| It’s All Greek to Me |
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 Saturday and Sunday, February 13-14, 2010St. George Greek Orthodox Church Story and photos by Denise Ortuno Neil Locals and visitors alike packed the church’s grounds, as the space was transformed into a Greek wonderland of music, food, shopping and oh, did I mention the food?  Behind El Paseo in Palm Desert stands the beautiful St. George Greek Orthodox Church. The grounds in back of the church where the festival took place are vast and a surprise, if being judged from the exterior of the building. The event sized itself into a courtyard-style setting where tables and umbrellas were anchored in the center, providing a well-rounded scope of the festival for those taking advantage of the seating. With the domed-shaped white church in the backdrop, it was easy to close my eyes and envision being in Greece and inhaling the smells of the Mediterranean. It’s hard to believe that we are still in the thralls of a recession, based on the turnout of people at the Greek Festival. Everywhere I looked, there were people eating, drinking and buying all kinds of goods from jewelry to art and even Tupperware — that’s right there was a Tupperware booth. It actually makes sense; I mean, we all want our baklava and pastitsio to stay fresh. And there must have been a sale or something on those belly-dancing hip scarves that women were prancing around in, because the constant sound of hip-propelled jingle jangles seemed to glide through the air. Although the music and shopping were great, the main and obvious attraction was the food — Glorious Greek food! And if you wanted some, you’d have wait in line, because at every turn there was a line. But that isn’t necessarily a deterrent, because as I’ve said before (Tamale Festival ’09), if there’s a line, it’s got to be good. I chose my line after some light observance and stood behind George Spanos from Chicago, who was as eager as I was to indulge in the Greek cuisine. As we chatted, we both voiced concern that by the time we would get up to the food, they’d run out. But thankfully there was still plenty of deliciousness to go around, with the exception of the disappearance of dolmades, which clearly were crowd pleasers.I moved on, passed my grief from the dolmades incident and went for some spanakopita, tyropita and pastitsio. Then for dessert, I bought a baklava and bougatsa (Awesome!). They gave me the option to take all this food to go, which was wonderful, because I could share it with my husband later on that day. One thing I wanted to have, but my hands were becoming full, was the saganaki. It’s flaming cheese that is out of this world. Next year, cheese, your mine! This beloved event is manned by dedicated churchgoers and sponsors who start planning and cooking for the festival months in advance. Their hard work seems to pay off year after year. As I walked out of the festival with my to-go boxes, I noticed the relaxed state of the people around me, some lounged on the grass munching away on Greek fare and others just took in the sunshine and dream provoking music. It was a glance and quick trip to another land, not a bad way to spend the afternoon off a side street behind El Paseo. To see a photo slideshow of the Greek Festival by Allen Lawrence, click here.
For more about the annual Greek Festival, click here. |
