Religious Studies

Cyprus: Discover how far you can go

Posted on March 28, 2018

Aaron Menconi (Senior, Religious Studies Major)

Going to Cyprus has helped me to reevaluate my everyday life, especially in how people meet in social settings and how food plays a central role in these settings. So much of Greek culture emphasizes food — once my classmate Ryan and I ordered meze, which is an array of small plates brought out in succession, and among them were cucumber salads, halloumi cheese, kabobs, fried sesame balls filled with more cheese, and topped off with a small glass of mastika, a digestive drink made from the resin of the mastic tree. I saw the agriculture on the island, too, of the citrus trees lining the motorways and growing in the cities, and the fields of olives, peanuts and grapes that allow the people of Cyprus to sustain their families, and which they can sell at the market to sustain others. We went at the perfect time when all the flowers were blooming and the rolling landscapes were extra vibrant with yellow, purple, and red!