Honoring Part of My Eugene Family

Korrin B.

January 31, 2009 - 2:00 PM

I love my job. I love the people I work with. There is such a good energy among my staff that I can't help but laugh and smile when I'm around them. I wanted to do something special for them to show them how much I appreciate them being a part of my life, so I decided to share something that is very special to me with them. My experience in Greece will forever be with me and has meant the world to me. I decided to share a little sliver of my experience with them last night by inviting them all over for a home cooked Greek dinner. I made them all crafty invitations with pictures of Greece on the cover for January 30, 2009 at 6:30pm.

Yesterday I had my first exam in Ancient Greek. Right after finishing my test at 10:00am, my cooking began. I made a couple quick stops on the way home to pick up some fresh feta and Greek yogurt and then began thinking about what to start first. The night before, I had soaked some beans for this giant bean stew I was going to make. I never realized how much beans grow when you soak them. It was quite the learning experience. In the morning, my beans were up to the brim of the pot. I had more beans than I could ever know what to do with. I put them on to boil while I began my first big dish.

My main dish was going to be spanokopita, or spinach pie. Spanokopita is made with phyllo dough, which is very thin and difficult to work with. I had to make sure that I was keeping it moist throughout the whole process. If it gets dried out, then it breaks. I made the mixture of spinach, feta, and other ingredients for the filling and then began to stuff and make fifteen circular spanokopitas. I got frustrated when some of them broke, but I was able to patch them up just fine.

Next, I made my Greek meatballs. Greek food has a lot of bold flavors and these meatballs are stuffed with just that. They were so beautiful when they were all lined up on my cookie sheet. Each one was stuffed with various herbs, garlic, and onion to the brim.

I put all of this in the fridge to cook later and began on my Greek salad. I peeled a ton of cucumbers and cut up countless tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. I filled up a huge glass bowl with the salad. It was very heavy and, I must say, quite beautiful. It was like a work of art as well as a salad. 

I made up the tomato-based sauce to put in with the beans and put it on to simmer while I began to decorate the house. I've decided that if all else fails, I should become a party planner. I love decorating! I put out white candles on all of the tables and strung artificial grape vines all around my living room and on the tables. I also put up white twinkle lights and three vases of flowers. The ambiance was perfect. I was really beginning to get excited for everyone to show up.

I noticed that it was just about 6:30pm, so I quickly changed right before the first people started to show up. I couldn't believe that I had just spent eight and a half hours non-stop working on this dinner party! However, it was completely worth it. I was so happy to see the faces of my inspirational co-workers walking into the door. It is always great to get to know co-workers outside of work. I put out the appetizers of pita with tzatziki sauce and roasted garlic, as well as my Greek salad. Everyone began to dig in and my tiny little house was soon filled with warmth, conversation, and laughter. The program coordinator, Rebecca, is an absolutely incredible woman. She came with her little daughter who is probably the smartest, cutest girl in the world. I showed her my closet of high heels and she seemed to have the time of her life trying them all on. We're not quite the same size.

I kept on with my work in the kitchen, popping in the spanokopita and meatballs to cook and stirring the sauce for my bean stew. All of the olive oil and butter on the phyllo dough caused a smoky haze throughout my house as the spanokopita cooked in the oven, but no one seemed to mind. While things cooked, I showed everyone some of my pictures from my trip abroad. I felt so happy when everything was finally cooked and ready to eat. Everyone grabbed a plate and I was so relieved when everyone seemed to like it! The conversation continued after the food was gone and I escaped into the kitchen for the final round, my favorite, dessert.

I made little plates of Greek yogurt with honey, cinnamon, and apple slices for everyone. It was the perfect, light flavor to the end of the feast. I sat in my living room and looked around at everyone. I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to have my co-workers in my life. They have meant so much to me over the years and I feel like they have truly become my Eugene family. I was feeling warm and fuzzy, so I suggested we have a group hug. I love hugs. I felt a true sense of togetherness. Nothing brings people together quite like a good meal.

While in the group hug, Rebecca initiated a song that we sing with the kids sometimes. We usually sing it for whoever cooked the lunch that day in order to show appreciation for them. The song is sung twice, first loud and second soft. All of the twelve or so staff members that were there began to sing it to me. "Put your foot on the loud, loud, bang, bang pedal, make a lot of noise, ‘cause there's someone here who deserves a medal, just look at their poise, here's to Korrin good and true, she's a good scout through and through, put your foot on the loud, loud, bang, bang pedal, make a lot of noise!" I couldn't stop laughing watching everyone singing this outside of work, away from the elementary schoolers. The amazing thing about people who work with kids is their ability to embrace child-like fun in their everyday lives. We are all a bunch of big kids who love to play and I think everyone should live their lives with that mindset. After the song was over, more hugs were given and then came the goodnights.

It was about 10:30pm when everyone had left and I walked into my bedroom, plopped down on my bed, and slept like a rock. Putting on this event had taken all day and all of my energy, but the energy it had created was incredible. I am so excited to eat leftovers all week!