Beware: The Movie is Completely Accurate

Anyone who's ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding has probably wondered if the events, personalities, and stereotypes portrayed in the movie hold true to real life. While I wish I could say the characteristics of the featured Greek family are grossly over-exaggerated for dramatic effect, the unfortunate truth is that the director pretty much hit the nail right on the head. Upon finishing the movie, I found myself amazed- as well as slightly repulsed- by how much I could personally connect to the plot line. Never before did I realize how much different my life would be had I not been rooted in my heritage. Therefore, through this blog, I will expose to the world what life is like being Greek, detailing everything from traditional recipes to family stories to life lessons.

So let's get started...

Stereotype #1: Our Love for Lamb

One of my favorite scenes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding is when the Miller family and the Portokalos family meet for the first time. The Millers arrive at Toula's house for what is supposed to be a small dinner. Instead, they find a hectic gathering of the whole Greek family running rampant around the front yard in a flurry of Greek-ness. The camera briefly focuses on a full lamb being roasted right there on the grass- much to the Millers' disgust. This scene describes perfectly the unfiltered and somewhat obnoxious behavior that is destined to come with any Greek family get-together.

But let's focus on the lamb (seen in the picture above). When my friends saw this part of the movie, they thought roasting the lamb in the middle of the yard made this detail one of the craziest aspects of all the ongoing chaos. For me it seemed so normal I didn't bat an eye.

Disclaimer: my family is not as obnoxious and unaware of societal norms as the one in the movie, but we have had our fair share of lamb-roastings out in the open. Every Easter, my dad's side of the family has a "cousins picnic," during which the whole family gets together for an Easter dinner. I've learned over the years that no Greek dinner is complete without multiple racks of lamb, so every year upon arrival I can expect to see 1 or 2 lambs roastin' away.

It looks eerily similar to that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Here are a few of my uncles next to one of the lambs...

...and the finished product.

Bottom line is, Greek people really do love their lamb. 

Recipe #1: Lamb (Greek-style)

Here's a quick and easy recipe straight from my Yiayia's kitchen (otherwise known as the internet). 

You're going to need:

-1/4 cup of olive oil

-1/2 onion, chopped

-garlic clove

-2 dill sprigs

-some lemon juice (the only thing Greeks love more than lamb is lemon juice)

-1/2 tsp oregano

-2 lbs leg of lamb, boneless

To start off, blend the oil, onion, garlic, oregano, and lemon juice together. Pour this mixture over the lamb and refrigerate the whole thing for 4 hours. Then, take out the lamb an hour before cooking and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. For the best flavor, grill for about 30 minutes so the lamb is medium rare. Finally, let it sit for 10 minutes and enjoy!

*Visit Food and Wine's website for a more detailed recipe!