“Travels to a Different Time”: 8September2022: Thessaloniki Greece: Where Have the Tattoos Gone?

Finally after 5 Greek sleeps I think I am adjusted to the time zone. Down for another buffet breakfast in a small restaurant feeding some 30 people instead of the hundreds at Doryssa Bay. Although I must say despite the number of items being much smaller here at Daios Luxury Living the breakfast food is of the highest quality. As this is a five-star hotel in an urban setting the breakfast crowd is well dressed. Only one person with a tattoo who was dressed more for the beach and stuck out a bit and the huge tattoo on her leg made her more conspicuous. We walked to the Old Port where we have visited before so I feel we are old hands at Thessaloniki. It is about a kilometre from the hotel and we walked along a city street instead of the promenade. There is an argument made that Thessaloniki may be the gastronomic capital of Greece. All manner of food shops and restaurants and walking these streets with wonderful smells is like no other city I have been in. You won’t find this in Toronto, Paris or New York.

The amazing Pantapolio deli in Thessaloniki (Photo Robert K. Stephen)

The Old Port with its long wharf is home to the Cinema Museum and the Photographic Museum which are modern and small but always a rich find is to be had. There are a couple of cafes and they offer a stunning view of Thessaloniki. We decided to just chill out a bit and rest sitting beside a tearful couple who looked they were breaking up. We also encountered a West Highland Terrier just like our dear old Dylan. We are up to 5 Westie sightings now in Greece. Wended our way back to Daios Luxury Living. Bought some sunscreen at a pharmacy at 41% off as summer is now over and they are clearing summer products out. There are so many pharmacies in Greece (as in Spain and Portugal) perhaps because there are no mega pharmacies like in Canada. Many pharmaceuticals that require a prescription in North America are sold over the counter with none of that obnoxious dispensing fee. Returned back to hotel and I slogged on reading Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenin” outside on our expansive balcony overlooking the Gulf of Thessaloniki. Since we have such a huge balcony we decided we should eat out on it so I went to a deli we have been to previously “Pantopolio”. This is a gourmet deli well known to foodies, You name it they have it (except strangely no bread) so I bought some octopus, stuffed vine leaves, artichokes, a bottle of Moschofilero and local Chalkadiki olives which were somewhat tough. Talked with some Israelis who also were out on their much smaller balcony. After dinner a bit of reading and watching SKY TV about the death of England’s queen, Queen Elizabeth. The media is on a feeding frenzy

The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous

Chapter One: My Distant Past

My father Paneer Gurdeep was born in some small remote village in India. Being a young man full of ambition he hustled the streets as a purveyor of mysticism. Put another way he dealt hashish from Kashmir to temples throughout the region to the mystics who became even more mystical after ingesting copious amounts of dope. The Holy Man was usually a very stoned man at least in our region. He managed to crawl out of a life of subsistence farming and onto the streets and slums of Bombay as it was called in those days. He peddled his dope to the unfortunate and to certain more decadent and adventurous Europeans living in Bombay. According to him opium was for the depraved and hashish for the enlightened. He made a very good living and employed sub dealers of the highest caste many university students and no lepers please. He greased the palms of law enforcement if such a concept of law or enforcement of it existed in Bombay. He had a modest house with servants and his neighbours had no idea of the wares Paneer was selling mostly because he had underlings to do the dirty work.

My dad was a handsome man but wanted no part of an arranged marriage and the suffocating presence of a mother-in-law. Not only that he hated Indian food and preferred steak and kidney pie over tandoori and curry. It so happened he frequented clubs where the colonist’s sought entertainment and cheap Indian whisky. In The Blue Magnolia club he fell for Juanita Wallabong a Welsh singer who at that time had a rather poor talent to sing the American blues. Juanita had flaming red hair which was a magnet for my father. Although a performer Juanita had horrific anxiety and tanked up on far too much gin before her performances. Some nights she had the voice of Billie Holiday and others not much of a voice. Well dear old dad fell like a ton of bricks for Juanita and her red hair (which was dyed).

