by Christos Zabounis

Mathieu arrived in Sifnos together with his fiancée of ten years, in order to choose the place where they would marry. We are seated side by side on the wooden bench of the restaurant “Ω3” in Platis Gialos. Attention! The Cycladic island is their second choice. Tuscany comes first. “We spent a fantastic week in Italy before coming here. Everything was wonderful. The landscape, the architecture, the food,” Natalie recounts. “Agreed,” I reply hastily, “but there you don’t have this sea, nor these fish.” Our French-speaking companions, from Quebec, Canada, seem to hesitate for a moment. Last night, they dined at another of Sifnos’ top gastronomic destinations, “Alyelo.” They enjoyed the luxury of a table set directly on the sand, with an unobstructed view of one of the most beautiful coves of the Aegean, Faros. What a coincidence. We shared with them the reason for our own visit to the same location: the wedding of a volunteer of the Aegean Team at Chrysopigi. We even suggested they visit it, to discover a most romantic spot for wedding ceremonies. “But we are Catholics,” they both exclaimed at once. “It’s not too late to become Orthodox,” I remarked, provoking the laughter of the other fellow diners who understood French.

P.S. That very weekend, Sifnos was celebrating the “Tselementia,” a festival of Cycladic gastronomy, named after Nikolaos Tselementes, the most renowned Greek chef of the 20th century. Good food is a reason for existence.