Most people, the work force in particular, dread Mondays. Mondays have somewhat bad taste to most. Feelings and anticipations soar from euphoria on weekends to utter panic on Mondays. Is there such a thing a "mondayphobia"? I don't remember hating Mondays, not during my school years or "fully employed" years. Especially now that I own my own time and don't have to follow a regimented and structured lifestyle, Mondays have become as ordinary as any other days of the week. Sometimes I even look forward to it if I have a TV show to watch, or a trip to go to, or a party to feed my addiction with. Today, the 2nd of February, was one of those Mondays. I was looking forward to it because a friend was flying back from Cyprus, who was gone for good two weeks for "on the job" training, and who was my chauffeur, so to speak, because my "manual gear/stick shift" driving skills are scary at best, and accident-prone at worst.
You can't teach old dogs new tricks. I beg to differ. You can, it just takes time. I've been driving for over 25 years but in my defense, in those 25 odd years, I've only driven automatic cars. Now, you do the math!
With the limited manual-driving skills I have under my belt, I went to the supermarket and grabbed some ingredients for Tuna Salad and Chicken Fajita, and yes, I drove...very slowly. I was driving so slow that a farmer on his tractor overtook me and gave me the "what the fuck" look. I was waiting for him to yell "Go back to the Orient!", but he just shook his head out of frustration. He must've been having one of those manic Mondays. I wonder if the Greeks also think the same way Americans think that Asians can't drive? Hey...I can drive. I can drive...(pause)...(whisper)... automatic!
So, after the supermarket, I went to the gym and worked my ass out. I mean, I burnt some serious calories. I had to burn all the linguine, pastitsio, and chocolate hazelnut bars I ate on Sunday. I had to burn those to give room for more calories this week. I burnt so much calories I could eat a tub of lard and sticks of butter for days and I would still have low levels of triglycerides. After the gym, I went to meet some friends at a local cafe bar. Not bad for Monday, ain't it? Tomorrow, on the other hand, is a different story.
WORTHLESS RAMBLINGS OF THE DAY: Seriously, how long can one drink a glass of frappe'? That is one (of so many others) burning question I've been trying to find answers to from the first day I stepped foot on a cafe bar in Greece. For a measly teaspoon of Nescafe coffee, teaspoon of sugar, ounce of milk and few cubes of ice, locals pay from €3.00 to as much as €4.50 a glass, thats roughly $4.50 to $6.75! I've gone with my friends on trips to cafe bars numerous times, and each time I go, I consume a tall glass of decaffeinated latte' macchiato, then a tetrapack of orange juice, then a bottle of water, and sometimes I still have to get a can of Coke Light (Diet Coke back in the US) because my friends have not even drank half of their frappes. Well, for one, they smoke in between sips, and in between sips, they chase it with water. But still, it's a glass of frappe' for crying out loud. I sometimes overspend every time I go out for "coffee". I would spend from €10 to €15 (that's $15 to $17.50 for drinks, and for $17.50 back home, I could go to two different buffets plus drinks, and maybe a mocha from Starburcks afterwards). I spend that much each visit while my friends just spend the cost of the frappe'. The only thing is that they enjoy the whole experience while I sit down miserably hoping the roofs to collapse or the building to implode! Coffee drinking is a national past time. "Πάμε για καφέ" (Pame gia cafe) is a common phrase used by friends and family to meet. It does not necessarily mean you have to drink coffee, like I do, but it's just a way of saying: "Let's go out", but most often than not, they do really order and drink coffee. Young and old people alike. I guess I am still used to buying my mocha from a drive-thru, and I still prefer my Starbucks double pump chocolate Venti Mocha over the local brews but my friends frown on Starbucks. Who in the US can afford to sit on their asses for 3 to 4 hours for a cup of coffee? Huh? Tell me? Anyway, although there are 2 Starbucks on this island, they do not get that crowded so my friends don't want to go there. My friends would rather go to a place where they would have to wait for a table for hours in a jam-packed, crowded, smokey, noisy bars where the quality of drinks and fast eats they serve from the menu did not mean much and altogether ignored, but being seen in such place did matter!
Coffee bars in Greece are to die for. The set-up, the decorations, the furniture, and whatever you can find on your most recent interior decoration magazines. They look so fancy, upscale and sophisticated that the locals dress up to the nines, dud in designer brand outfits, just to have a cup of coffee.
With the crowd picking up, the noise getting louder and the smoke starting to suffocate me, I started to get a little annoyed and all I could think was being back in my smoke-free, quiet and cozy apartment, but I thought my day was going smoothly, so why should I spoil my Monday over that? When you're in Rome, you do as the Romans do, and I am in Greece, so should I do what the Romans do?
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