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| - Few things exasperate me more than people who spend ~5 weeks in a country and consider themselves experts on the culture - so I'm about to incriminate myself by saying I have snobbishly high expectations for karithopita after spending ~5 days in Greece. I KNOW, I'M THE WORST.
But you know that's not the worst? The karithopita the cathedral sells during its week-long Greek Food Festival each spring. On the contrary, IT'S THE VERY BEST THING EVER. Like most of the food at the Festival, it's the sort of authentic, no-nonsense fare you'd expect from your grandma, as she bemoans the state of Americanized cultural cuisine.
The outdoor portion offers MONSTROUSLY LARGE gyros (or gyro salads for those of us who soothe our consciences by throwing lettuce on top of grossly unhealthy food.) The line for the gyros tends to stretch around the block, but here's a little Pro-Tip: stop by the loukoumades and/or lemonade stands first, and munch/sip on that while you wait for your gyro.
The lower level of the cathedral houses EVEN MORE delicious Greek food! The portions are smaller here (squares of moussaka, individual grape leaves, skewers of souvlaki) and the food is set up in a pay-as-you-go buffet format. This is also where they keep the desserts, which is my personal favorite part of the festival. Think: rows upon rows of DELICIOUS, SYRUPY KARITHOPITA, baklava, finikia, etc. There's also a stand for baklava sundaes just outside the indoor eating area. The line here is always short (which makes no sense to me....how does it not attract throngs of children?) so it's a great, quick fix for your sweet tooth if you don't want to wait around for the other desserts.
Overall: I've been consistently impressed by everything about the Festival - it occurs yearly just as Pittsburghers are breaking out of their icy cocoons and remembering the feel of sunlight (aka early May.) It's great opportunity to enjoy the weather, mingle with the community, and embrace a delicious culture.
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