Well this and that lead to more this and that and finally to marriage. My father persuaded Juanita to give up live performances and instead record in the studio that my dad bought for her. She perfected a new style of blues called” Bombay Blues”. She had several hits in Europe and the United States and really cleaned up her bottle consumption. Thank goodness as I was born in 1959 on a Punjab Air Flight from Memphis to Bombay and the last thing I needed was fetal alcohol poisoning.

As a bundle of joy I was brought back to our now very swank quarters in the colonial quarter of Bombay. Dear Dad had long ago “sold” his dope business to the Dean of the Bombay School of Law and had taken up gold mining!

RKS Wine: What Are the Strategic Pillars of the Chilean Wine Industry?

After attending Drink Chile Toronto 2022 on November 8, 2022 it became apparent what are the strategic pillars of the Chilean wine industry.

  • DIVERSITY AND QUALITY

Chile perceives its agro-climatic conditions make the country a vitivincultural paradise and one of its greatest strengths. Its 18 distinct wine regions extending 1,400 kms from north to south are influenced by the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean therefore having geographical, climatic and soil differences. Phylloxera-free dry-farmed old vines are a staple of Chilean viticulture.

  • SUSTAINABILITY

Chile’s wine industry is committed to protecting its natural environment and strengthening its communities by encouraging and systematically incorporating sustainable practices into every step of production. The industry has created a Sustainability Program including a National Sustainability Code that provides a common framework to guide the wineries toward increasingly sustainable practices. Wineries that comply with the requirements as determined by an independent agency are entitled to use a “Certified Sustainable-WoC seal.

  • COUNTRY IMAGE

The Strategic Plan 2025 includes programs to increase awareness of “Chile: Privileged wine tourism destination”. Encouraging wine tourism not only promotes the wine industry, but Chile’s image and appreciation overall. After talking with a couple of producers it would appear there is little money available to fund journalistic trips to Chile’s wineries. The EU has an enormous wine promotion budget but Chile very little. Without funding media trips of tourism and wine writers Chile will be spinning its wheels. There is so little Chilean wine available in Toronto it only makes sense to bring wine writers to Chilean producers.

  • INNOVATION

The industry has created Innova, a technical consortium dedicated to research and development projects that address the needs of the wineries and are conducted in conjunction with top-level national and international universities and researchers. It focuses on quality improvement of vineyards, sustainability and technological transfer.

RKS Wine: Porthead Report: Kopke LBV 2015 Port

It has been a beautiful day walking my ageing West Highland Terrier Dylan at an off-leash park. November and it is 18 degrees. No winter coat but a light sweater. This is Douro weather and not Torontonian weather so how fitting to try a wee bit of Port after priming my testbeds with Baldersons four-year-old cheddar cheese. Dylan is crashed out exhausted and limping just a bit. He must have been inspired by the fabulous weather because he was almost galloping around today!

So it is a Kopke 2015 LBV Port. On the nose blueberry, black cherry and blackberry are whirring around in a hyperactive state fighting for dominance but none are clearly winning the battle but it is not a case of an US presidential election being stolen but rather a high-powered Port with a delightful internal conflict! On the palate mega black fruit and in this case the blackberries win which rather detracts from the possible multidimensional potential spectacularity. This is no Vintage Port but given the meteoric rise in wine and spirit prices to close the year this is affordable luxury the hallmark of many Ports below the Vintage Port categorization. It matches aged Canadian cheddar particularly well and of course a slab of Portuguese ox if you are a carnivore. The finish is a bit of a wanderer lacking firmness and complexity. This can motor on to 2027

(Kopke L.B.V. 2015 Porto, Sogevinus, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, $18.95, LCBO #18461, 750 mL, 20%, RKS Wine Rating 88/100).

RKS Wine:  Nyarai Cellars 2020 Field Blender’s White

Nyarai Cellars 2020 Field Blender’s White is a blend of Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay Musqué, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Gewurztraminer. It has the composition to be an easy drinking and simple wine. 106 cases were made by virtual winemaker Steve Byfield who uses the facilities of West Avenue Cider House in Freelton, Ontario to vint his wines.

