Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 by Eric Dugdale
Nineteen food- and culture-vultures from the J-term immersion Greek class spent an enjoyable afternoon in Minneapolis on Tuesday, January 23. First stop was Christos restaurant, where delicacies such as koupepia and spanakopita turned into a mega deipnon - served to us by a St. Olaf classics alum called Hilary, who is currently studying Homeric Hymns at the U! After dinner, Christos owner Gus Parpas, a native of Cyprus, gave us a delightful glimpse into the rich culture of Cyprus, crossroads of the Mediterranean, where the successive waves of immigrants (Phoenicians, Venetians, Arabs, French, British among many others) have made for a truly unique Cypriote dialect and a succulent melting-pot of cuisines. Afterwards, we headed to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where we were given a tour of the Greek collection by the docents. Now we know first-hand what a hydria looks like and why poor little Melitta had trouble carrying it back from the krene!
