In Sound Bites, the author, Franz Ferdinand lead singer/guitarist Alex Kapranos, details his adventures with food while on tour. I like how he starts off with his earliest memory involving food—sampling different food at his family’s housewarming party, then trying a peanut and learning he is acutely allergic to them, causing his stomach to churn, his drool to uncontrollably rush out of his mouth, and his vomit reflexes to kick into play. But I really liked his last thought in his introduction:

I think about the food—its flavours and how it felt in my mouth, how different each thing was, how it could taste of joy, revulsion or painful destruction. I don’t think of it as a thing that stops me from being hungry. I know it is much more than that. Food is an adventure.

After reading a few more pages into the book—particularly when Kapranos mentions his hapa-Greek background and how he went to a Greek festival with his family—I realized that I hadn’t had Greek food in a while… it had been at least a year. I really missed gyros and hummus, and I wanted to try some new things, as well.

It was time for an adventure with Greek food.

The original plan before last night’s reading session was that I would spend the day at home, finally watching Burn After Reading and having tea and snacks with Yvonne. But our plans changed as the yearning for some Greek food set in. Yvonne mentioned that she had Greek food—spanakopita, to be exact—only one other time. So it was a plan.

The “closest” Greek restaurant was Leo’s Taverna on Bishop Street. I say “closest” because it’s an hour-long bus ride away. But I love Leo’s—I went there regularly when I was going to school at HPU and working in town. So yes, we got on the Country Express to begin our journey. The bus ride didn’t seem long at all, considering Yvonne and I always found things to talk about. Plus, at this point, I’m used to it.

We got off the bus at South King and Bethel and walked to Leo’s. On our way, we got sidetracked because of the open-air market that I forgot happens on Fridays (and Tuesdays) on Fort Street Mall. We stopped by Honolulu Soap Company’s booth. After some pondering and discussion about the benefits of using natural soap and oil, we each bought some jojoba and kukui nut oil, and a couple of bars of natural glycerin soap. Perfect timing, considering Yvonne’s taken up an interest in natural soap and solid shampoo (as opposed to liquid shampoo, which often contain harsh chemicals and come in wasteful plastic bottles).

Afterward, we walked to Leo’s. The very first thing I noticed when we got in there was how awfully quiet it was in there. Every time I’ve walked in there before, there would be a line at the register and nearly every table taken. Then I realized it was 2 pm; we’d come post-lunch hour in Honolulu’s financial district.

Yvonne ordered the spanakopita and vegetarian combos. The vegetarian combo comes with hummus, baba ghannouj, and grape leaves. The menu said it also came with tabouleh, but it looked like Yvonne got three-bean salad instead, which was no problem.

I ordered my beloved gyros plate, which comes with hummus, salad, tzatziki sauce, and pita bread. I couldn’t resist ordering a side of garlic fries as well. (I know, it’s very Greek.)

As we waited for our order, I noticed a couple seated against the room’s southern wall, waiting on their order. They looked a little disheveled and a bit annoyed. The male customer quietly inquired about the status of their order, to which the large Greek man I’ve always presumed to be Leo responded in his typically not-so-quiet manner, then the customer sat back down. When the couple’s order was called up, the man pointed at his table, gesturing that he wanted it delivered to their table. He was most likely a n00b who didn’t know that at Leo’s, you pick up your order at the counter. Leo or someone must have waved for him to do so, so the man came to get his food.

When our food arrived and we started eating, someone realized that something was missing in the eatery’s ambiance and started playing some Greek music. It’s funny how much music can add to the atmosphere and the whole experience. It solidifies the restaurant’s identity with a culture. Tune into a generic radio station and the eatery becomes just another place to have food.

Back to the food: it was phenomenal as I expected. I welcomed the tastes of tender lamb meat, light and refreshing tzatziki sauce, and creamy hummus back into my life once more! (Sorry if that was cheesy.) And the garlic fries, though not as great as I remember them being, were still mighty crunchy and tasty. I sampled Yvonne’s spanakopita, which was flaky on the outside with a soft spinach filling, and I think I’ll get that combo the next time I find myself in that part of town.

I really wish the Greek offerings on this island weren’t so concentrated in Honolulu. At least one in Kapolei, please!

And big ups to Alex Kapranos for the inspiration! Opa!