Politiki Kouzina - Movie Review

POLITIKI KOUZINA: STORY OF LOSS AND LONGING
By Katherine Triantafillou

Two seemingly unrelated cultural events underlie the perpetual dilemma of modern Greece, giving credence to that old adage: "familiarity breeds contempt." Perhaps contempt is too strong a word; indifference may be more accurate. I write of the attitude that most Americans, maybe even Greek-Americans, have regarding the richness of modern Greek culture. Not too long ago, I saw a movie entitled "A Touch of Spice," its English marketing name ("Politiki Kouzina" is its original Greek name) that has won dozens of awards in Greece for its depiction of the travails of a family forcibly removed from its roots in Constantinople during the build up to the yet unresolved conflict in Cyprus. I first learned of the movie from a Greek friend living in Greece whose ancestors were forced to leave Turkey under similar circumstances. Reviews of the movie, however, focus on the food, more than the subtleties of the political drama that gave rise to the film by Tassos Boulmetis.

Also in the news at the same time had been the release of The DaVinci Code based on the best selling book by Dan Brown. Much has been written about a sub-issue of the book -the marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene - with passing reference to the Scorsese movie, The Last Temptation of Christ as an example of an earlier movie delving into the mortal sexual relationship of Christ with Mary. Ironically, little is mentioned of the author of that book, Nikos Kazantzakis, one of Greece's most prominent 20th century writers, as if the film sprang forth fully formed from the director's head.

I'm not sure whether it is simply cultural insensitivity or outright ignorance that renders the Greek experience invisible to the American public, but it is alarming nevertheless, particularly when a movie as subtle and nuanced as Politiki Kouzina is so thoroughly misunderstood and inappropriately marketed. To suggest, as one flyer at the theatre did, that if "people liked My Big Fat Greek Wedding they would like a Touch of Spice," is so insulting it defies words. It's a little like saying if you like matzo ball soup you'll like Sophie's Choice.

Yes, A Touch of Spice, the English title, is about a young man who is a very good cook and thus, a great deal of the dialogue revolves around food, something which most Americans know about given the plethora of Greek restaurants and church festivals that continually hawk Greek food and early ethnic village customs. But the larger backdrop of the film, hence its popularity in Greece, is the conflict between Greece and Turkey and what happened to the people caught in that conflict.

Constantinople, what is now called Istanbul, and the much revered city in the film, was the center of the Byzantine Empire until it fell to the Ottoman Turks. It was (and still is) the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church, having been established by Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. The enormous and architecturally stunning Agia Sophia is akin to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The connection between Greeks and Constantinople is nearly as strong as those between Mecca and Muslim worshippers.

Greeks and Turks have always had a difficult relationship, especially given the occupation of the entire nation of Greece and the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks for 400 years. The Armenians have somehow kept alive the historical fact of their genocide but little is written about the forced removal of huge populations of Greeks from Turkey (and vice-versa) including the violent and bloody evacuation of Smyrna and the horrible conscription of young Greek children into the Turkish janissary. Even today, Cyprus, another site of conflict between the two nations and the source of the "tension" alluded to in the movie, remains divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

While interpretations of movies are frequently at odds with reality, this is one time when the two have meshed so perfectly the end result is breathtaking on multiple levels. It is a story of loss and longing; of choices made and possibly regretted; of life moving on, but still stuck in the memories of what could have been. The artistry implicit in such a tale, woven into conversations about food and worries about a precocious young chef in the making, is masterful. Such is the talent of contemporary Greek artists that media critics dwell only on the obvious, that of the food and the easily explained "happy Greek" surrounded by family and friends eating (or dancing) as the stereotype goes, and miss the multiple levels of message. Simple stated, when the women in the kitchen are dissing each other about the proper placement of garlic in meat, it's not about the food.

Reviews of Politiki Kouzina/ A Touch of Spice are reminiscent of the choppy ending to the 2004 Summer Olympics seen here in the United States when dozens upon dozens of contemporary, extraordinary Greek singers took to the stage. This was music and musicians rarely seen by Americans, and yet, the networks cut away after about five minutes. And while it is wonderful to revere the ancient Greeks and the happy Greek American immigrants who have bought into the American dream, isn't it time to embrace the contemporary culture of Greece too?

© Katherine Triantafillou 2007

Note from Malista: The author, Katherine Triantefillou, is an attorney in private practice and international consultant whose formative years were shaped by trips to the "big city" of Detroit, from her home town of Saginaw, Michigan and stints as the District #10 Governor of the Maids of Athena as well as Grand President of the Maids of Athena. Katherine, a former City Councilor for the City of Cambridge, MA, travels frequently to Greece and considers it her spiritual home.

Politiki Kouzina is available on GreekShops.com

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