Plastic bags bob along like shoals of jellyfish and bottles, cans and nail-riddled driftwood are a common sight. In towns and villages you will find roadside bins surrounded by bottle, boxes and bags like this one in the middle of Naxos. It seems the only thing to be done with a bin is to fill it to overflowing then bury it beneath a mound of rubbish. Most so called hot meals are served lukewarm, being cooked in the morning and reheated, just, for the evening. Greeks believe tepid food is better for the digestion and more agreeable in a hot climate.
Many meals arrive swimming in olive oil, now known to be very healthy.
Dishes are mainly borrowed from the Italians and Turks and involve either stuffing ingredients into a pot and boiling them in oil or in stabbing them with a skewer and setting fire to them. Meals are often displayed in cabinets outside the taverna and customers are welcome to wander around the kitchens to see what is on offer. In these fast food days even traditional Greek dishes like moussaka often come to the table buried beneath mounds of chips. But it is not all a dog's dinner. Lamb is delicious and chicken is cheap.