The Williams Perplex a Nation

I love Greek & Lebanese food...I've eaten it all my life. In Baton Rouge, there is a multitude of Greek/Lebanese restaurants. One of my favorite things to get is grilled haloumi cheese as an appetizer, and this is available at pretty much every Greek restaurant in Baton Rouge. Many of you probably know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't tried it yet, stop what you're doing right now and head over to Arzi's or Albasha or Serop's or whichever one you prefer and order the "fried cheese!" It's amazing.

So naturally, I assumed that haloumi was a staple of all Greek cuisine, so I was looking forward to having it here during our stay. Oddly, it's not available in too many restaurants, but it just so happened that the first restaurant we ate at, did. But then after going to many restaurants, we realized it wasn't readily available. I looked for it fresh in different super markets, but didn't have much luck, until one night. We have a kitchen in our little villa, so we can stock up and even cook sometimes if we choose. So we bought a variety of things, including the haloumi. When the cashier saw the cheese, she immediately started chattering in very fast Greek to the other workers...obviously the only thing we recognized was the word "haloumi" over and over again. After we left, we wondered what she was saying, but didn't think too much of it. Maybe she thought it was at a low price for this time of year...

The next day or so later, Joey was grilling some on our stove. The wife and her daughter, Debbie, of the hotel came in for some quick cleaning, and the daughter (who speaks very good English) remarked that whatever we were cooking smelled very good, but she didn't know what it was. I told her it was haloumi. The wife, who doesn't speak much English, started chattering in much the same way that the cashier did, again, us only catching the word "haloumi." Debbie looked at us quizzickly and said, "Haloumi is from Cyprus, Greece." Almost like, "why do you know this cheese?" I shrugged and replied, "I have an uncle from Cyprus." And although this is true, this isn't really why I know about haloumi. 

It's because it's all over Baton Rouge. But I have a theory. The majority of Greeks who opened restaurants in Baton Rouge must be all mainly be from Cyprus! Which would make sense. My uncle met my parents and my family, and of course eventually married my aunt; but I believe they met him as a result of his working at a Greek restaurant while he was in school.

So since haloumi is a cheese of Cyprus and since every Greek restaurant in our area has it, I must conclude that much of the Greek population that lives in Baton Rouge is from Cyprus. Or, because it's so popular, perhaps the other owners decided to offer it as well.

But it still puzzles Santorinians why these two white people know about Cyprian cheese. Everytime we order it at the few restaurants that have it here, we hear shouts from the kitchen with "haloumi's" sprinkled in, and we just laugh. When the waiter brings it, he pronounces it cheese from Cyprus, and he usually asks us where we are from. I feel like we should say we're from Cyprus or something. We would if we could pull that off, but no speaka the Greek. 

So I'm still not sure why they get all in a tizzy when we order it, and I guess I'll never fully understand. But all this to say, Joey and I have managed to perplex a whole island's worth of Greeks. Debbie asked me to be sure and email her when we arrive safely in Paris....she told me to say in the email that we're the "haloumi people" so she'll be sure to know who we are.

I don't mind being remembered that way.

Breakfast I put together on our balcony. Grapes, chocolate croissant, and of course fresh haloumi on toast!