Tags
greek culture, greek dancing, long beach greek festival by the sea, los angeles events, los angeles food
Blue and white striped flags wave in the air. Beef and pork is on the grill and the tantalizing smell as well as the crackling of the fire can be heard. A strumming band and girls in red head wraps can be seen on stage. It’s not a scene from Nia Vardalos’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a hilarious movie about the insanity that ensues when a Greek girl falls in love with a non-Greek. It’s a celebration of Greek culture at the Long Beach Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church.
One of the things I loved at the Greek Festival was the many different appetizers and dishes. Near the stage area, one booth was selling octopus and corn on the cob, another booth was selling gyros, filled with beef, lettuce, tomato, and tzatiki sauce, a yogurt sauce with herbs.
At the Greek Hall, the main dining area, I ordered the briami, a vegetarian casserole served with rice pilaf and green peas, as well as the spanakopita, a flaky crust pastry filled with spinach and cheese. For dessert, I munched on a galaktoboureko, a custard with milk, eggs, sweet butter, sugar, and semolina between layers of Phyllo. It was covered with sugar syrup; it tasted light but it wasn’t too sweet.
Besides eating, there were a number of cultural events including cooking classes, dance performances, and live music. At one time, a couple of individuals invited audience members to join them in dancing in a circle. There was also a performance by a Greek dance troupe who demonstrated their footwork and musicality.
Watching the dancers and noshing on Greek delicacies has made me want to return to Europe. Throughout the day, I kept hearing people call out “Opa! Hoorah!” Hopefully, I’ll be able to visit Greece in no time.
