Page 89 - NUMO JOURNAL 2024
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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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