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By Root 1497 0

features prominently at all levels of society; nepotism is an accepted state of affairs, a by-product of having to rely on personal networks to survive. It’s still almost impossible to make any headway with Greece’s bloated bureaucracy (or in many cases get a job) without meson (the help of a friend or family member working within the system). Greeks are masters at getting around the system, demonstrating almost admirable impudence or poniria (low cunning), though corruption is the more serious manifestation of this attitude. The infamous fakelaki (little envelope of cash) remains a common way to cut red tape, from jumping the queue for surgery to dealing with the tax office or building permits. Transparency International ranks Greece among the most corrupt countries in Europe.

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Greeks are the EU’s biggest smokers: 37.6% of people over 15 are heavy smokers, and women smoke as much as men. In 2009 smoking bans were optimistically extended to restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

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Greece is both Mediterranean and Balkan and has long straddled East and West, so it’s not surprising that Greeks have a very different character to the rest of Europe. Most Greeks are forthright and argumentative. They thrive on news, gossip and political debate and, while they will mercilessly malign their governments and society, they are defensive about external criticism and can be fervently nationalistic. Greeks have a work-to-live attitude and pride themselves on their capacity to enjoy life. They are social animals and enjoy a rich communal life, eating out regularly and filling the country’s myriad cafes and bars. They travel and socialise in packs, with family or their parea (company of friends). Solitude is neither valued nor sought.

Unlike many Western cultures where people avoid eye contact with strangers, Greeks are unashamed about staring and blatantly observing (and commenting on) the comings and goings of people around them. Few subjects are off limits, from your private life and why you don’t have children, to how much money you earn or how much you paid for your house or shoes. And they are just as likely to tell you their woes and ailments rather than engage in polite small-talk.

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Greeks have their own distinctive body language – ‘yes’ is a swing of the head and ‘no’ is a curt raising of the head (or eyebrows), often accompanied by a ‘ts’ click-of-the-tongue sound.

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WISHING WELL

Greetings are one of the endearing features of daily life in Greece. Whether it stems from superstition or an excess of good will, Greeks seem to have a wish for every occasion. They won’t just wish you kali orexi (bon apetit), but also kali honepsi (good digestion) and kali xekourasi (good rest) or kali diaskedasi (good entertainment). On the first day of the week it’s kali evdomada (good week), each month kalo mina (a good month), while the start of summer brings kalo kalokeri (good summer) and the end of the holidays kalo himona (good winter). When you purchase something it’s kaloriziko (good luck) and a new business is greeted with kales doulies (good work) or challenges with kali dynami (good strength) and every possible kalo permutation.

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Greeks are notoriously late and are masters of the last minute, as the 2004 Olympics proved. Turning up to an appointment on time is often referred to as ‘being English’. It’s almost as if they resent the sense of obligation; some speculate that this stems from centuries of answering to foreign masters.

Greeks remain very ethnocentric, while anti-Americanism is another interesting undercurrent of the Greek psyche. Apart from general resistance to American hegemony, it originates from what many regard as undue US interference in Greek affairs during the civil war Click here; suspected CIA involvement in the colonels’ coup in 1967; US indifference over Cyprus; and its interventions in the Middle East and the Balkans. Protest can take an irrational anti-American focus, but can be as benignly passive aggressive as refusing to serve Coca-Cola.

Stereotypes