Mezzes, the Middle Eastern Tradition of Spending Time with Friends and Family Over Small Dishes of Tasty Tidbits is More About the Experience Than the Geography.
Windsor, England is a far cry from the sun-drenched shores of a cafe on the Black Sea or Mediterranean coast, yet in a small cozy restaurant off the main street that runs up to the ancient castle, I had one of the most memorable mezzes of my life. It was the first time we had taken our children to Europe, the eve of my youngest brother's wedding and, so, the excuse for a huge family reunion.
My Uncle Jim found the place - no neon, no touristy trappings...and no fish and chips...just a Greek restaurant on a quiet street, with some of the best Greek food I have tasted outside a home. Being a large group, especially for the establishment, we ordered their "grand mezze" - which it turned out - consisted of over 30 small dishes of everything from black olives and hummus to kebabs, a well-spiced chicken dish or two, some shrimp, some calamari and on and on... all washed down with ouzo (for the grown-ups) and cokes for the kids.
Every time we thought we had seen the of the procession of dishes, a new course of them would magically appear from the kitchen. More talk, more ouzo, more dishes....a couple of hours later, just when we thought there could not possibly be another delight to sample, out comes some paklava and a round of Turkish coffee. Good thing. Even if we weren't driving, all that ouzo was starting to gave its effect...now where was that hotel?
So what was it about this place that has locked it in time to one of the happiest meals of my life? Looking back, I'm not so sure it was the food - although it was spectacularly well-made. More importantly, I suspect it was the company. My family is spread all over the globe - literally. The times we are able to share with each are few and far between. Uncle Jim passed away a few years ago. My children, now grown, travel mainly by themselves and neither lives close to home. Memories of great places and great meals tie us all together through space and time. Like I said, Mezzes have very little to do with geography.
