The old men of Skalochori and how to order a Greek omelette brunch without speaking Greek
So one morning in Lesvos Island (Greece), Dutchman and I set off with the scooter in search for a place to have brunch. We are heading eastbound and about half an hour into the ride we came across the mountain village called Skalochori. The village is nestled in a small tranquil valley.
As we traversed on the quiet narrow cobble-stone streets of the village, we came upon a square with a humongous tree holding a tarpaulin that serves as a sun shade for the cafeteria underneath. There were many Greek men of age hanging out in groups here. Many were chatting, some were playing cards and others were basically just chilling out.
In the Greek Islands, we noticed that many old Greek men like to hang out in cafeterias and outdoor cafe terraces while sipping a cup of traditional Greek coffee. I will probably believe if you say that they invented people watching, because that’s what they do the whole day.
Nevertheless, all eyes were glued on us, their gaze following our backs as we took a table and settled in our seats. After agreeing with the Dutchman what we will take for brunch, I got up and went to the cafeteria across the street to order. A middle aged plump woman greeted me inside the cafeteria with a big smile.
‘We would like to order omelette and some bread.’
Woman in the cafeteria continued to smile at me with a searching face: ‘Huh?.....?’
Talking slowly I repeated my order, ‘Omelette and bread. Tomatoes and cucumber as well.’
Woman in the cafeteria still smiling at me but now she has a very puzzled look in her face: ‘Eh, eh… uh… ?%$#&% (in Greek language)?’
OK I get it, how can I be so stupid? Of course, she doesn’t speak English! So I switched to using monkey style communication: hands and facial expression.
Luckily, there were fresh eggs on the counter, so I picked one up and using my other hand I did the beating (for omelette) motion. She nodded understanding me quickly.
Then I also pointed at the tomatoes and cucumber. She nodded picking them up.
The woman’s face lighted up. She rattled in Greek excitedly and disappeared into the back of the cafeteria. She came out rushing to me, with a block of ‘ladotyri cheese’ in her hands.
I nodded and said, ‘Ne!’ (which means yes in Greek)
So now that I have ordered our brunch I hope they come out according to my expectations.
Brunch finally arrived and they did not disappoint. The servings were massive though. If I had known they were this size, I would have ordered just one plate.
The ladotyri cheese was quite thick yet good but the woman put so much of it in the omelette. For drinks, I had the traditional Greek coffee while Dutchman settled for iced coffee.
The woman also gave us some local pastries that I cannot identify. Because we had too much for brunch, I wrapped them up and brought them with us. We could eat them later for snack.
Skalochori is part of Kalloni municipality.
Travel Period: June-July 2012
Destination: Skalochori, Kalloni (Lesvos – North Aegean), Greece
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
As we traversed on the quiet narrow cobble-stone streets of the village, we came upon a square with a humongous tree holding a tarpaulin that serves as a sun shade for the cafeteria underneath. There were many Greek men of age hanging out in groups here. Many were chatting, some were playing cards and others were basically just chilling out.
In the Greek Islands, we noticed that many old Greek men like to hang out in cafeterias and outdoor cafe terraces while sipping a cup of traditional Greek coffee. I will probably believe if you say that they invented people watching, because that’s what they do the whole day.
Nevertheless, all eyes were glued on us, their gaze following our backs as we took a table and settled in our seats. After agreeing with the Dutchman what we will take for brunch, I got up and went to the cafeteria across the street to order. A middle aged plump woman greeted me inside the cafeteria with a big smile.
‘We would like to order omelette and some bread.’
Woman in the cafeteria continued to smile at me with a searching face: ‘Huh?.....?’
Talking slowly I repeated my order, ‘Omelette and bread. Tomatoes and cucumber as well.’
Woman in the cafeteria still smiling at me but now she has a very puzzled look in her face: ‘Eh, eh… uh… ?%$#&% (in Greek language)?’
OK I get it, how can I be so stupid? Of course, she doesn’t speak English! So I switched to using monkey style communication: hands and facial expression.
Luckily, there were fresh eggs on the counter, so I picked one up and using my other hand I did the beating (for omelette) motion. She nodded understanding me quickly.
Then I also pointed at the tomatoes and cucumber. She nodded picking them up.
The woman’s face lighted up. She rattled in Greek excitedly and disappeared into the back of the cafeteria. She came out rushing to me, with a block of ‘ladotyri cheese’ in her hands.
I nodded and said, ‘Ne!’ (which means yes in Greek)
So now that I have ordered our brunch I hope they come out according to my expectations.
It's all retired boys club here.
Brunch finally arrived and they did not disappoint. The servings were massive though. If I had known they were this size, I would have ordered just one plate.
The ladotyri cheese was quite thick yet good but the woman put so much of it in the omelette. For drinks, I had the traditional Greek coffee while Dutchman settled for iced coffee.
The woman also gave us some local pastries that I cannot identify. Because we had too much for brunch, I wrapped them up and brought them with us. We could eat them later for snack.
We fed the cat of the house who was more than happy to eat the leftovers.
Probably the only old man working in this village. The rest are hanging out in front of his office under the tree!
Skalochori is part of Kalloni municipality.
Travel Period: June-July 2012
Destination: Skalochori, Kalloni (Lesvos – North Aegean), Greece
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
