Kalimera Hellas

Did you ever find yourself in a foreign country looking for something, knowing, that if you were ‘home’, it’d be in Walmart’s aisle 5?

A and I have been trying to get used to Norwegian customs. Pre-cooked chicken bagged up in some kind of soggy sauce, they got it. Pre-made dinner, probably cooked last year or so, they got it. Pre-canned veggies, picked about 10 years ago, they got it. (Common thing here: they got it). But OBVIOUSLY, A doesn’t settle for this. ‘I can do it myself’, is his motto. So we started going to international (Pakistani, Turkish, Chinese…)  markets, fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meats, fresh everything – BUT the things you’re craving, e.g. special spices, filo, feta cheese (or good cheese in general).

So A went online and looked for ‘Greek Store in Oslo’ and clicked on the first thing that came up. A didn’t try long to convince me to check it out so A and I went there first thing Saturday morning.

We took the t-bane 6 to Stortinget and wandered around a bit before we found the store. As we approached Kristian Augusts Gata 3 I thought to myself, ‘Is this really where we want to buy Feta cheese?’ Before I knew it, A opened the door to a unique new, extra-ordinarily world of ‘being-Greek’ (you saw ‘my big fat Greek wedding’ – you know what I mean). We stepped in and were welcomed by a very warm and welcoming interior (if you have ever been to Norway, you know that’s not what you call ‘the usual’). A nice seating area, bright lights, a few shelves stocked with all kinds of Greek goodies – coffee, pasta, cosmetic articles, cheese, sweets – you name it. Needless to say that the owners, Aris and Leonidas welcomed us with open arms. They offered us seats, they opened up a couple bottles of olive oils for us, some buffalo cheese, some olives, some chocolate… (You won me over, right then and there). We had a nice chat about their business, about their plans, about their ideas… Prepare to be amazed, they plan on expanding their collection, open up their place for Greek events, having a hang-out area for all the fellow Greece-lovers and yes, A and I are already part of that crowd.

After an hour or so we left the place with a heart full of joy and happiness. Determined to be back asap.

Check it out:

Kristian Augustsgate 3, Oslo
T: 0047 (0) 224660166
T: 0047 (0) 22460167

Side note to all my Norwegian friends: Norway is a beautiful, awesome and incredible country in any respect, but when it comes to food and how to make food a most-wonderful experience, the Greeks win by far… (Also this is a challenge for everybody to win us over with their Norwegian cuisine).