My Week in Athens… March 15

..was a quiet one – consumed with work and running around for this or that… paying bills and wondering why they seem higher than normal… I almost believe that spring is around the corner. The sun appears more and more and the sky is a deeper blue. I must say that I felt a hint of something positive – from “Give Greece a Chance” printed all over the newspapers of Europe, to a charity run last weekend, to one or two optimistic reports on Greece amidst the usual doom & gloom.

And then I found Furin Kazan. I say ‘found’, but obviously so had the other seven people waiting in line for the jam-packed Syntagma restaurant. It’s small, it’s busy, it’s buzzing. It’s a no-fuss, casual Japanese/sushi restaurant – and apparently has been there for 35yrs. My friend thought ahead and reserved a table. Wait-staff is a mix of Greek and expat, speaking several languages. They move fast, scanning tables for signs of hunger. The space itself is very ‘sushi international’ – could be any small sushi restaurant in any city – nothing fancy, basic and clean. But the place is jumping – tables are packed, the sounds of voices fills the air, the line-up outside doesn’t subside. The menu is familiar, and my sushi is good. Everything is on fast-forward. And for 90 minutes, I’m not in Athens, but rather in that global-neutral zone known as the sushi restaurant, and it feels good. I wonder if their delivery service has the same effect…

Furin Kazan
Appollonos 2 (below Syntagma Square)
210-322-9170
www.furin-kazan.com

See you next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…