were a kid and your Mum would tell you to sit up straight, elbows off the table and "don't play with your food" ('specially when scary Auntie Elsie was over for Sunday lunch)?