5.3 Food, Drink, and the Kafeneío — Epoché
What you will be able to do Order anything in a kafeneío with two words: Καφέ, παρακαλώ. , Νερό, παρακαλώ. , Κρέας, παρακαλώ. . Say what you want, what you like and what you do not: Θέλεις κρασί; , Μ' αρέσει το κόκκινο κρασί. , Δε μου αρέσει το κρασί. . Name the food on a Greek table: το ψωμί , το τυρί , το κρέας , το ψάρι , το λαχανικό , το φρούτο . Say that you are hungry or thirsty with a verb, which is what Greek uses where English uses an adjective. Ask for the bill and pay it. Prerequisites : 5.2 — people and family. Read 5.2 Vocabulary first; ordering for a table of people needs both lists. This is the most immediately practical lesson in the course and it is arranged around what you say rather than around what is on the plate. The order in which the words come is the order in which you will need them: what you want, what it is called, what it costs. The kafeneío deserves a word of explanation. It is not a café in the English sense and not a bar. It is the room in which a Greek town does its talking, it is open from early morning to late at night, and the coffee is an excuse to occupy a chair for two hours. Ordering there is the first real conversation most visitors have, and it is a short one: a noun and the word for please. Word list Forty words: what is eaten, what is drunk, what it is eaten with, and the verbs that go round them. Word (with article) Meaning Notes ο καφές el o kafés coffee Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the same word is an indeclinable adjective meaning brown Καφέ, παρακαλώ. Coffee, please. Καφέ ή τσάι; Coffee or tea? το τσάι el to tsái tea Part of speech / class noun, neuter, indeclinable How it differs from English never changes; the adjective beside it carries all the agreement Καφέ ή τσάι; Coffee or tea? Θέλεις τσάι ή καφέ; Do you want tea or coffee? το νερό el to neró water Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English ordered bare, with no article, because you want some rather than the water Νερό, παρακαλώ. Water, please. Θέλεις λίγο νερό; Do you want some water? Μπορώ να έχω λίγο νερό; May I have some water? το κρασί el to krasí wine Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the oeno- of oenology Θέλεις κρασί; Do you want wine? Έχω κρασί. I've got wine. Αυτό είναι κόκκινο κρασί. This is red wine. η μπύρα el i býra beer Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English borrowed, and spelt with the two-letter combination that Greek uses for b το γάλα el to gála milk Part of speech / class noun, neuter, irregular How it differs from English the galact- of galaxy, which was named the milky circle το ψωμί el to psomí bread Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English a Greek meal is unthinkable without it, and it is brought without being asked for το κρέας el to kréas meat Part of speech / class noun, neuter, irregular How it differs from English the creo- of creosote, and related to English raw Θέλουμε κρέας. We want meat. Δεν θέλω κρέας. I don't want meat. Μ' αρέσει το κόκκινο κρέας. I like red meat. το ψάρι el to psári fish Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English a diminutive in origin, like most Greek neuter nouns in this ending το τυρί el to tyrí cheese Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the tyro- of tyrosine, which was first isolated from cheese το αυγό el to avgó egg Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the oo- of oocyte, by way of its ancient form το λάδι el to ládi oil, olive oil Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English means olive oil unless another oil is named η ελιά el i eliá olive; olive tree Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English one word for the fruit and the tree το αλάτι el to aláti salt Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the hal- of halogen and halite η ζάχαρη el i záchari sugar Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the source of English sugar, by way of Arabic and Italian η σαλάτα el i saláta salad Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English borrowed from Italian; the Greek salad has no lettuce in it η πατάτα el i patáta potato Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English borrowed, and unrelated to any classical word η ντομάτα el i domáta tomato Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English spelt with the two-letter combination Greek uses for d το λαχανικό el to lachanikó vegetable Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built on the word for a green leaf το φρούτο el to froúto fruit Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English borrowed from Italian; the ancient word survives only in compounds το μήλο el to mílo apple Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the melo- of melon, which in Greek was any large round fruit το φαγητό el to fagitó food; a meal Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built on the verb for eating; covers the substance and the occasion Το νερό είναι ζωή. Water is life. το πρωινό el to proinó breakfast Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English literally the morning one; the other meals are named the same way το βραδινό el to vradinó dinner, the evening meal Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English literally the evening one, and eaten very late by northern standards το πιάτο el to piáto plate; a dish on a menu Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English does both jobs, as English dish does το ποτήρι el to potíri glass, tumbler Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English a diminutive of the word for a drink το πιρούνι el to piroúni fork Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English borrowed from Italian, like most Greek words for cutlery το μαχαίρι el to machéri knife Part of