Part two of Eleni’s food safari on Symi
Marathounda, the next idyllic stop after Panormitis. After a dip in the cool clear water and a little bake on the sun beds the tummy starts to rumble… Lunch at the taverna on the beach – fresh barbequed calamari, Greek salad, stewed goat, chips and some meatballs. Time for a nap before coffee…
In an attempt to humour myself that I was eating healthily (despite consuming quantities of food that way exceeded the recommended daily calorific intake), I would often forgo ice-cream for fresh fruit! Figs, being one of my favourite Symi fruits and which thankfully were in plentiful supply, hit the mark in satisfying the sweet tooth in me!
A milestone birthday not too far in the distance and having also celebrated my previous milestone birthday on the island, I decided that I should start my half century celebrations a little early in Symi. Dinner at Pandelis – the highlights of fried feta and honey, seafood risotto and Greek wine being a fitting start to celebrations that are continuing to the end of the year!
As my holiday came to an end and the goodbyes were entangled with welcome greetings from people I hadn’t yet encountered, no opportunity was lost to continue savouring the food and beverage offers of the island – a farewell coffee with friends and a midnight gyros snack in Yialos.
Having journeyed through the traditional, nouveau and fusion cuisines, the familiar and the unfamiliar, it was time to go! Packing a few extra kilos (in the suitcase and around the waist) and with a myriad of new memories created, the boat pulled out of the harbour… ‘see you later Symi’… cheers until next time!
Eleni Kyramariou (Kymos)
Sydney, Australia
November 2015
