Insider Weekly Newsletter – QUARANTIME MUSINGS

Insider Weekly Newsletter – QUARANTIME MUSINGS

How telling that in an era when the barometer of success is to ‘go viral’, the very thought now evokes doom and gloom! From the real concerns the pandemic conjures –  the corrupt posturing of populist politicians to the extraordinary challenges faced by cultural institutions – we dive into the everyday anxieties that manifest as google searches and the hopes that we still hold dear, of hugging a dear one or experimenting with a very viral trend!

INSIDER STORIES

Selfies of Self Isolation

Dhaka-born, Harvard-educated, DC and Athens-based War theorist and fashion photographer who writes on liberalism, elite-level diplomacy and feminism, Omi Chowdhury on how the pandemic, “global in scale and scope, is unrelenting in its forceful reminder that we are only as strong as our weakest. READ MORE


CULTURE

Culture at the time of a pandemic

George Manginis, Academic Director of the Benaki Museum argues that the future of museums hinges on whether their role in fostering social cohesion through education, culture and community is deemed as ‘essential’ or ‘expendable’ by politicians. READ MORE



INSIDER STORIES

What is the first thing you want to do post-quarantine?

We’re in this unprecedented global position of: social distancing, quarantine realities, lockdown laws, while dealing with re-inventing our realities and managing anxiety on a mass scale. Athens Insider asked its social media community “What’s the first thing you want to do when all this over?” Elena Panayides compiles the dreams and desires for that post-quarantine first moment. READ MORE


CITY LIFE

What our Google Searches during Corona Reveal: A peek Beneath the Masks

To think that the trending topic on Google on January 31 was Corona Beer virus! We’ve come a long way from the pre-confinement naivete of those early days to embrace our lockdown reality but what are our fears, and where do we seek solace? It appears that when confronted with something new, big and scary, we tend to dump our anxieties onto the nearest Google search bar, opines Sudha Nair-Iliades. READ MORE


FOOD & DRINK

Why Dalgona Coffee is the new Quarantine Fix?

Remember the good old days when your first stop was your morning coffee run? Since the coronavirus took over our lives, and our caffeine rituals, we have been reduced to playing wannabe baristas in isolation. Say hello to Dalgona, the viral (!) whipped coffee sensation inspired by a spongy toffee in South Korea that is sending the confined world to caffeinated highs. Sudha Nair-Iliades gives you the lowdown on this new quarantine quaff. READ MORE


WHAT’S ON

Join Diane Kochilas’ Greek Easter webinars

Acclaimed chef, cookbook author, TV host and passionate culinary ambassador Diane Kochilas dons her apron to create an Easter menu. Zoom in on Wednesday, April 8 at 9pm Greek time, 2 pm EDT. READ MORE


GREEKISM OF THE WEEK

Sleeping with the hens
(Κοιμάμαι με τις κότες)  (Kimamai me tis kotes)
Meaning: going to bed early
Early to bed and early to rise never has been a maxim of the Greeks, who readily stay up till all hours and put their children through the same ordeal. Thus going to bed early to get adequate rest is seen as wimpish behaviour, reminiscent of the hens in the coop which shut their eyes at sundown. BUY NOW!

 


INSIDER RECOMMENDS

CULTURE

WHAT’S ON

Life in the Shadow

As the clouds go by, they often seem so distant and still, one can hardly imagine how fast the sky darkens. READ MORE

 

The Coronation of Poppae

The Athens Concert hall follows its ‘Stay Home’ campaign with Claudio Monteverdi’s classical masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppaea. READ MORE

 

Greekisms for dummies

Treat yourself or a loved one to this laugh-out-loud informative guide to the colourful linguistic secrets of the Greeks, written by Insider’s own John Carr (with Paul Anastasi), and accompanied by wonderfully humourous illustrations by Iason Iliades.
Discover the answer to these and many other quirky colloquialisms – including the enduring mystery of Mrs Alexander’s buttons! A perfect gift for anyone who intends to spend time in Greece and get under the skin of the local culture. BUY NOW!


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