Travel

  • Pita Challenge,  Travel

    New York Pita Culture

    Greece has a “pita culture” and the round or oval flatbread that most non-Greeks instantly think of when hearing “pita” is just a small part of it. Greek pita can refer to one of two dough products. One is the flatbread used for scooping up an assortment of appetizing dips and for wrapping many Mediterranean sandwiches like gyros, souvlaki and falafel. Perhaps more importantly to Greeks, pita also refers to a phyllo-based pie. Pites, the savory or sweet phyllo pies that most Greeks think of when they hear pita, or mean when referencing them, come in many varieties. My intention in starting the pita challenge was not only to nail…

  • Travel

    Day Tripping For Greek Treats and Provisions: Astoria, New York

    I was staring at the selection of pites, cookies and pastries at the baked goods counter in Mediterranean Foods when it finally sunk in that a “quick” visit to Astoria was a foolish thought. Why come all this way and not allow Astoria to absorb us in to its unparalleled selection of Greek goods? “If we leave by 10, we can get there in time for some coffee and pites, hit a bakery to pick up some pastries, then grab groceries at Titan. We should be back by 5.” And I really believed this when saying it to my sister Evelyn over the phone several hours earlier.