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The Goddess of Love
Aphrodisiacs
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About Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the well-known goddess of love, beauty and seductive power. She is the pure erotic impulse, pure libido, pure imagination, fertility, fruitfulness. She inherently possesses the qualities of grace, charm, and desire. She is a goddess of passion as well as pleasure, sensuality, affection and sensitivity. She can manifest as artistic and aesthetic inspiration, the desire to give birth to something remarkable.
The Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty
In Greek mythology Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture. According to Hesiod, she was born when Uranus (the father of the gods) was castrated by his son Cronus. Cronus threw the severed genitals into the ocean which began to churn and foam about them. From the aphros ("sea foam") arose Aphrodite, and the sea carried her to either Cyprus or Cythera. Hence she is often referred to as Kypris and Cytherea. Homer calls her a daughter of Zeus and Dione.
After her birth, Zeus was afraid that the gods would fight over Aphrodite's hand in marriage so he married her off to the smith god Hephaestus, the steadiest of the gods. He could hardly believe his good luck and used all his skills to make the most lavish jewels for her. He made her a girdle of finely wrought gold and wove magic into the filigree work. That was not very wise of him, for when she wore her magic girdle no one could resist her, and she was all too irresistible already. She loved gaiety and glamour and was not at all pleased at being the wife of sooty, hard-working Hephaestus.
Aphrodite loved and was loved by many gods and mortals. Among her mortal lovers, the most famous was perhaps Adonis. Some of her sons are Eros, Anteros, Hymenaios and Aeneas (with her Trojan lover Anchises). She is accompanied by the Graces.
Her festival is the Aphrodisiac which was celebrated in various centers of Greece and especially in Athens and Corinth. Aphrodite was originally an old-Asian goddess, similar to the Mesopotamian Ishtar and the Syro-Palestinian goddess Ashtart. Her attributes are a.o. the dolphin, the dove, the swan, the pomegranate and the lime tree.
In Roman mythology Venus is the goddess of love and beauty and Cupid is love's messenger.
Foods deemed to have aphrodisiac qualities were derived from mythology. Aphrodite, the love goddess was said to consider "sparrows" sacred because of their "amorous nature" and for that reason were included in various aphrodisiac brews.
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Aphrodite's Menu
The act of eating is a sensual one, as we react to the pleasurable aromas, tastes and textures of food. In addition, the sensitiveness of the mouth, lips and tongue emphasises our enjoyment of biting and chewing our way through a meal.
~~~ Croquette Potatoes (Patatokeftedes) - Cheese and potato appetizers (mezdes) that go down well with a glass of ouzo
~~~ Fish Roe Salad (Taramosalata) - A well known Greek appetizer that tastes so much better when you've made your own and accompanied with olives, capers and a glass of ouzo
~~~ Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolmadakia Yialanzi) - delectable little mouthfuls of savory rice wrapped in delicious vine leaves
~~~ Cretan Small Cheese Pies (Kalitsounia Kritis) - Delicious little pies that you can nibble at as you stroll around the party, plate in hand
~~~ Pumpkin or Squash Balls (Kolokythokeftedes) - Delicious savory pumpkin balls with an unusual blend of onion and mint
~~~ Country Soup (Soupa Horiatiki) - A nourishing and wholesome Mediterranean soup that, served with fresh crusty bread, is a meal in itself
~~~ Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon Sauce (Kotossoupa) - Bring an authentic taste of Greece to your table with this superb chicken soup with it's unique egg and lemon sauce
~~~ Fish Soup with Egg and Lemon Sauce (Psarossoupa Avgolemono) - a memorable fish and vegetable soup enhanced with a piquant egg and lemon sauce
~~~ Greek Country Salad (Salata Horiatiki) - A simple yet superb version of the well known Greek salad that's full of delicious vegetables dressed with olive oil and served with tasty Feta cheese
~~~ Chickpea Puree (Hummus) - This well liked Greek starter of pureed chickpeas flavored with lemon, herbs and spices can be traced back as far as ancient Greece, from where the practice of mashing pulses originates
~~~ Scrambled Eggs with Feta Cheese - Delightful variation on scrambled eggs with the delicious addition of feta cheese and tasty vegetables
~~~ Artichoke Pie (Anginaropita) - A delectable puff pastry pie full of tasty artichokes, spring onions and Parmesan cheese
~~~ Greek Chicken Pie (Kotopita) - Try a slice of this delicious chicken, cheese and onion pie at any time of the day; it's delicious
~~~ Peasant Omelets (Omeleta Horiatiki) - flavorful omelets with a colorful mix of red peppers, black olives, onions and feta cheese
~~~ Rice with Shrimps and Mussels (Ryzi tou Psara) - luxurious dish of prawns and mussels in a savory rice mixture with an added hint of ouzo
~~~ Lamb, Country Style (Aranaki Exohiko) - tender lamb and tasty country vegetables baked in delicious fillo pastry parcels
~~~ Souvlaki with Pitta Bread (Souvlaki me Pita) - A well liked snack of tender pork and vegetables in a savory pitta roll; just great for people on the move who just want to grab a snack
~~~ Fried Mussels (midia tiganita) - Delectable mussels in batter, great start to your meal
~~~ Honey Biscuits (Melomakarona) - these delicious little biscuits, full of exotic flavors and coated with syrup, walnuts and ground cinnamon are a traditional Christmas treat in homes all over Greece and the Greek Islands
~~~ Brandy Sugar Biscuits (Kourambiethes) - These traditional Christmas sweets with their marvelous flavor of cinnamon, brandy and roasted almonds are prepared all over Greece for the Christmas festivities
~~~ Greek Beef Stew - Tender beef and small white onions blended with a hint of cinnamon and cloves
~~~ Baklavas with Almonds (Bakalvas me Ameegdhalo) - Delectable little fillo pastry sweets with cinnamon, almonds and a syrup topping
~~~ Gyros - Tasty Greek snack, savoury lamb and cucumber sauce in a pitta pocket
~~~ Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce - Appetizing low-fat sauce that is a charming accompaniment to that most popular of Greek snacks, Gyros
~~~ Moussaka (Moussakas) - A very popular and substantial minced lamb and aubergine dish that tastes even more delicoius if served with a light red wine or better still retsina
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About the Architectural Style of Aphrodite's Delight Restaurant
Aphrodite's Delight Restaurant is to be built with The Parthenon in mind.