The price for the wine is $17.95 making it in the affordable category.

It has a light gold colour. On the nose it is a blend that is “seamless” making it difficult to pinpoint the “participating grapes”. There is apple, peach, pear, honey and tangerine. At best the honey might be indicative of the Vidal and some Viognier and the peach Gewurztraminer. The apple and pear might point to Chardonnay. Too bad the blend percentages are not on the label but guessing can be part of the fun.

On the palate yowsers apricot and peach laser beams zipping all over the place! Juicy Flemish pear too. It is smooth and at one point on the palate it seems creamy. Short finish. Although this will sip well Vidal has a tendency at times to be a bit boring so my preference would be to pair with food. The wine is pleading for some artichoke dish or very simply prepared roast or grilled chicken. Baked butternut squash cooked in a honey, olive oil and scissored hot chili peppers would work well!

Order online at https://nyaraicellars.ca/

(Nyarai Cellars 2020 Field Blender’s White, Product of Canada, $17.95, 750 mL, 12.5%, RKS Wine Rating 86/100).

“Travels to a Different Time ” : 7September2022: Samos the Last Day: Time to Kill

This is the last day in Samos. Another blue-sky day but on the balcony in our room overlooking the ocean the breeze was on the cool side and you certainly notice it on the beach. The top rated Doryssa breakfast at a table overlooking the ocean might constitute the gastronomic moment of the day. I always start the day with fruit and Doryssa has plenty of it including oranges, grapefruit and watermelon. There are 7 types of sliced meats and 4 types of just baked bread which you hold with a napkin when slicing. There are also varieties of cheese including feta and mizithra. The high fat Greek yogurt with honey is always a delightfully rare experience in North America where low fat is the norm. The scrambled eggs are not up to standard and the fried eggs are tough on the bottom but Greek eggs even when not perfectly prepared far surpass tasteless Canadian eggs. A delicious dark yolk almost orange in colour. The dining room is busy but we always manage to be seated outside overlooking the ocean. There are loads of European tourists at Doryssa Bay mostly Dutch and German. Lots of tattoos. Many children.  There were feral dogs and cats with a few guests feeding them. Our Olympic Airlines flight had been “rescheduled” from 11 to 4:30. Delay means after two hours EU passenger compensation rules kick in so airlines in Europe “reschedule” as opposed to calling it a delay. As the rental car was due at noon we had some time to use so returned to T and P‘s house in Mytilini to pick up my hat I had left behind. After that picked up some saffron at a store P had recommended. A gram of organic Greek saffron for 3.65 Euros. In Athens P told us the same brand sells for 9 Euros.

At noon the car was returned to Auto Union at Samos Airport. When asked how the car was I noted two engine warning lights were on, the floor mats curled and the gas tank was not full when I picked up the car. The clerk seemed offended and stormed off. What a bozo company. Never again! It is a sham that they publish only glowing reviews about themselves. The roads in Samos are narrow but fun driving. The roads are winding so there is little opportunity for passing but that does not stop hot heads from tailgating and roaring out to pass you. Very few drivers here, like North America, observe the speed limit. You get a much better sense of the island and topography when driving as opposed to taking the bus which by the way has good service in Samos. We had 4 and a half hours to wait until our “rescheduled” flight departed for Thessaloniki. Being a tiny airport not much to do but sit outside and chat to people. Saw two West Highland Terriers just like our Dylan.  Checked in early and sat in the modern departure lounge.

Two West Highland Terriers at Samos Airport (Photo Robert K. Stephen)

The flight to Thessaloniki was smooth and at airport picked up by a prearranged car. Our hotel Daios Luxury Living is on the main ocean promenade and we have a huge wrap around balcony overlooking the promenade and the ocean. Being a bit bushed I went out and rustled up some Mexican food which we had on our balcony along with a complimentary bottle of Crémant.

RKS Film: “EO”: Who Needs Sancho Panza!

If I could sum up the Polish fantasy film “EO” I would say, “And the Oscar for Most Expressive Eyes Goes to EO the Polish Donkey”.

