Monday 10 March 2014

How to Be Greek No.1

OK, let's first establish the ground rule here. This is just for fun. I just thought it'd be a chuckle to publish an occasional post in a series under this heading so please, guys, take it as it's intended! Fact is, we all take ourselves too seriously most of the time, don't we. Anyway, I hope you'll detect the underlying affection I have for all of my Greek neighbours nationwide when you read these.

That established, here's rule one in a series that will follow in no particular order whatsoever. It's just as the thoughts occur to me, I'll post 'em.



How to be Greek, Rule 1. - If you're travelling in a vehicle.
If you're driving anywhere for anything more than fifteen minutes, if you're Greek you simply have to stop somewhere and pick up a frappé to go. This also applies if you're driving a van, a truck or a coach. No one will take you seriously as a Greek if you don't have at least one plastic take-away frappé cup either on the go or empty and still hanging around in the cockpit somewhere.

None of your nancy-boy mineral water bottle malarkey will do OK? It has to be a frappé. Fact is too, most Greeks take it black, so I'm still not quite there since I have a dash of milk in mine.

When I work on the excursions in summer every driver I've ever worked with has a cup holder near his steering wheel within which is either a frappé in progress, or one that was recently finished. I don't think they throw away the old one until they have a new one to take its place, makes them feel nervous if that cupholder's empty.

Still, a little milk notwithstanding, at least I'm on the right track! (In fact, the wife is too, since that photo above is in our car this past week.)

9 comments:

  1. I'm clearly not Greek or any other European national for that matter....I was just musing that it's rather dangerous to drive with your handbag in the footwell right next to the pedals!! Whoops!
    Vicki

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    1. Our steering wheels and pedals aren't on the same side as yours, DUH!!

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  2. Exactly my point!
    Vicki

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  3. John,
    You didn't mention the frappe motorcyclists.
    Some years back, we saw a guy in beautiful Stegna, - shorts, tee-shirt, flip-flops and of course the frappe, and all this on a Yamaha R1!!

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    1. Nice one George (Geoege?), I missed that didn't I!

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  4. There's a guy here on Crete with a drinks holder on his scooter, must get one for my bicycle!

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    1. Yea and he probably sips his Frappé, calls someone on his mobile phone, hooks his wife, dog and kids on the back and crosses himself when passing a roadside shrine too!! Hold on, there's another post in this somewhere...

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  5. I think the first rule be, the minute you start your engine, your phone will ring and you will answer it in seemingly hysterical Greek....all the while making frantic hand signals, with both hands in the air at the same time Lyn

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