Crete on the Half Shell

Debbie Feisst is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

Winner of the 2003 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Mediterranean
Cuisine Book, Crete on the Half Shell is a lot more than a book about
food.

Montreal-based Byron Ayanoglu, 55, is a Greek-born chef (Mick
Jagger’s former personal chef), food writer/restaurant critic (several
books and columns), and playwright (over 14 written and produced).
Feeling drawn towards Greece and his ancestral roots, and in the midst
of a mid-life crisis, Ayanoglu decided to retire to Crete—the
“epicentre of the earth”—to spend his days in a warm, sunny
cottage with a view of the sea and an endless supply of goats’-milk
feta and wine. His retirement plans were put on hold, however, when a
group of friends enlisted him as a key player in a restaurant scheme.
After a series of natural calamities, construction mishaps, poor
planning, and new world/old world clashes, Byron’s Curry House failed
to materialize (the ordeal is hilarious as a study in Murphy’s Law).
Nonetheless, Ayanoglu seemed to find what he was looking for—a sense
of belonging by rediscovering his roots.

Ayanoglu has written a very entertaining memoir. His crazy cast of
characters а la My Big Fat Greek Wedding includes Pete, a local
businessman who has strange superstitious rituals and a surprising
sensitive side; Algis, a photographer who goes on spiritual wanderings;
and Theo, a chef and “restaurant genius” whose unscheduled comings
and goings to Athens reveal an erratic personality. Ayanoglu’s
descriptions of the food are indeed succulent—you can almost taste the
olive oil, fish fresh from the sea, and leafy Cretan greens said to
promote long life.

Crete on the Half Shell is a fun read that will delight armchair
travellers, foodies, and Greek ex-pats.