EO the donkey embarks upon an incredible journey without Sancho Panza on his back. Yes he is the cutest donkey in town with big expressive eyes that can melt your heart. EO leads viewers on through modern-day Poland exposing the foibles and saving graces of humanity but the foibles outnumber the graces. Yes like in Don Quixote EO even faces a wind turbine.

EO has a well measured temperament but as many of us dog and cat owners realize animals have a soul. They feel pain, joy, anger, frustration, love and fear. There is no such thing as a dumb animal.  EO has a wide range of emotions but he simply can’t verbalize them in a sophisticated fashion. His eyes in many instances do the talking and on one occasion his hind legs!

Not getting didactic here but EO’s journey has many parables in it from Hansel and Gretel, Don Quixote and Winnie the Pooh. EO starts as a circus performer for a bankrupt Polish Circus then a mascot for a Polish soccer team and an aborted transport truck trip to a sausage factory just to briefly describe a few of EO’s adventures.

It is not for me to reveal all the adventures but they will enthrall often and at other times anger and disgust you. But it will be an odyssey you will not easily forget. You may even be haunted by it. The film is destined to spark an emotional response perhaps even questioning, let’s not get too Paul McCartneyish, consumption of meat.

How does EO’s journey end? THE SOUND before the credit’s roll may say it all. This is a film not suitable for children as they may be frightened by the two murder scenes. In fact some viewers may have difficulty identifying THE SOUND. If you do you may shout in disbelief and perhaps in anguish and then say how can humans be that mindless and stupid.

As a last comment I was 14 years old on a Greek island and heard the most bizarre sound one morning. I later found out it was a donkey braying. Later that day on the road outside the village a farmer was beating his donkey. It was an awful scene and I still remember it. I was comforted to see villagers intervene. When I saw that horrible aspect of inhumanity perhaps it was that donkey that sent me on a voyage to vegetarianism (except for turkey twice a year on family occasions and where there is no seafood on the menu). To that poor donkey in Greece in your memory I urge all of you to see EO. I have returned to Greece several times since and I have not seen any donkeys. Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski.

A very innovative use of music here ranging from classical, metal and opera.

RKS Film Rating 94/100.

You can see the trailer here and by the way the film opens in Canada for a theatrical run on November 25th https://vimeo.com/759936765

RKS Film: Polish Documentary “The Balcony Movie”: A Voyeur of Life

Paweł Łozińki in his “The Balcony Movie” lets us ride the portal of his camera lens into life not simply in Warzaw, Poland where it was filmed but life itself. He spent over two and a half years filming passersby’s beneath his balcony asking them the meaning of life and how they cope with life. He takes the time to ask what we want to ask of people but simply don’t have the time. You might think of him as an investigative journalist into “real life”.

Over 65 days of shooting some 2,000 people were talked to in a friendly and understanding tone by Łozińki with the filmmaker making no judgements abdicating that responsibility to the viewers. There is no sense in offering you a complete inventory of the subjects nor cataloguing their life reflections as that would ruin the fun. There is some flippancy amongst the subjects but there is pain, suffering, regret, joy, fear, pride, homophobia, nationalism, love, gossip, philosophical discussions, religion and what makes his subjects fulfilled just to give you a taste of what to expect. Subjects range from criminals, priests, pensioners and even toddlers.

Łozińki is easy with the camera refraining from polemics and judgement but no doubt you’ll form your own opinion. With some of the subjects he forms an ongoing relationship. Even amongst the regrets and bitterness there almost always is hope. Was it Jean-Paul Sartre that wrote “The Human Condition”? Well Łozińki has filmed the human condition in a neat package for us and since there must have been massive film editing here he has given us his view of what counts through that editing and he has created a masterpiece that many of us could have made had we the time! You might want to say in 95 minutes he just may have covered countless philosophical tracts on the meaning of life. It is a secular confession of life.

The film can be screened on MUBI as of November 30, 2022.

RKS Film Rating 90/100.

