ANCIENT DINING - ΜΑΡΙΑ ΛΟΗ

[...] It all started with my friend's question: "Tell me really, how many books have been written on the dietary habits of the ancient Greeks?" The only answer that I could come up with was the following: "I'm not quite sure, but I assume way too many."He replied nonchalantly, "So what?" That strikingly simple response immediately set off many thoughts in my head. I wanted to tell him so many things: about ancient dining, the origins and the long history of the meals that we prepare today, about Archestratus and great practices such as symposiums, about which we seldom think. But as we all know, mere talk is less impressive than putting your words into action. At this point, you may be wondering what all this has to do with history. I believe that in order for somebody to understand what a symposium is, for example, and the way the Greeks ate or what they ate, we should travel mentally to the past, through our readings: to the period before the Common Era, when important events took place and great history was written. Such history remains with us and, at times, guides us even today. But that's not enough. To be carried away by the ancient texts, we must examine on a deeper level the ancient Greeks' way of life. It is important to ask more specific questions: "How did they live? What did their homes look like? How did they dress? What types of food did they eat? What therapeutic qualities did they attribute to certain foods? What eccentricities did they have? Who were these people who created the notion of "fair play," and from whom we inherited such wise sayings as "a healthy mind in a healthy body?" To return to the conversation I had with my friends that night, the idea for Ancient Dining did not simply begin with a spur-of-the-moment thought: "Hey, why don't we write a book as well?" Rather, it developed as the conversation evolved, and I began to realize that there are still many things to be said on the topic. History is very valuable. Yet if it sits accumulating dust on the shelf, or if it is written in complex language addressed only to an elite group of scholarly readers, how am I, an average person, supposed to read and understand it? Why should the great thinking of Plato, Sophocles, Athenaeus and Archestratus be accessible only to a few? And so it all began: An idle pursuit of knowledge, along with people with whom I have been researching and exploring the customs and practices of the ancient Greeks for years now. We decided to travel back in time to "meet" Archestratus, the Sicilian-Greek philosopher and poet of the 4th century BCE. Through the rich language of his writings, we began our journey into the world of gastronomy and symposiums. We learned of his eccentricities, including his claims that shark is delicious and eel, if cooked properly, is the best of all fish. We then ventured into the world of Plato, Sophocles, and Aristophanes, and learned of the Agora, the ancient marketplace in the area of Kerameikos. Our journey also taught us the likes and dislikes of Homer, who was no friend of wine. I truly believe that you can only learn the history of a people and their culture by exploring their everyday habits, which speak volumes of truth about their way of life. To read Life of Luxury (in Greek Hedypatheia), the great gastronomic guide of Archestratus, is undoubtedly both a privilege and a pleasure. To travel alongside his main protagonists, Moschus and Kleandros, and learn why the ancient Greeks added nettles to their salad, for example, is a delight in itself. What I have learned from my life's journey is that knowledge and the benefits you reap from it go hand in hand. Similarly knowledge should foster modesty and simplicity, as long as you allow the relationship to flourish. But for now, let us embark on our journey together, to explore a world with many sage truths and endless beauty. Take a tour with me of my culinary world. Our journey will begin here [...] (From the publisher)