Joe Blogs : Events

Chinese New Year was last week and we ushered in the year of the rabbit. I got this lovely lladro piece for Helen before we were married and it is beautiful like the person who received it.

Chinese New Year is when a lot of travel, homecoming, hope and noise occurs. Lion dances, red packets and fireworks herald the new year.

Joe's Chinese class made mobiles out of paper that formed the character for luck and prosperity and also traced out four character phrase for us to hang on the wall.

We ate jaozi or steamed dumplings that were handmade by Helen and it is great to see the way she puts them together.

Between the rainy days the humidity has been reasonably high which although good for chillies and plants in general, left us wanting to spend more time in the pool.

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The Greek Glenti (which means party) has been held in Darwin for a very long time - over twenty years. The festival is well attended and the aroma of the barbequed octopus, pig on a spit and lamb rotating slowly before being shaved onto a waiting Yiros draws the crowd from a distance and the vibrant music of the Bouzouki welcomes you into the marquees where young and old mingle to listen, watch, eat, drink and generally just be happy with the gathering.

The dancing and singing was exhuberant and laughter was a key component to the event. How the guys sweating over the barbeques managed to keep going the way they did in among the smoke and heat was incredible.

I came for the barbequed octopus, a delicacy I hadn't savoured since the last time I was in Athens and ate it on therooftop of the Hilton as we gazed towards the acropolis and wondered if the dish dated back to those times. Something I always find funny is that I went to a Greek wedding in Athens and was surprised when there wasn't any plate smashing. My hosts were even more suprised, asking why one would want to destroy a perfectly good plate.

The Greeks may have given us democracy but their legacy of food is sometimes a more enjoyable dish than the rigours of politics.