Χυμό ροδάκινου
A picture of a juice box might seem like a silly way to start a blog entry, but I specifically chose this image because this was part of the meal that started my day! Also, the way that I remember the Greek word for "peach" is kind of funny because it sounds like my mom's name: Rhoda. The juice here tastes a lot less concentrated than the kind that we have in America—I think that a lot more of the authentic flavor is preserved in the juice, and is not bogged down with obsequious amounts of sugar. Man, I really am going to miss the lightness of the food here on Crete when I go back to America.
Perhaps it is fitting that I brought up the juice box because today was a day filled with lots of food! Our first stop of the day (aside from the Venizelos family grave site) was the Terra Creta Olive Oil company. I was actually quite amazed by how much thought goes into the production of the olive oil on a large-scale. I learned a lot of interesting things, like the fact that the best olive trees are found higher up in the mountains, due to the fact that they receive more sunlight. Extra virgin olive oil can be differentiated from regular olive oil by the fact that no chemicals or extra temperature is applied in the extraction process.
What was especially interesting to me, from a polymer scientist perspective, was the fact that the byproduct of these oils can be made into pomace oil—bringing the idea of the circular economy, well, full-circle. In my research, I have worked with cranberry pomace and spent coffee grounds to implement these waste products into polymer films. We talked about the polyphenols in the olive oils, which give them a certain aromatic quality, and these are the very same chemical components which provide antioxidative capabilities to potential polymer films. I'm wondering now if it would be worthwhile to do a study on olive pomace, as there are over 30 million olive trees on the island of Crete 🤔
Inside the olive oil factory
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any pictures inside the Tsatsaronakis family bread company, but I had a great experience walking through the building and seeing the whole bread-making process. It is cool to see that many businesses in Greece are family-owned, like Ideal Hotel, and The Manna. My grandfather runs a ham factory back in the Philippines, but none of his daughters are expected to inherit or takeover his business. My aunt is an accountant in Australia, and both my mother and her younger sister are nurses. I'm not sure what is going to happen when him and his business partner are no longer around to run the company. But anyways, back to Greece. We made a quick stop in Chania, which I wish was a bit longer, but I got to drink some coffee and take a few pictures down by the port, which was a renown trading port back in the day. Much of the architecture is reminiscent of the Venetian and Ottoman influence. Something about the town felt really surreal to me, like it wasn't the real thing, but I had to pinch myself to remember that I am actually in Greece!
Chania Port
After walking through town, we met up by the bus and started making our way back to Heraklion. The bus ride across the island was about one and a half hours, which provided me a lot of time to think and ponder. It was nice that Theodore was able to guide us through Chania today, as someone who grew up in the area. I think that he was really happy to be able to share his knowledge with us, and that made me happy for him too! Maria and Theodore gave us little gifts from the city—like olive oil soap and lip balm, and we were all very grateful. On the way home, they took our pizza orders, which would be prepared for us by the time we made it back to Ideal Hotel. I was fortunate enough to have a window seat, to be able to watch the sunset over the mountains of Chania, listening to Nickel Creek and The Paper Kites.
Sunset over Chania
Greek Words:
Πως λες ... στα Ελληνικά; = Pos les ... sta Elliniká; = How do you say ... in Greek?
Μετρητά ή κάρτα; = Metritá í kárta; = Cash or card?
Χέρω λίγα Ελληνικά = Xéro líga Elliniká = I know a little Greek
Κρύο = Krío = Cold
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