οἶνος / οἶκος

My contribution to Comida Casera, hosted by Evelyn Rydz and Samsøn. Comida Casera is an intimate event using food and storytelling to connect women in the community and women participating in the current exhibition, latinx@americañaza 

οἶνος / οἶκος 

The notion of home (οἶκος), for a migrant, but not only,  is often associated with loss. For a Greek  it is unthinkable to recreate the exact taste of a food or drink, when away from home. It is never the same. One’s mother’s recipe is always the one and only way of constructing a taste. My mother does not like cooking, but when she cooks it is unique. And then it is worth combining this food with a glass of Greek wine (οἶνος). Mymother does not make wine, but her network of friends and experts can suggest to her the best kinds, each time. Wine is known since Ancient Greece, but in Greece nowadays it is still a luxurious product. After my mother lost her second parent, her mother, the feeling of loss had been unbearable for her. She then shared a prose, which I believe is biographical. It is about herself carrying to home a bottle of wine for the family. But the bottle breaks and the valuable good is now lost. The prose is called The Miraculous Substance. It is written by Maria Toloudi, whom I want to celebrate today, and everyday.