Kalimera
The benefit of jet lag is getting up unusually early and being productive. (That’s me trying to find the silver lining since I’d much rather be back in Greece!) As I started journaling in my notebook I thought hey, why don’t I move these thoughts to the website for a change. So here I am.
I feel rejuvenated not because I slept much, but because I did my favorite things on repeat: eating flavorful food & swimming in beautiful water. I regularly dream of frolicking in turquoise warm seas with soft sand.
The food is the main reason why I’m documenting this trip. I’ve often said Greek is my favorite cuisine (if I had to pick just one), and this vacation solidified my decision.
The view flying into Milos 😍. Usually I plan my trips starting at an urban city first, then progressively migrate towards laid back beachy coasts. But I was so eager to arrive at an island known for 60 beaches, it was worth the 3-flight journey and all-nighter to drive straight to a stunning cove.
Why does their food taste SO good?
I've never found authentic Greek fava at any restaurant outside of Greece. The pureed yellow split peas come from Santorini and is served warm. You read that right, there's no fava beans in it! Over time Greeks transitioned to an easier legume to prepare.
Melons are grown across Greece and it was peak watermelon season. They were all so sweet! The ideal beach club snack.
I searched and taste tested until I found the best gigantes plaki (beans baked in tomato sauce) at Bountaraki, Paros.
My first stop in Paros, I ran to Alla Souvlaki because I heard they served oyster mushroom gyros. I know all you see are the fries but inside = 10/10.
Still drooling over this baked eggplant dish (Imam Bayildi) which is slow baked and rich with caramelized onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and cinnamon.
Many restaurants offer a complimentary sweet treat at the end of the meal. Loved these sour cherries in syrup with cinnamon.
Stress can be good.
I figured volcanic soil is mineral-rich so it must be the reason why local food is tasty. But everyday I kept wondering how such dry land with clearly little rainfall¹ could support all the agriculture. Since I didn’t get a chance to visit a working farm, I turned to Claude AI to explain it:
Greek agriculture, across totally different geologies, keeps landing on the same move: rocky, dry, unirrigated land, treated as an asset instead of a problem to fix.
Milos & Santorini — the volcanic version of it. The soil is actually poor in basic minerals, alkaline, high in sodium, which pulls moisture straight out of the air since it barely rains. No irrigation, no richness, just plants adapting to real scarcity.
Paros — different geology (marble, schist, not volcanic) but same underlying logic: thin rocky soil, minimal water, small hillside plots instead of big irrigated fields. Different rock, same starvation-into-flavor principle.
I walked by these gardens in Pollonia, Milos and thought “how dry!”
Olive Oil Appreciation Section
Liquid Gold
I learned that the Worlds #1 olive oil as of today is from Greece! The Master Miller won 10 gold awards at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.
Fun Fact: The ancient Greek poet Homer referred to olive oil as "liquid gold" in his epics like the Iliad. He used this term because olive oil was a precious, shining commodity in the ancient world.
Panoramic views from a castle at the top of Milos’ Plaka village and olive groves below.
~ 60% of Greek olive oil comes from tiny Koroneiki olives.
They’re small so they have more skin relative to flesh. Since the flavor and antioxidants live in the skin, more skin per bite of olive = more flavor per drop of oil.
The best oil gets picked green before the olives fully ripen for more intensity. Riper olive = milder oil. This is why the result it peppery and bitter. I’m obsessed with peppery olive oil.
Koroneiki olives are grown mostly on rocky, unirrigated hillsides in the Peloponnese mainland region. But I saw plenty of olive groves everywhere I went.
I wish I’d found this olive oil sommelier before my last day. They offer olive grove tours and tastings through Plaka village in Paros. Timing didn’t line up so now I have to go back.
Everything at Enalion restaurant in Pallonia, Milos was incredibly tasty. I sought this family restaurant out because they promote growing all their vegetables and only using olive oil to cook.
Tomato fritters and salad for breakfast.
Left: How many mussels is too many mussels in a week? • Right: skordalia, a garlicky sauce thickened with potatoes that I must recreate.
This is a mastiha sour with peppercorns. I'd never heard of the mastic tree before but it's very historical and versatile!
Hotel Food – UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Sea Greens – UNDER CONSTRUCTION
¹ The day after we left Athens, a hail storm arrived. In July. Then fires broke out including across Paros.