About The Parthenon...
To reflect Pericles' Panhellenic claims for Athens, the Parthenon was uniquely designed as a Doric temple with several Ionic features. There were eight Doric columns across each end, instead of the usual six. Counting the corner columns both times, each side of the Parthenon had twice-plus-one the number of columns at each end. The dimensions of the stylobate, 230 x 102 feet, followed the same proportion. Instead of clay, the roof tiles were marble. The porch of the naos had six Doric columns. The na os itself was extremely high, to hold Pheidias' huge statue of Athena. The inside walls were surrounded by a two-story Doric colonnade, creating an interior aisle that ran around the statue. Complementing the Doric naos was the opisthodomos, which had f our Ionic columns rising around its center. There may have been no windows in either the naos or the opisthodomos; if not, light was provided by the high entrance doorways of each when opened and probably also by lamps that burned olive oil.
Marble was the one Parthenon expense known to have been spared. The best Greek marble was Parian, from the island of Paros. Nearer Athens, however, was Mount Pentelikon, the source of a coarser marble called Pentelic, which was used throughout the Parthenon.
As they grew more sophisticated, Greek builders began introducing optical refinements--variations from geometrically true forms that created visual illusions that enhanced the gracefulness of these large structures. Optical refinements reached their ext reme in the Parthenon, where not one "straight" line was exactly straight. To the eye, a vertical column appears to be narrower in the middle than at either the top or the bottom. To counteract this, the each exterior Parthenon column has a very slight bulge in the middle. Also the upper diameter of each is slightly narrower than its base diameter, a practice called entasis. Additionally, these columns slant inward, so that they would meet, were they extended one mile into the sky. The four outside c orner columns slant inward diagonally. The three levels of the crepidoma are slightly domed in the center because to the eye purely horizontal lines would have appeared to dip in the middle.
The Restaurant will have the qualities of what is know as Greek Revival Architecture
Greek Revival denotes rectangular buildings that have no arches, that depend upon large columns for support and ornamentation, and usually have smooth exterior wall surfaces. These buildings feature pediments attached to the basic boxy building. Many people would call any building with large columns Greek Revival. It features a stronger classical influence than antebellum, associations with American/Greek democracy.
Identify the style by its entry, full-height, or full-building width porches, entryway columns sized in scale to the porch type, and a front door surrounded by narrow rectangular windows. Roofs are generally gabled or hipped. Roof cornices sport a wide trim.
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About the Atmosphere...
Various paintings and sculptures that reflect Ancient Greece and Aphrodite will be throughout the restaurant. Replicas of statues of Greek Gods and Goddesses, such as those of the Goddess of Love seen throughout this site, will be all around the dining area.
Greek poetry will be recited throughout the evening... here is a sample of what you might hear.
"The wind was wistling continuously, it was
getting darker, and that distant voice was
incessantly reaching my ears : "an entire life"...
"an entire life"...
On the opposite wall, the shadows of the
trees were playing cinema"
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"It seems that somewhere people are celebrating;
although there are no houses or human beings
I can listen to guitars and other laughters which
are not nearby
Maybe far away, within the ashes of heavens
Andromeda, the Bear, or the Virgin...
I wonder; is loneliness the same, all over the
worlds ? "
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"Almond-shaped, elongated eyes, lips; perfumes stemming
from a premature sky of great feminine delicacy
and fatal drunkeness.
I leant on my side -almost fell- onto the
hymns to the Virgin and the cold of spacious
gardens.
Prepared for the worst."
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"FRIDAY, 10c
LATE MIDNIGHT my room is moving in the
neighborhood shining like an emerald.
Someone searches it, but truth eludes him
constantly. How to imagine that it is
placed lower
Much lower
That death too, has its own Red sea."
The Staff...
The staff will be dressed in attire befitting the Ancient Greeks.
Greek men mostly wore a tunic, a sort of knee-length t-shirt made of wool or linen. Over the tunic they wore a wool cloak if it was cold out, which they could also use as a blanket if they needed to (for instance if they were off somewhere fighting a war). Their legs were bare, and they wore leather sandals when they weren't barefoot. But many men went barefoot their whole lives.
Greek women wore one large piece of wool or linen, wrapped around them and pinned in various ways to make it stay. The ways of pinning it changed over time. One way was to fold the cloth in half, and put it so that the fold in the cloth came under your right armpit and down your right side. Then pull up on the front and the back of the cloth so they meet over your right shoulder and pin the front and the back together with a big safety pin. Then pull more of the front up over your left shoulder, and pin it to the back in the same way. Finally you will notice that your dress is still open all along your left side: tie a belt around your dress at the waist to keep your dress closed. These dresses always came down to their ankles.
When it was cold, women also had long wool cloaks/blankets to keep them warm.
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