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FO L LOW                                                                                                                               Skoutari Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Vardas family





                                People from around the globe join Minoan
                            tastes team to learn more about this fascinating
                             culture, cook in Minoan-style pots over live fire,
                                and share a meal they won’t soon forget.





              mer. This is a very different life from what
              I have been used to for decades. I con-
              stantly compare these different worlds
              to make connections, better understand
              human nature, and think about why we
              create things. It is not a nostalgic feel-
              ing but a need to build bridges between
              communities.
              So, the first vision I have when I think
              about connecting my worlds (the States
              and Greece/Crete) or the past with the
              present is my daily routine. It sounds very
              odd, I am sure! But one thing I notice now
              is that when I am in Crete, I embrace
              Mediterranean  life  and  try  to  absorb  it
              in very tactile ways so that I remember
              everything! When I am in Texas, teaching
              at Baylor, I strive to teach young people
              about the ancient Mediterranean world.
              In the States, I absorb the ancient world                                                                                                                                                                       Presenting
              and think about the “daily routine” in a
              very different way. In both places, Crete                                                                                                                                                                 the new Skoutari
              and Texas, I create living parallels to bet-
              ter see and show the past and present,                                                                                                                                                                       Olive Oil from
              which surround me, in this way, and both
              places stay close to me.                                                                                                                                                                                  Hondrolia Variety
              What occasion brought you to Crete? How
              did you find the place initially?
              In the fall of 1997, I went to Crete to vis-                                                                                                                                                            Hondrolia or chondrolia, one of the three olive
              it a friend and mentor of mine, Jennifer
              Moody, who had studied and lived in     WHEN I AM IN CRETE, I EMBRACE                                                                                                                                   cultivars of Crete, is considered to be the oldest.
              Khania for many years. At the time, I was   MEDITERRANEAN LIFE AND TRY TO                                                                                                                            Unfortunately, it tends to disappear as the majority of
              living and working at a craft school called
              Penland School of Crafts in North Caro-  ABSORB IT IN VERY TACTILE WAYS SO THAT                                                                                                                       olive trees have been converted into firewood. Today
              lina and travelling to Mexico and Central   I REMEMBER EVERYTHING! WHEN I AM IN                                                                                                                       it represents only 1% of the total olive oil produced
              America in the winter to learn about craft
              production. I was a potter and painter   TEXAS, TEACHING AT BAYLOR, I STRIVE                                                                                                                             on the island. It is an olive oil with an elegant,
              who found  inspiration in the ancient   TO TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE                                                                                                                                 medium fruity flavour, with a subtle bitter taste
              world. Crete, for me, was amazing! It be-
              came a place that always felt like home.  ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN WORLD.                                                                                                                                and a spicy sensation, while it is available in limited
              Besides ceramics and anthropology, you also                                                                                                                                                            quantities and only in the 60 ml purple packaging.
              studied archaeology. Was the island an in-
              spiration for this choice?
              Absolutely! There is probably no place
              in Crete  that does  not  have an  ancient                                                                                                                                                            Kamari PB3, Kritsa PQ 72051, Lasithi, Crete, Greece.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Tel: +306979693412 | Email: [email protected]
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          www . sk out arioliv eoil . c om
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