I bitch and moan and complain about them every year, and every year I plaster the ceiling, floor, countertops, and my hair with enough dough to make a metric ton of them.
Truth be told, I'm not even sure I like the damn things, but as my mother's daughter, it is my solemn duty to make them and complain about it every Christmas, or something's just not quite right with the holiday.
Last week as I was perusing the paper I saw a tiny little ad for a "Greek pastry sale" at the orthodox church a few blocks away, and I figured it was a sign from God (and my mother) to just buy the damn Greek cookies this year rather than have to repaint the kitchen.
You know what?
The sign from God (and my mother) was to stop complaining about them, put my shoes and socks on, go to the Martins and buy the pound of butter, dozen eggs, whiskey, and cake flour and just get on with it. It is, after all, tradition. And the only way to honor a tradition is to slog through even the worst of them and endure.
I paid $8 a container for the koulrakia this year and made another $10 donation to the Food Bank for a bag of decaf coffee. That means I spent $34 to come home and load the cookie jar and then stand there for a minute thinking "Well. That was somewhat anti-climactic."
So with apologies to my mom I am adding "make the damn Greek cookies" to my list for next year, and I will look forward to it and not complain, and will mix and stir and twist and bake them with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
Sometimes it just doesn't pay to mess with tradition.
But have you sampled them yet? Do they live up (or down) to your cookies and your memories? Cookie monsters want to know!
ReplyDeleteI would have purchased the cookies, too. :) L
ReplyDeleteMy mother, too, had traditions that I tried to follow for the longest time. When I turned 50 (20 years ago) I decided I needed my own traditions. My tradition is to bake several batches (two pans in the oven at the same time) of brownies. I cut them all up, put them in pretty little purchased cellophane bags and give them ALL to my neighbors. I don't keep a single one. I shouldn't eat them and if they remain in the house, I will consume them all. If my mother were here, she'd totally be the one telling me that she was happy I had my own traditions.
ReplyDeleteI don't have trouble with koulourakia. Finikia is a different story, so I visit my cousin for those!
ReplyDeleteWe used to get KOK at the local Greek Church at Christmas, but the ladies no longer can handle that duty, so goodbye KOK. Once I saw the list of ingredients, I decided not to even try... God bless those ladies.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing we did carry on was the letter to Santa, in which the letters were burnt in the fireplace and Santa could read the smoke messages. One year the letters went shooting up the chimney in flames! Our two were amazed and decided it was the most magical time ever!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas with best from me xx
Best wishes I mean!!!!
DeleteSo Coni, how were the cookies you purchased? Any good? Hope the rest of your Saturday was a good one! Thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteSilly me. I thought koulrakia were for Easter, not Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI just had to laugh. So many mis-fires in the kitchen! I've made stuff even the dogs won't eat.
ReplyDeleteAwww don't be so hard on yourself. You are going through some stuff at the moment and I am sure your mom would totally approve of buying the cookies this year :)
ReplyDelete