Greek food is deceptively simple and extraordinarily good when made with the correct ingredients, which in Greece is most of the time. Olive oil is not an ingredient but a medium: the Kalamata and Koroneiki oils used here are among the most complex in the world and give everything from a simple salad to a slow-braised lamb a depth that imports cannot replicate. Mezedes — the small shared plates of taramasalata, tzatziki, grilled octopus, spanakopita, and saganaki — are the correct way to eat in Greece: slowly, with cold wine, for as long as the afternoon allows. The souvlaki stand (skewered pork or chicken in pita with tomato, onion, and tzatziki) is the practical Greek street food. The taverna by the sea, where the catch arrived that morning and the retsina is cold, is the idealised version of Greek eating. Ouzo with ice and water, turning cloudy, is the specific smell of a Greek summer. Take your time.