15th Annual Festival of Greece in Houston, TX

In the first installment of my "Will Travel 4 Food" blog about traveling the world for food, I present to "Y'ALL" the 15th Annual Festival of Greece in Houston, TX! Not to be confused with the Annual Greek Festival that occurs during the fall, this event is an annual fund-raiser for the Saint Basil Greek Orthodox Church. And with the new "Orthodox Enclave" and the St. Efstathios Chapel (with a copper dome), I was only more than willing to travel out to visit and help support a great cause! Thanks to Reverend Amastasios Raptis, I spent 2 hours touring the Church and Chapel. We even had a nice discussion about the history, traditions and convictions of the Greek Orthodox faith; compared it to Roman Catholic and other Christian denominations. I could have sat with him and talked for days, but I knew he had other responsibilities and did not want to take up all of his time. Amongst the many things I learned and/or reminded of, one thing I wanted to share with everyone was this....Did you know that the New Testament of the Bible was first and originally written in Greek? And the Old Testament in Hebrew.

My trip began with a drive out to the Energy Corridor in Houston. Upon arriving, the first thing I noticed was the music filling the air with sounds of traditional Greek music that one could dance the Syrtos! The Syrtos is considered the oldest form of Greek dancing! Supposedly, it evolved from the dances that occurred around the altar in sacred rituals. It is suggested that this is possibly the reason why the dancers form an unbroken circle of joining hands while dancing in a counterclockwise direction! Of course, each region in Greece have their own style of dancing the Syrtos, so I was only more than excited to get inside to see all the festivities. When I got there, I could see the stage where there was the St. Basil Youth Dancers! I found out that they were performing the Cretiko Syrto.

They even invited people up on stage to learn how to do this dance! So of course, I was only more than happy to go up there with my two-left feet and give it a try. For anyone that knows me can attest, I definitely have two-left feet, but I always tell people, "I'm just two left feet, looking for my soul-mate with two right-feet and we'd be a match made for one another out on the dance floor!" Needless to say, I was starting to get the hang of it, but like with anything, it had to end.

If any of you never been to Houston in May, it is hot AND humid already! Let's not kid ourselves....it's only the START of summer for Houston. Being so close to the Gulf of Mexico, Houston definitely gets a healthy dose of humidity. Needless to say, after working up a li' sweat, I could smell a distinct sweetness and yet earthy smell fill my nose....Ahhh....something is grill'n! Time to go grab a bite to eat!

After talking to Reverend Raptis, he informed me that all of the food and pastries and some of the art and gifts were prepared homemade by the local members of the Greek community at the kitchen at the Church! That made me just that much more excited try the food! But where to start? Should I go with the ever popular Gyro? Or maybe change it up a bit and go for the Lamb Shank? But the problem with the lamb shank at a festival such as this, that went on all weekend, was that they opted to serve it "boneless". In other words, off-the-bone. I really think if you are going to braise the lamb shank, you should serve it with the bone-in. Because the meat is amazingly tender and moist, it just flakes off the bone! You don't even need a knife! If you ever get a chance to try a braised Greek Lamb Shank...go for it! You won't regret it when that piece of lamb just melts in your mouth!

So instead, I opted to go a different direction on the food. I saw them selling a Pastichio Dinner Platter! "What is pastichio ?", you may be asking yourself. Pastichio is a casserole dish that is similar to a Lasagna. However, what really makes a pastichio different are the hints of nutmeg and cinnamon that flavours the meat! This particular platter consisted of the Pastichio, Greek Salad, Spanakopita (spinich pastry), Tiropita (layered buttered filo dough filled with egg-and-cheese), Keftedes (meatballs), olives, Dolmathes (rice stuffed grapevine leaves) & a dinner roll! And it only cost me $10! For a fund-raiser, this was an unbelievable price I couldn't pass up! And despite all this food, I had to add some extra desserts for safe measure! So I ordered the ever-popular Baklava (a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey) and even an order of Amygdalota, which is a Greek Almond Biscuit. Best with a little Greek Coffee, the hints of almond helps bring out a li' sweetness to balance the flavour of strong Greek coffee.

Needless to say, I had a feast! For my first-ever "Will Travel 4 Food" excursion, this was a great impromptu success! I ate a lot of food, met some amazing people and learned about a very established and proud heritage that have made Houston their home! I believe that sharing food with one another is one of the best way to share and appreciate different cultures! And the Annual Festival of Greece in Houston was a great way to re-introduce me to the food and history of a people that I admire! I will be back again!

And I hope that next year, when this event comes around, that you will join in the festivities as well!

I am including a link to the photo album of the event for your enjoyment!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=431138&id=619735401&ref=pb

I don't know where my next trip for "Will Travel 4 Food" will take me! But stop on by and follow along with me! And if anyone knows of any festivals, mom-and-pop restaurants, or hole-in-the-wall with great food, drop me an email! I'll try and make it out there!