The Summer of my Greek Taverna by Tom Stone

Patmos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean near Turkey. The second most popular site for Christian pilgrimage, it is where Saint John wrote the Book of Revelation. I visited the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built into the hillside around the Cave of the Apocalypse, and stood beside a hollow in the rock face, where they say John of Patmos received a vision from Jesus. I'd show you the pictures, but when I changed the film on the bus, I lost the full roll. That's how it goes.

Of course, we all know that the moon goddess Selene shone her light on the water and found the island of Patmos at the bottom of the ocean; Artemis and Apollo then helped convince Zeus to raise the island to the surface, where it was named after Artemis. But that was a long time ago.

The Summer Of My Greek Taverna was written by Tom Stone, a travel writer of Greek guidebooks. He visited Patmos with his French wife, Danielle, and relaxed in a seaside taverna named The Beautiful Helen. When they found out the owner rented it out over the summer, Tom would joke, "You should rent it to me!" He is soon at home in the kitchen and introducing unusual dishes to Greece, such as Chinese Chicken and American Chili.

Long days cooking and cleaning are one thing, but his partnership with owner Theologos, whom everyone calls O Lados ("the oily one", as in, "He's a thief!") looks rocky. Tom will pay 150,000 drachmas to rent The Beautiful Helen and run the kitchen and restaurant, and Theologos will buy supplies, which start to mount up. "Don't worry," Theologos says, "things will improve come the summer festivals."

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. Tom is slowly gypped from all angles. "If you are a guest, they will give you the shirt off their back, but do business with them, it's your shirt you've got to worry about." There are Greek customs to work around, such as the evil eye, and the idea it's bad luck to wish you well, so no one does it. It's best to humble you.

I found the characters quite sad and could see a mountain of resentment building up. It seemed everyone saw O Lados doing his usual tricks, but no one spoke up.

Along with the details of the family and restaurant, there are recipes for the dishes he mentions cooking at the back of the book.

It was interesting to revisit an island I enjoyed. The Summer of My Greek Taverna is very well written, but not the "sumptuous getaway" described on the cover. Great travel writing, but Tom, you had a rough summer!

2002 / Paperback / 245 pages