I am... (Είμαι)

Kiwis don't move around a lot. They stay pretty much in one country, mainly because they can't fly. Being nocturnal creatures, they are hardly ever seen. In New Zealand, they are considered an endangered species. But in these globalised times, one particular kiwi managed to escape. She reverted to a more natural body clock, and, having arrived at her final destination (a kitchen on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean), she realised that she had actually come back home. She became a Mediterranean Kiwi. This is the story of her journey. I'm an ex-pat New Zealander now living in Hania, Crete, Greece.

I originally started out this blog with a view to recording recipes and memories for my children's future use. I have now incorporated stories that will remind my children of the few years they will have spent in their parents' company, in the hope that they will have a better understanding of where their mother came from, and how she ended up where she is.

I started writing my blog as a way to keep a record of recipes for my children. Since then, the blog has morphed into a food story blog. With the economic crisis, I used the blog to tell stories that relate food with the crisis. I now write about my experiences of Greek life in the new order that is being forced on us, which is quite different to pre-crisis Greece. Greece is still in transition - quite a few more years are needed for the very slight incremental changes being seen in today's Greek society to become an ingrained reality in people's daily life. Food will continue to play a very important role in the re-shaping of Greece - it is in fact the main driver of exports, and Greece's agricultural sector is not stagnant. So there will always be new food stories to tell, including those that will be making up the new Greek diaspora. And in this way, I will always be linking Greek food with Greek identity.

If you're ever in Hania, let me know and you may join us for lunch...