Festa della Repubblica - 75 years

The Italian Republic was born 75 years ago on June 2, 1946. It was on that day the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy and establish a Republic at the end of WWII.

The ceremonies take place in Rome and among others, it includes the deposition of a wreath to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The holiday is also celebrated by a military parade in Via Dei Fori Imperiali the which goes through ancient forums and the Colosseum.

The President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella gives a speech commemorating the event.

The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi also addresses the Nation.

An airshow of fighter jets flies over leaving trails of green, white, and red smoke (known as Frecce Tricolori), the colors of the Italian flag.

The ceremonies opened this year at the magnificent Altare della Patria in Piazza di Venezia.  The festivities begin with the Italian National Anthem known to the Italians as Inno di Mameli or Il Canto degli Italiani which was written by Goffredo Mameli and set to music by Michelle Novaro in 1847.

Viva Italia!

Greek Yogurt

 

Yogurt first appeared during the Neolithic period.  It is probable that the earliest yogurt was made by accident from fermentation of milk in Mesopotamia around 5,000 BC.  Yogurt was well-known food in Ancient Greece and Rome.  The cuisine of Ancient Greeks included a dairy product called Oxygala (Οξυγαλα) which is sour milk.  The Greek physician Galen mentioned that Oxygala was consumed with honey in a similar way Greek yogurt is eaten today.  Yogurt played and still plays a major role in the Mediterranean cuisine today.

Milking a cow painting.  Ancient Egypt c2371-2350 BC. Getty image.

There is folklore linking the consumption of milk to longevity.  In fact people in the Bulgarian village of Momchilovtsi, which is perched on the slopes of Rhodope mountains near the border with Greece claims many centenarians and many locals believe that this is due to large quantities of cultured milk products the they consume.  It was in 1905 the Bulgarian microbiologist Stamen Grigorov at the age of 27 discovered in Geneva the bacterium Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, which ferments milk to yogurt.  A major impetus to yogurt's recent popularity was because in 1904, the Russian scientist Ilya Metchnikov who was working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris published his theory about the health benefits of yogurt for which he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908.

Ingredients

1.5 liters of pasteurized whole milk, 2 tablespoons of yogurt with active cultures

Preparation

Place the milk in a pot and heat it to 120° F or 50° C.

In a separate cup or bowl, mix two tablespoons of yogurt, that has active cultures with milk until the yogurt is totally dissolved.  Add it to the pot with the heated milk and stir it well.

Pour the milk into a Pyrex glass container or glass jars, cover it and wrap it in a warm towel and place it in the oven.  Turn the oven light on and leave it for 8-10 hours.

Place the glass container in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours and your homemade yogurt will be ready.  To make the Greek variety, strain the yogurt with a cheesecloth to consistency you enjoy.  When you strain the yogurt, you get, liquid whey, a protein rich liquid. If you strain nearly all the liquid from the yogurt, you get a soft Greek cheese called Anthotyro which is very tasty.  In summary from milk you can make home-made yogurt, liquid whey, Kefir and cheese.  Enjoy! 

Ode to the Fathers

Throughout history, humans have been concerned with discovering the best way to raise their children. Although the influence and love of mothers for their children has received the majority of attention, it is clear to me that dads matter as much as moms do.  Fathers’ respective parenting styles influence their children’s social and sexual orientation, self-control, self-esteem, empathy, altruism, and moral reasoning.  My belief is based on personal experience, both as a child and later as a father, and also numerous examples from art and history.  A notable example from the world of art is the sculpture “The Death of Laocoon,” which stands in the Vatican. It depicts the agony of a father as he attempts to save his sons and himself from two giant sea serpents, which were sent by Athena or Poseidon to punish him. 

Sparta’s warrior society was centered on loyalty to the state. Spartan boys were drafted at age 7 and practiced rigorous military education that emphasized duty, discipline and endurance. They stayed in the military until age 30 and were discouraged from getting married. If they did, they had to live separately from their wives—residing in the barracks with their fellow soldiers.  When Spartan men departed for battle, Spartan mothers and wives presented them with their shields and told them “η ταν η επι τας,» which translates as “come back with your shield, or on it.” In other words, do not surrender.

My parents raised their children lovingly. They taught us to love, care, and to serve one another.  They believed that successful families are established and maintained on principles of love, compassion and work.  My father did not take us on vacation, as he did not take a day off during his forty years of practice.  We knew that he was working hard to support us all. My parents’ unwavering commitment to family life provided stability and made us feel secure and protected.  Their model provided by their lifestyle and principles was the best gift that any human could have given us. In the picture, my father shows his love for his grandson—the same way I do. 

When I was growing up we lived in humble homes, complete with small gardens that were used to grow flowers and herbs, such as oregano, thyme, and basil.  To this day, I am overcome with emotion as I recall the familiar aroma of the lemon trees that grew alongside me in my beloved Athenian neighborhood.  Since cars were rare commodities at the time, our street served as a glorious soccer field—hosting innumerable unstructured, fiercely contested “backyard games.” 

In this picture, my brother can be seen playing soccer with his two sons (in the middle), and a friend and his son.

I visited El Capitan at the Yosemite National Park in California with my four children in the year 2002.  I am fortunate to have good children who have grown up to be compassionate, caring for one another and for the people around them.  I do not know if this was due my parenting style or because of their genes.  I followed my father’s example as I also believe that successful families are established on the principles of love, compassion and work.  I tried to lead by example instead of being disciplinarian and/or setting high expectations.  After all I am an Athenian and not a Spartan!