Many of the old people have lived in America or Australia and come back to their ancestral home to retire. Some of the old people never left and continue to work the fields and orchards their parents and grandparents worked. There are butchers who not only carve up the meat but actually slaughter it in the shop. If a villager decides it is time to eat one of his sheep, either for a special occasion or just to have the meat, the animal is lead to the butcher shop and using techniques that have been passed down from father and son, first hypnotizes, then kills, skins and cleans the animal in about 15 minutes. Many villages have olive trees and in October-November when the olives are ripe all activity is focused on the collecting and picking.
Many villages have an olive-oil cooperative.
The olives are pressed locally or in a nearby village that has a facility and the profits are shared. Cheese is usually home made since many people have sheep and goats. The milk is cooked outdoors in a big cauldron. These are pictures of Thanasis the Australian and his son making cheese for his family and his cafeneon. Some villages have their own cheese factories where farmers can sell or trade their milk.