New York Food vs Athens Food

I am from New York, a place famous for pizza, bagels, and having a huge variety of food. If you ask me, we have to best food in country. I have an amazing pizzeria right next to my house, fantastic Chinese down the street, and a locally famous pub with delicious burgers and wings in the center of my one-square-foot town.

It’s difficult for me to choose my favorite food. I love a good burger from Pete’s, the pub in my town, but I also am always in the mood for pizza from Gino’s or Sesame Chicken from HoHo’s. In my town, we have an acai bowl place, ice cream, various coffee shops, and a Mexican place to include a few.

There are two competing delis right next to each other in the center of town, but neither of them are ever lacking business. In fact, one of them opened a second on the next street over since it was always so busy. In New York and most of the East Coast, deli breakfast sandwiches are super popular. For instance, whenever my friends have sleepovers, our brunch of choice is a bacon egg and egg on a bagel from Park Place Bagels.

All these foods are something I miss, particularly Mexican food and Chinese. There is a Chinese place nearby, but it is not as good as the twenty different options near me. It is the same situation for Mexican food. I know there is a restaurant within ten minutes from me, but I have heard it is not very good. And of course, I miss my mom’s homemade cooking. It’s funny because she has already been making a list of my favorite foods to make when I get back home. She does this every time I come back from school or a long trip, but consecutive four months is the longest I have been away from home and the rest of my family.

My first instinct would say the food is healthier in Greece since they don’t put in as many preservatives in it and it seems fresher. However, after that observation, it all depends on the person’s diet. What I mean by this, is that it would be extremely easy to eat pounds of bread and potatoes for every meal, which is not an ideal or healthy diet. There are healthy options, especially if you could your own food. However, for me, I rely on my small meal plan at the school and eating out at restaurants. Because of this, it can be a bit trickier to have a perfectly balanced diet.

I would say bread, meat, and cheese are a big part of the Greek diet. Depending on the area of Greece, it’s easier to find different food. Near the coasts, there is a ton of seafood but in the mainland where I am, there is a lot more chicken and beef on the menus.

Overall, all the food is very flavorful and well spiced. When my mom came to visit, she was shocked about how strong and well blended all the tastes were. When I first came here, I did notice how well spiced and cooked everything was, but I have grown quite accustomed to it.

There are so many fantastic options in Greece. Since I am right next to a major city, I am able to find any type of food I want. However, it is often not exactly what I am looking for. If I get pizza, the pizza is nothing like a small pizzeria in town, rather it tastes more like a fast food chain. It is the same with other types of food that aren’t Greek. This may sound stupid, but all of the food here that isn’t Greek does not seem very authentic. For instance, in New York when I eat lo mien, it tastes like every lo mien I have ever had but here it tastes like chicken noodle soup from a can.

I have been in Greece for a bit over two months. Over half of my time abroad is finished. I can positively say that the food in Greece is very good. I never had traditional Greek, and I find it delicious. I am sure the Greek place in my town will not come close to what I have tried here. That being said, I am excited to go home and have home cooked meals and enjoy my New York pizza and bagels with my childhood friends.