Congratulations to Kalamaria for Sustainable Innovation!

RegioStar, an EU-wide innovation competition, named Kalamaria-based GRaBs project one of five winners of their 2012 award.

GRaBs, the Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns, won in the sustainability department. Fourteen partners from 8 countries across the EU to participate in the project that aims at integrating climate change adaptation into regional planning and development. The project focuses on developing “green infrastructure including gardens, parks, productive landscapes, green corridors, green roofs and walls and blue infrastructure such as water bodies, rivers, streams, floodplains and sustainable drainage systems”, according to the GRaBs website.

For more information on the project, check out the official GRaBs website. Congratulations to Greek innovation and sustainability!

Spotlight on Greek Cuisine: Seafood

The Greek diet, long touted as supremely healthy, is once more in vogue as the summer months come upon us. Rich in fresh produce and lean meat, the “Mediterranean” or  “Greek Diet” is a great way to stay healthy and eat well this summer.

Now that summer is upon us, seafood is the seasonal dish to keep in mind. The Greek diet is not complete without a thorough exploration of the many seafood dishes that have become popular – a look at a map of Greece can show you exactly how close to the sea the country is, and how easy it is to get fresh, delicious fish.

The simplest way to cook any fish dish only involves two ingredients: olive oil and lemon.  In Lesvos, the unofficial sardine capital, the small fish are quite sought-after, and are often cooked in such a way. Lesvos’ Bay of Kalloni hosts a Sardine Festival every August to show off their delicious sardine catch. Other ways to cook sardines include baking in garlic, or wrapped in grape leaves.

Another popular way to cook seafood is kakavia, a rich fish stew made of whatever is at the “catch of the day”. A recipe for kakavia can be found here .

Although a foreign food to many Americans, octopus and squid are also great Greek summer foods. Octopus can be served as part of a tomato sauce with pasta, in a stew, or simply grilled, as in this easy recipe. Calamari are known best for being fried in rings, although grilled calamari with feta cheese is a great way to cut out some of the fat in the deep-frying process.

Finally, a last popular Greek seafood is mussels. A great recipe from the North of Greece  is saganaki. Or, one can serve them with lemon and dill risotto.

This summer, remember that light, healthy Greek recipes can be a great choice. These seafood recipes and more will spice up your summer cuisine.

Eurovision Song Contest Viewing Party at the Embassy of Australia

On Saturday, May 26, 2012, the EUNIC Washington DC Cluster is hosting a viewing party for the culmination of the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be broadcast from Baku, Azerbaijan. The party will take place at 2:00pm at the Embassy of Australia, 3524 Int. Ct. NW, Washington DC, 20008. The party will feature live HD transmission on a 10x18 foot screen, as well as a cash bar with snacks and reasonably-priced drinks. Tickets costs $10 each (including 1 free drink!) and can be purchased by following this link: https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1207970-1PuDrlEz8v.

This year, Greece's contestant to the Eurovision contest is Eleutheria Eleutheriou - come join us at the Australian Embassy to see all the final performances!  

Greek Film "Unfair World" at D.C. International Film Festival

On Wednesday, April 18 and Thursday, April 19 the Avalon Theater will be presenting Unfair World, a film by Greek director Filippos Tsitos, as part of the Washington, D.C. International Film Festival.

The film centers on Sotiris, a very unusual police investigator who, one day decides to forgive all those who are treated unfairly in life, going as far as risking his own career by murdering a corrupt colleague. The crime, which has only one eyewitness, a lonely cleaning lady named Dora, brings the two characters closer together, as they are torn between love, honesty, and justice.

The film screenings are Wednesday, April 18 at 8:30pm and Thursday, April 19 at 8:45pm at the Avalon Theater. For more information, please visit http://www.filmfestdc.org/.

Returning Home to Greece: One Family's Story

Recently, the Washington Post published an article about one Greek-American family's return trip to Greece to visit the home of their grandfather in the Greek mainland. Bob Carden (whose grandfather's name was changed from Gardikys-Karandreas to Carden when he came to America), his wife, and two teenage children visited Lidoriki, north of Athens and about forty miles from Delphi. Carden paints a very different picture of Greece than the one we have so frequently seen on the news as of late. He calls the Acropolis and Parthenon "true wonders of the world", and even marvels at the political demonstrations which he calls "live Grecian theater at its best." Most importantly, howver, Carden discusses the beauty of the Greek mainland and the warmth and expressiveness of its people. To read the full article, click the link below:

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/traveling-back-to-granddads-greek-home/2012/04/12/gIQAWhXpFT_story.html

Father-Son Traveling Duo Follow the Steps of Odysseus

Several years ago, retired research scientist Jay Mendelsohn decided to take a class on Homer's The Odyssey, taught by his son Professor Daniel Mendelsohn. The class sparked a desire by both father and son to return to Greece to follow Odysseus's journey. They began their journey in Turkey, in what used to be known as the city of Troy, and then continued to visit the various sites throughout the Mediterranean where Odysseus is thought to have traveled. Though they were on a cruise ship with about eighty other passengers, the father-son pair still managed to meet some Homer-esque characters, including a Dutch man who had been injured and survived a long recovery period by reading Homer's works. All in all, the trip was a momentous one for both Jay and Daniel, particularly since it was their last trip together. Jay Mendelsohn died on April 6, 2012. His son Daniel, who recounted the experience in the April issue of Travel and Leisure Magazine, will forever remember this trip as his intrepid father's final Odyssey.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/04/15/150629440/a-father-and-son-go-on-their-last-odyssey-together

Producer and Actress Rita Wilson Reflects on Pascha

Rita Wilson, producer, actress, and wife of actor Tom Hanks is also well-known in Greek circles for producing the blockbuster film My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In a recent article for the "On Faith" section of The Washington Post, Wilson discusses her feelings about Pascha (Greek Orthodox Easter). She begins her article first by clarifying the differences between Easter as celebrated by most Western churches and Pascha as celebrated by the Greek-Orthodox (and other Orthodox denominations). Wilson talks about the importance of preparing for this very revered holiday by fasting and attending church services, two activities which many Greeks and Greek-Americans know very well. She recounts one particularly amusing anecdote in which her children were debating whether or not a certain soft drink qualified as a 'soda', since they had decided to fast from soda for Lent.

Wilson's light-hearted though profound perspective on the celebration of Pascha in America is one that is familiar to many of us. To read the full article, please click below:

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/rita-wilsons-big-fat-greek-orthodox-easter/2012/04/14/gIQANb02HT_blog.html