Remembering Athens

Tower of the Winds, Athens Greece

Scholarhio Restaurant, Athens

Ever since we had lunch at Scholarhio Restaurant, I have been remembering the wonderful meal we had there. Of course the location had something to do with it. The restaurant is in the Plaka at the foot of the Acropolis and we sat on the balcony at a charming table for two. The owner spoke enough English to assure that we had a pleasant experience. On the menu there is an option to select about 8 out of 11 or so vegetarian dishes for two people to share. With so many choices, it is easy for anyone who wants only vegan selections. All of the dishes we chose were delicious - my mouth is watering thinking about it. One of the most memorable was the Greek salad. Surely some of the taste is a result of the fresh tomatoes, the olive oil, and the olives themselves. Even so, last night I decided that since I will not return to Athens for some time, I would try to duplicate the taste at home with a Greek salad with produce fresh from The Boys.

My version was simple and reminiscent of Scholarhio's salad without the Feta cheese. The ingredients were torn romaine, chunks of cucumber, very fresh local tomatoes, and a lot of pitted Kalamata olives. For the dressing, I looked in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, but I ended up just creating my own dressing with half lemon juice and half red wine vinegar, whisked with more extra-virgin olive oil than usual. I might make it again tonight it sounds so good to me.

Cruise ship meals

What do vegans eat on a cruise ship? Most cruise lines have vegetarian options on the regular menus in the formal dining rooms as well as the buffets. While they sound delicious, the meals include lots of cheese, cream and eggs. Since becoming vegans, we have had some fabulous meals onboard ships. Princess was the first line that said yes, they could provide vegan meals for us. And they did for 24 days last year. I wish I had my camera at more dinners, but I like to travel light when dining. Unlike the rest of my life when traveling light is the last thing I can manage to do.

Our most recent cruise ended on May 3 in Barcelona. The Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas had sailed from Fort Lauderdale on April 21 bound for Bermuda, Gibraltar, Alicante and Barcelona, Spain. On the first night the Maitre D' seemed a bit surprised by our request for vegan as opposed to vegetarian food, but she was quick to respond in a very gracious manner. She spoke to the chef and said that he had agreed to cook for us a surprise vegan meal for dinner each night. And he got it right 100% of the time.

Breakfast was not a problem with hot oatmeal and fruit. Lunch was easy with a suitable vegetarian option like some delicious Indian curries or with pasta prepared a la minute with broccoli, chopped red pepper, garlic, tomato sauce. One day we had lunch with new friends at Johnny Rockets - a veggie burger, onion rings and French fries. Not fat free of course, but we were at sea and on vacation so we threw caution to wind and had a fun meal.

After we left the ship in Barcelona, we stayed at the Hotel Continental Barcelona on Las Ramblas. They had a 24 hour breakfast buffet with oatmeal, dry cereal, fruit, dried fruit, pastries, and beverages.

For lunch, we had an excellent vegetable paella in a restaurant in the Gothic Quarter. Dinner found us back on Las Ramblas, where we walked and walked and began to think we might have oatmeal for dinner. Then we saw Maoz Vegetarian Restaurant and had a fabulous falafel sandwich with an incredible toppings bar which included caraway cabbage, chopped tomatoes, chick peas, cooked onions, cooked sliced carrots and about a dozen other choices.

Jerry said too bad there is not one of these restaurants near us in Florida. Today as I was sorting through the mail there was a coupon for a discount at a restaurant about 5 miles from our house - Maoz! So we will enjoy a good meal and have happy memories of our Transatlantic cruise to Barcelona.