The Greeks Invented Being Proud

I cannot even begin tell you how many times I have been making normal conversation with my family only to have the topic somehow switch to a Greek history lesson. Granted, I consistently tune out those monotone stories and never really learn anything, but nonetheless I am reminded of how narcissistic Greeks really can be. I mean don't even dare mention pottery, medicine, or even the Olympics; my family will show no reluctance to enlighten you on everything's Greek roots. So for this week's blog- with the help of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding- I decided to embrace that self-love by proving yet another stereotype true: Greeks truly do have immense pride in their heritage.

Stereotype # 4: The Greeks Are a Proud People
I've noticed through the years that the only greater excitement than meeting another Greek person is meeting that other Greek person's restaurant. For some reason, whenever my family finds a new Greek restaurant- or even just a diner for that matter- we immediately have to drop everything and try the place.

As if we didn't already eat enough Greek food.

For example, just 2 weeks ago, when my parents picked me up for spring break, we decided to eat dinner before the long drive home. Not one of my suggestions was even considered; it was as if my parents truly believed we were destined to eat at the The Greek near N. Atherton.

my mom proudly displaying her menu at The Greek

I would not be speaking too hyperbolically when I say I may have eaten at every diner and Greek-food serving restaurant in the north east. 

But this is just one of the many ways Greeks prove their pride. While watching both the first and second My Big Fat Greek Wedding movies, I noticed a common dialogue come up every so often. Whether this dialogue involved claiming an object as a Greek invention, explaining an English words' Greek roots, or even proclaiming that all people wished they were Greek, many of the lines in these movies show how prideful the older Greek generations can be. 

What's sad is that the movies almost underrated how often Greek people enjoy boasting about their bilingual and multicultural background.

For example, some of the common lines in both movies are Gus's often inaccuracte "the Greeks invented" claims. Throughout the movies, Gus explains that pottery, baklava, Facebook, ice hockey, and even the Italian language should all be attributed to Greek culture. Yes, yes, the latter three would seem to obviously have non-Greek origins, but the crazy doesn't stop there.

My family falsely adds more objects onto this list every day by claiming pizza, ice cream, batteries, and even cars are true Greek inventions. I promise we are educated.

Finally, there appears to be a natural desire of every Greek to explain where the English language came from. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Gus says, "Give me a word, any word, and I'll show you that the root of that word is Greek." My family is no different and will go to great lengths just to prove that "apple," "finale," and "cello" are all Greek words at heart.

So if you ever hear that Greeks are extremely proud of their heritage, remember that all stereotypes are based on a little bit of truth. And trust me, if a Greek person ever starts giving you a history lesson, your best bet is to run. Otherwise, you could be there all night.