Ancient and Modern Hospitality: Celebrating Greece through Food, Drink, Music, and Dance

by MzRAD · Published June 3, 2016 · Updated June 6, 2016

This weekend, the hospitable and delicious culture of Greece fills the pastoral Mission Plaza with food vendors, live musicians, traditional dancers, and glasses of ouzo for the San Luis Obispo Greek Festival, June 4 and 5. To learn more about the food, drink, music, and dance on offer at this free event, we were recently joined on our “X Marks the Spot with Central Coast Foodie” radio show by Jim Gerakeris, one of the organizers of this Central Coast showcase of Mediterranean culture and festive celebration. The SLO Greek Festival functions as a tasty benefit for St. Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox Church, which also supports several worthy local non-profit efforts such as the Prado Day Center and our local food bank.

As a non-religious person, I really enjoyed speaking with Jim—who also serves as a sort of president of the board with his church—and learning about the food traditions woven throughout Greek culture. Before our interview, Jim mentioned that the hospitable culture of Greece can be seen today in how this country’s citizens have consistently and openly welcomed Syrian refugees escaping violence in their homeland. Greek generosity, openness, and sincere love of people should serve as a model for us all. Compassion is king!

We asked him what one could experience from attending this event that couldn’t be had by simply dining at a Greek restaurant or playing Greek music via YouTube. Learn the answer to this and other foodie questions: listen to our interview, enjoy some contemporary Greek tunes, and be sure to turn out this weekend for a delicious celebration of this generous, resilient, and hopeful cultural tradition.