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Petrocheilos, Melissaratos Make Hellenism Shine

By on October 2, 2012 in Columns, East Coast, Opinion

As a freshman at Johns Hopkins University, I had entered the Mattin Center looking to find the meeting for the Hellenic Student Association. I noticed a couple people speaking in Greek, so I realized that I was in the right place. I did not really know what to expect from a cultural organization. Maybe a [...]

Hera's coin

IAGTM: English Words Originated From Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (Part 2)

By on June 18, 2012 in It's All Greek to Me

Three new words for you today: The word Humor comes from Himor (juicy or someone who is happy or excited; Gr: χυμόρ;), originated from the word Himos (Juice; Gr: χυμός;) in Euboean Dialect (Gr: ευβοϊκή διάλεκτο;). First found on Plato’s Kratylos (Gr: Κρατύλος του Πλάτωνος;) where the final sigma (s; Gr: σ, ς ) is pronounced as r (Gr: ρ;) The word Marmelade comes from the [...]

English Words Originated From Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (Part 1)

English Words Originated From Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (Part 1)

By on May 30, 2012 in It's All Greek to Me

Two words for you today that came from the Greek Poet Homer. The word amen comes from the latin “amen,” the well known amen that we all know from the Bible and all the Christian scripts. What most of us don’t know is that amen comes from imin (true or truthful; better pronounced emen; Gr: ή-μήν; in Hellenistic [...]

Greek Origins of Everyday Words

Greek Origins of Everyday Words

By on May 26, 2012 in It's All Greek to Me

More than 200.000 words in all the Latin-based modern languages (English, Spanish, Italian, French etc.) originate from Greek, around 70.000 of them directly and the rest through Latin. The purpose of this column is not to teach Glossology, it is to present interesting, even funny, Greek origins of every day words and expressions in English. As a [...]

Sellout Artists Promote Greece with…Placemats and Disposable Cups

By on December 10, 2011 in Chicago, Culture Shock, East Coast, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, News, Ohio, Opinion, Rhode Island, San Francisco, SoCal, The South, Utah, Washington, West Coast

“Live Your Myth in Greece” is the slogan we hear all across New York City and Athens, Greece. Whether it is on the subway or bus stops they are everywhere.  Now you can see this wonderful slogan while waiting for your cheeseburger deluxe at your local diner in New York City or anywhere in the [...]

Cultures in crisis

By on October 12, 2011 in Columns, Culture Shock, East Coast, New York, Opinion

The financial crisis in Greece has caused detrimental havoc in the greek morale, and that, my friends, is the understatement of the century. The over-analysis combined with the lack of any will to remain calm and face tha facts escalate once the media come into play. Yep, drama did originate in Greece. Even if the [...]

Two ways to be Greek?

By on July 27, 2011 in Culture Shock, East Coast, Opinion

Having lived abroad for a decade or two (or three plus…) gives us Greek-Americans a whole new concept of Greekness or Greek identity and what it all means to be a Greek descendent or to just be Greek. As far as we are concerned, Greece is idealized, both as a country and as an ideal. To [...]

Greek directness

By on June 2, 2011 in Columns, Culture Shock, East Coast, New York, Opinion, Washington

Being direct is considered a pretty good personality trait. That is an international fact. Greeks however, we take being direct to a whole new level. We ask questions others would consider prying, indiscreet or downright rude. Greeks want to know, gossip, comment, help or dish. Human relations go way further than the internationally understood level [...]

Family

By on April 18, 2011 in Columns, Culture Shock, East Coast, New York, Opinion, Washington

Family is an ideal. Both in the American and the Greek tradition family is up there, revered, respected, treasured and idealized. Being supportive to family members is a great trait. Being on each others face 24-7 is a Greek trait. It wasn’t accidental that the girl’s parents in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ bought a [...]

Alites

By on March 10, 2011 in Columns, Culture Shock, East Coast, New York, Opinion, Washington

I’ve been thinking of a word lately. I have been overcome with the manic-obsessive urge to translate the word in English. The word is no less complicated than the word ‘Alitis’ (as in Vissi’s latest hasapiko ‘Alitisa Psihi’). Oh please, lady, you may say. Bum, bugger, punk, trump or scumbag. True, each of those words [...]

Driving

By on February 3, 2011 in Columns, Culture Shock, East Coast, New York, Opinion, Washington

I always believed driving is the one activity that tells all about a person. One’s personality, life perspective, emotional stability and clarity -or lack of-, it is all out there. If you believe in yourself you confidently hold the wheel with both hands and carefully examine the other drivers at the traffic lights. If single, [...]

Love matters

By on December 18, 2010 in Columns, Culture Shock

Falling in love is an international trade. It happens everywhere. We all crave falling in love, one way or another. How we handle it, though, does bring cultural handicaps in the picture. Greeks fall madly in love. And I don’t mean candlelit dinners and romantic outings at the movies. I mean drama, tears, shouting, blood [...]