“Travels to a Different Time” : 6September2022: Samos, Mytilini, Greece: Small Mountain Town off the Grid: Surveying Earthquake Damage

The sleeps are improving. Three days in Greece and finally feeling human. That 8-hour time difference from Toronto takes its toll plus the two flights. Off to the Doryssa breakfast at 09:00. Sweet watermelon, grapefruit slices, Greek yogurt and honey, a slice of yogurt cake and two cups of green tea. Not having tattoos, I feel out of place. Aside from the children just about everyone here at Doryssa has tattoos from young parents to 300-pound grannies. On younger people tattoos can have some artistic charm but as you age they start looking a bit raunchy. The staff just can’t seem to keep up with the breakfast surge. Short waits for replacement platters, utensils and cups. A result of COVID or cost cutting to compensate for loss of revenue due to COVID? The quantity of items at the buffet has decreased from our last visit.

One of two small restaurants in Mytilini (Photo Robert K. Stephen)

Off to T and P’s house in Mytilini for a light lunch. T and P are our Australian friends we made on our last visit to Samos. T and P are Aussie expats. We took the long route which is scenic up through scrub and pine forest. We were behind a tractor for half the trip and with winding narrow roads no passing opportunities. T was supposed to meet us at the village supermarket but due to some miscommunication he was not at the meeting place so we did find someone that knew T and P and guided us to their beautiful renovated house. There was some minor earthquake damage from the earthquake a few days ago. Mytilini is a quiet town bereft of tourists. A main street with a few shops with narrow winding streets to small homes. Two small restaurants. P was her usual ebullient self and of course being such a great chef there was no “light lunch” and instead a shrimp appetizer, a tower of roasted pork, chicken stifado, scalloped potatoes with rosé and white wine. I simply could not eat her homemade blueberry cheesecake! We talked about how reliant Greece is on tourism particularly the island of Samos that closes to tourists by mid October. The EU has given Greece 800 million Euros to help its tourist industry recover.

RKS Wine: Cave Spring 2020 Dolomite Pinot Noir: A Psychiatric Analysis

While in beautiful Beamsville last week I managed to stop in at Cave Spring’s new tasting facility. Very bright with lots of light steaming in and a marvelous view of vineyards through a wall of glass. It was quiet so there were no distractions except of course the blazing gold on the vines.

Pinot Noir can have brilliant moments in Ontario but they are rare and few. I have suffered through many tasteless attempts. Yes there are a few winners in Niagara and Prince Edward County. So I wonder what Cave Spring can do with its 2020 Dolomite Pinot Noir. Dolomite is named after the layer of dolostone that forms the cap rock of the Niagara Escarpment.

The aromas clearly denote a Pinot Noir blood line but very tight if not austere. Tightly wound strawberry, raspberry, Vermont North Hero Tudhope black licorice, Obidos cherry liqueur and a whiff of Mocha. On the palate the tannins are lurking but not pouncing. The fruit is tight as a nervous psychiatrist holding his copy of Jungian analysis behind his back. You have to lay the bottle on the couch and tell it to breath deeply and relax i.e. decant! Once the subject is relaxed we detect some high toned and jittery cherry and repressed raspberry. Internalized rage of strawberry perhaps because mama clone ignored the grapes when they were tender buds? The diagnosis according to the DSM Psychiatric Manual indicates shyosis which in lay terms the wine is excessively shy afraid to admit its beauty relying on a further bit of ageing to bring out its full potential. Even more simply put two or three more years in the bottle to meditate into adolescence and perhaps until 2030 to show its brilliance. And in this time frame expect a momentous Pinot Noir that will make mommy and daddy clone very proud of these grapes! The wine is a baby and thank goodness a pediatric psychiatrist is involved.

This is a wine that deserves a case purchase and two bottles a year to observe its evolution.

This is not a disappointing Ontario Pinot Noir.

(Cave Spring 2020 Pinot Noir Dolomite, VQA Beamsville Bench (Estate Grown), Cave Spring Vineyard, Jordon, Ontario, $27.95, 750 mL, 13%, (available at the winery and online) RKS Wine Rating 92/100).