The father of Western medicine ancient Greek physician Hippocrates identified the close relationship between food and health hundreds of years BC when he penned “Let medicine be thy food and food thy medicine”.
Greekalicious’ Maria Benardis believes there’s allot we could learn today from the wisdom of ancient Greece and their philosophies on food and life in general. Benardis is now re-awakening these long forgotten learnings through a series of four talk and taste events held at her cooking school from October to December this year.
Talk and Taste sessions are designed as intimate discussions to share Greek philosophy related to food. Each debate is themed around a question addressed by the ancient Greeks. The two hour session includes food, recipes, wine, tea, coffee and a good old chin wag about the food and philosophy central to a Greek way of life ($80pp).
Coming up at the Intuitive Well Centre 1st Floor, 70 Bronte Road Bondi Junction:
The first (Sat 06 Oct, 2.30pm) – ‘Can what we eat truly heal us?’ explores dishes and ingredients believed to heal particular ailments, with a dish from Hippocrates himself.
The second (Sat 10 Nov, 2.30pm) asks “Can we really taste “agapi” (love) in our dishes?” and discusses the goddess Aphrodite’s relationship to food and what constitutes aphrodisiac qualities.
The third (Sun 11 Nov, 2.30pm) looks at healing energy in the kitchen and at the dinner table.
Benardis’s final Talk and Taste (Sat 8 Dec, 2.30pm) explores the ways ancient Greeks heightened their dining experiences through “chromotherapia” (color therapy), “mousikotherapia” (music therapy) and other sensory adjustments.
“The ancient Greeks introduced and developed some really useful ways of thinking about food, good health and happiness in life,” says Benardis. “These Talk and Taste classes are about remembering the wisdom of the ancient Greeks on subjects related to food, and bringing some simple truths back into our kitchens and our lives.”
Benardis is a seasoned teacher, with an infectious warmth and passion for sharing her knowledge, culture, food and philosophy, heaped with spoonfuls of fun. The prolific Greek storyteller has a first hardcover book under her belt – “My Greek Family Table”, and a brand new eBook titled ‘A Greekalicious Feast’.
