THE city of Athens in Greece is unarguably one of the oldest civilizations in the world. People – from Americans to Filipinos – are simply fascinated with Greece. Lately, the youth of the United States were introduced to Greece via My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the series that was spawned from it, My Big Fat Greek Life. Then we hear of Greek families in the United States who are preserving their unique culture. Filipino women are also fascinated with Athens and half a dozen Filipino movies have already been shot there.

Athens cuisine is yummy as well. The people in Athens are very health-conscious and their staple meat (which is lamb) is the healthiest land mammal meat in the world, healthier than beef. And usually they are sautéed with olive oil, another healthy ingredient. In Athens, they have this staple viand called souvlaki which is grilled meat with tomato slices. See? There is even a vegetable in the recipe. Now that’s real healthy. And then there is tzatziki which is yogurt with cucumber. A more popular similar food, shawarma, is also available here. Other yummy greats that can be found in Athens are Greek salad, merze, pastitsio and bougatsa.