The Big Fat Greek Easter

I thought I would give you all a recap of yesterdays events.  Not only was it Easter but it was Greek Easter too which doesn't happen very often because they follow a different calendar.  My family and I were invited to our first Greek Easter celebration, otherwise known as the big fat greek easter.  I donned a spiffy little outfit, duded up the little fella and brought my husband along.  Haha.  For all of you who have been waiting with bated breath since my last blog, I did wear the new pants.  I paired them with a nice drape neck tee and cardigan that looked sweet with my snake skin(faux of course--I'm not Rockerfeller) heels.  Once I got over the anxiety of deciding what to wear, and I did get the anticipated response from David when I tried to get an opinion on more than one outfit.  He liked the very first one I tried--imagine that!  Like I didn't see that coming.  Once that anxiety was gone then I had the new anxiety of what to expect when I got to tbfge(the big fat greek easter). 
I had never been to a tbfge before, and not only that I was only going to know a handful of people there.  If this was anything like the movie there would be 100 people there!  All carrying bottles of windex and shouting hoompah as they tossed back shots of a greek liquor.  I mean, the extent of my knowledge of greek anything was limited to chicken kabob salads, spanikopita and baklava.  Speaking of foods why does spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese immediately make something greek?  Ever notice that?  A pizza becomes greek if it has those ingredients, a sandwich becomes greek if has those ingredients.  Why do the greek get to corner the market of spinach and feta?  Anyway, I digress as usual. 
All I knew about the food at tbfge was there was a whole lamb being roasted.  Yes, you are reading correctly, I said a Whole Lamb.  Now I have never had lamb.  The craziest I ever got with meat was when I was in Texas and had venison.  That's Bambi for you who didn't know that.  It was GROSS, and I will never eat it again.  I stick to chicken, pork and turkey for the most part.  Every once in a blue moon I will have red meat.  I have asked David about lamb before.  Usually if we are out to eat and there is a dish that sounds interesting I will ask him, "What does lamb taste like?"  And I get the response lamb.  Now how the heck is that helpful?  I need a description.  The next question I ask him is, "Do you think I would like lamb?"  And he always answers no, so I don't try it.  Why I think he knows my taste buds better then me is kind of funny.  What is funnier is he is usually right. 
So, we walk into the guest's house and after I let go of my death grip on David's hand I am introduced to the family and I start to relax a little(even though I do feel slightly overdressed).  Mostly everyone is in jeans.  Note to self to dress down for the next one.  The house isn't crowded and the people there are friendly.  It also helps to have a child to chase after so I am not staying in one place for too long to have those awkward pauses in conversation that you have with strangers.  We are kind of just walking through the house when David says, "Oh there is Peter.  Let's go outside and say hi."  We meander outside and there is the lamb on the spit over the fire turning and roasting.  Now here you have to remember my previous comment about David and lamb.  We walk over to Peter and say our happy easters and Peter says to David you gotta try the lamb.  He cuts a piece off the animal turning and roasting over the fire and gives it to him.  David eats it and says, "Oh that's good.  Mary-Beth you have to try this!"  Are you freaking kidding me!  That is what he has to say.  After all those times I have asked him about lamb.  I take a small bite and it isn't bad.  I have another small piece and I call it a day with the lamb.  Don't want to overdo it on my maiden voyage with the new beast.  That and its kinda creepy to watch Peter slicing meat off the animal whose shape I can plainly see.  I am not in any way a vegetarian, but I don't necessarily want to see the shape of the animal I am eating.  Even whole chickens creep me out a bit.  I hate cleaning them and will make David do it.
The men folk are all standing around the beast and eating the meat as Peter slices it off.  Its like a scene from caveman days only with sharper knives.  Peter did make me a souvlaki and gave it to me fresh off the grill.  That was good.  I had never had that before either and it was tasty.  I might order that out at one of the thousand greek owned shops around my house.  You think I am kidding but there has to be at least that many.  They are everywhere.   The rest of the food is ready inside the house and there is seriously enough food that each person there could have had their own serving platter.  There is a medley of foods like salads, veggies, some lamb off the beast in the backyard and there is the spanikopita.  There is also some random things like macaroni and cheese and puff pasty with brie and raspberries.
All in all it was a good afternoon.  I tried lamb and didn't die.  Had my first souvlaki.  Managed to talk with people I didn't really know and didn't die with that either.  Life is kind of crazy in it throws you curve balls all the time.  Some days you duck out of the way, some days you catch them, and some days you hit it out of the park.  If you had asked me a year ago if I had pictured this being my life I think I would have fallen over laughing.  But that's what keeps us moving forward I guess.  The new adventures, the twists and turns.  Life is a journey not a destination.  I am glad that I have year to prepare for the next bfge. It will probably take that long to prepare the outfit.