Athens Meat Market

My last day in Athens I was strolling from the ancient Agora up to Omonia when off to the side I spotted the dark entrance to the old meat market. A whole other world lay inside. I tried to find out how old the market was, but the only answer I got was “Really old.” I knew it was one of the last covered markets in a city center so I took out my camcorder and filmed my walk. I wish we had something like this in DC so that I could talk to a butcher when I needed meat cut just so, but the closest we come to this is the meat counter at Whole Foods.

I keep trying to become a vegetarian but it never sticks. Its just so difficult to over-ride those basic instincts. One whiff of sizzling sirloin and I’m done. I keep watching those horrible slaughter house videos to steel up my conviction, but a few weeks later I’m back to craving farm animals. The stroll through Athens meat market didn’t do anything but make me hungry.

There’s something about this market that just lays it out, you know? Nothing clinical about it, no trying to gloss things over with fancy packaging. Just a bunch of guys with huge cleavers hacking away at meat.

***WARNING***If you’re a vegetarian or a member of PETA please spare yourself this video***