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Raki and other Crete Island, Greece Local Custom Tips

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Crete Island Local Custom Tips by AcornMan

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AcornMan   
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.


Real Name: David
Lives In: Manhattan, US
Member Since: Mar 24, 2004
VT Rank: 374

 
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Crete Island Local Customs
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Raki (tsikoudia): Raki
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  • Nearly every single meal I had on Crete (except breakfast) was followed by a complimentary shot of raki, and in many cases an entire carafe of it. In other parts of Greece I have been served ouzo, but this was my first taste of raki. I got kind of used to it, but in all honesty I thought it was like swallowing an angry porcupine that has been doused in gasoline and lit on fire. In my tour book it said it's insulting not to drink raki that is given to you, but I asked a waitress about this in Paleochora and she said they only serve it to tourists, never to Greeks, and that it's no big deal at all if you don't drink it.

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    Food and Drink: Free dessert!
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  • Unlike other places I have visited in Greece, it was very common on Crete to receive a small complimentary dessert after a meal. We were most often given halva, ice cream, or fruit, all of which go great with the complimentary raki we also received. In Elos we received fresh cherries that were the best I have ever tasted. In fact, we even brought the seeds home and planted them. With any luck we'll have our own Cretan cherry trees in a few years!

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    Food and Drink: Cover charges for meals
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  • Crete Island Food and Drink
  • Receipt with cover charge of 50
  • cents
  • by AcornMan
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  • There was almost always a cover charge for the meals we ate on Crete, something I don't recall seeing on Santorini, Naxos, Aegina, or in Athens. It was typically anywhere from 40 to 80 cents, the idea being, I suppose, that it pays for the bread, water, raki, and dessert (so I guess the raki and dessert aren't really free after all). Many menus list the cover charge, and it's always on the itemized receipt you'll receive after your meal. Just look for "KOYBEP" on it.

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    Comments for AcornMan about Crete Island
    nickandchris Mon Mar 12, 2007 15:51 UTC
     Great info here. Nice to have my memory jogged on a winter's day of what Crete has to offer.
    nikaloo35 Sat Feb 17, 2007 01:33 UTC
     Hello David Beautiful pic and very interesting tips. I love your page. So usefull for us as we will visit in June. Greetings from Palm Beach.
    JessH Wed May 31, 2006 10:42 UTC
     Hello David. I really enjoyed your writing style, the superb photographs and all tips on Crete. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. Greetings from Dubai :-) Jess
    Mailo Wed Dec 28, 2005 00:30 UTC
     Feliz Navidad david, and.. I.m enjoing your tips... learning a lot. Mailo
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