Greek food ... in Japan?

My grandma has a Irish soda bread frozen for me when I get back so that we can celebrate St. Patrick's Day and a pizzagaina (a very, very healthy Italian quiche), so I'm looking forward to that, but I didn't have to wait to go home to have my Greek Easter, or Πάσχα (Pascha). The Orthodox Πάσχα is celebrated at a different time from the other Christian sects because it follows the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian one, in order to ensure that Easter falls after Passover, which is when Jesus celebrated Holy Week.

So, yes, indeed, I celebrated Πάσχα in grand style today, at a dinner with Jeremy, Jeremy's brother Jon and two of Jon's friends. I was skeptical at first, but the food was really good! We went to a place called Spyro's in Harajuku and ordered tons of Greek food, including pastichio (a lasagna-type dish with ziti, ground lamb, and cream and tomato sauces), moussaka (eggplant with beef and tomato sauce), souvlaki (grilled lamb skewers), tzatsiki (garlicky yogurt) sauce, saganaki (grilled Cypriot cheese) and of course, lots and lots of feta and olives! Topped off with γιαούρτι και μέλι (yogurt and thick Greek honey). Delish! It actually rivaled a lot of the Greek restaurants I have been to in the U.S.

But the kicker was the bottle of ouzo that I found. Check out the name of the bottler! Nice! Apparently my heretofore unknown cousin Issidoros is a "persistent perfectionist" who bottles only ouzo with a "strong and fragrant spirit." Of course, all we Arvanitises share the same attributes along with a healthy share of procrastinating when it comes time for finals.

I have loved just about everything I have encountered of Japanese culture, from tatami mats to Shinto shrines, but it's nice to have days like these to remind me where I come from and the Irish, Italian and Greek traditions that my family incorporates into everyday American life.

Incidentally, My favorite part of going to Easter Mass as a child was when the priest read the Paschal greetings in different languages. I guess it's fitting that I'm so interested in international affairs even today! Χριστός ανέστη! Αληθώς ανέστη!