The American newspaper Wall Street Journal published an article yesterday written by Stelios Bouras, and entitled “Discomfort Food: When the Going Gets Though, Greeks Get Souvlaki.” The article refers to the sudden rise of the Greek fast-food business, despite the economic crisis. At a time when international companies such as McDonald’s are closing shop in Greece, the souvlaki business is booming.
The author explains this phenomenon by saying that souvlaki is one of the cheapest fast foods in Greece (an average of 2 Euros or less), thus making it even more desirable for the people suffering from the economic crisis. He goes on to say that souvlaki has been part of the Greek culture since ancient times maybe even more than 3,500 years ago.
Through the passing of years it has evolved into a kind of “discomfort food” as the author calls it, that gives the Greeks a way to enjoy themselves after all the hardships they have endured. Because of its low prices it is one of the few things that Greeks did not have to give up during the economic crisis.
However, not everyone is pleased with this phenomenon. The people who have been running souvlaki joints for years think that all these newcomers in the business don’t have any idea what they’re doing and are just looking to make some quick money.
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