Where else in the world can you enjoy a meal that is made entirely with local products and created for the table by aging hands. The meat balls (kefthedis) are flavoured with herbs from the island and molded by Kiria Plito’s arthritic hands. The potatoes, from her son’s garden, are peeled with a knife and sliced into perfect pieces before being tossed into a bath of hot olive oil that was pressed from olives in the same garden. Wild herbs (horta) collected from the island hillsides are steamed before being drizzled with olive oil and zested with a lemon from the garden. Wine is made from a grapevine in the garden and tastes better than any manufactured plunk.
The meatballs are the best I have tasted anywhere. The potatoes are golden and crisp. The greens are tangy and full of nutrition! Amazing!!
Places like Kali Kardia are disappearing from the islands, being replaced by cafes that serve pre-frozen, ready to eat items that can be heated in a microwave.
Shelves are lined with everything from RAID to cookies and cigarettes, even a hat. This is where villagers find the items that they forgot to buy at a larger market. It is also a meeting place for locals to share a coffee or a local raki.
If you ever find one of these authentic cafenions on a Greek island don't be afraid to enter and sit with the locals. Don't be in a hurry...wait...something wonderful always happens!
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