Sweet Baklava (34 page)

Pickled Feta

Ophelia's notes: Make this at least one day in advance.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces feta cheese
  
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
  
• 8 ounces white wine vinegar
  
• 2 teaspoon honey
  

Directions:

1. Rinse the feta and pat it dry with clean cloths or paper towels.
   
2. Cut the feta into ½-inch cubes.
   
3. Place one layer of the feta cubes into a jar or deep bowl.
   
4. Add a sprig of thyme.
   
5. Alternate layering the cheese with thyme until it is all in the jar or bowl.
   
6. In a separate bowl, whip the white wine vinegar and honey together.
   
7. Pour the vinegar and honey mixture over the cheese.
   
8. Put the lid on the jar or cover the bowl with a couple layers of plastic wrap.
   
9. Refrigerate for at least one day. Two days is better.
   
10. Serve on a relish tray with olives, vegetables, and onions.
    

Fun Facts About Tarpon Springs, Florida

One of the first settlers in the area, Mary Ormond Boyer, named Tarpon Springs after the large fish that came into Spring Bayou and leapt out of the water. She thought they were tarpon, but the fish were actually mullet.

Tarpon Springs had a thriving sponge industry by the late 1890s. In just a few years, Greek sponge divers were brought in from the Greek Dodecanese Islands. They harvested sponges in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tarpon Springs.

There are more than 100 shops along the sponge docks on Dodecanese Boulevard. Tarpon Springs is known for restaurants featuring authentic Greek cuisine.

Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Americans with Greek heritage of any city in the U.S.

Tarpon Springs citizens love a good party. Festivals, dining events, parades, and art shows are held on the sponge docks throughout the year.

Every January Epiphany is celebrated in Tarpon Springs with a morning service at St. Nicholas Cathedral and the release of a white dove signifying peace. The Greek Orthodox Church archbishop throws a cross into the water of Spring Bayou. Boys from 16 to 18 years old dive into the water to find the cross. After one of the boys retrieves the cross, he's carried back to the church on the shoulders of his friends for a blessing of the diver, and everyone celebrates with music, dancing, and plenty of food.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is Paula so adamant about staying in Tarpon Springs?
   
2. Why is Nick so eager to leave a town where he has a family that clearly adores him?
   
3. Nick was the classic high school football hero, and Paula was more studious. What attracted Nick to Paula? What attracted Paula to Nick?
   
4. What is the significance of baklava in the story? Have you ever tried baklava? How would you describe the flavor?
   
5. Paula obviously has a reversal of the parent-child role in her relationship with her mother. How could this have happened, and when do you think it began?
   
6. Why would Paula continue to give her mother money without more accountability?
   
7. Do you think Paula's mother and stepfather can work through their issues?
   
8. After Amanda tries to steal from Paula, what drives Paula to help Amanda?
   
9. Kate was clearly the "bad girl" from high school. How does this affect her relationship with her daughter? How does this affect her relationship with Paula?
   
10. Have you ever experienced being labeled "class nerd," "class clown," "the pretty one," "jock," or any other label typically placed on high school kids? Has this affected you for the rest of your life, and if so, how?
    
11. After Nick retires from the Air Force, do you think he can be happy living in Tarpon Springs?
    

Inspiration for Sweet Baklava

Q:
Where did you find the inspiration for
Sweet Baklava?

Debby:
Sweet Baklava
is a book of my heart. The story deals with issues I've experienced, features foods I crave, and is set in Tarpon Springs, Florida, one of my favorite places in the world. My dad was in the Air Force and my family moved often, so I wasn't able to establish roots in any one location until I became an adult. People I met sometimes said they envied me because they'd never had the opportunity to travel. I used this experience in creating the theme of the story, with Paula needing roots and Nick longing to see the world.

Q:
You mentioned Tarpon Springs, Florida, as one of your favorite places. Can you tell us why that is?

Debby:
A delightful Greek community on the Gulf of Mexico, Tarpon Springs has its own flavor and personality that attracts thousands of visitors every month. Walk along the Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard, and you'll not only smell the aroma of savory food wafting from the kitchens of authentic Greek restaurants, you'll hear the strains of Greek music and shouts of "Opa!" as waiters place delectable dishes in front of guests. Many of the merchants and residents in Tarpon Springs are first- and second-generation immigrants who have customs they've brought to their new home.

Q:
How do you hope that readers will connect with the characters of this novel?

Debby:
Members of this Greek community are fiercely loyal to those in their immediate families as well as people they've "adopted." I want my readers to get a sense of this through the Papadopoulos family in the story. Nick's parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins won't allow Alabama-born Paula to feel like an outsider. They include her in family activities to give her the sense of belonging that she needs. Of course, they have an ulterior motive of matchmaking, and they do their share of meddling to help Paula and Nick see the love they'll miss if they don't come to their senses.

Q:
How were you able to lend authenticity to this story through its setting?

Debby:
I show some of the Tarpon Springs culture with a blend of some real places and others I created for the story. The fictional family restaurant and bakery are typical of what visitors will see when they visit the real Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard, which runs along the Anclote River. The Sponge Docks host all kinds of shops offering souvenirs, Greek apparel, sponges, soaps, candles, and of course delicious Greek food—including baklava (of course!). Visitors can even take a boat ride and a tour of a sponge museum to learn how divers harvest the sponges.

Q:
Just how important a part does "baklava" itself play?

Debby:
As the creator of this story, I took the liberty of giving Paula a weakness for baklava, which becomes the bait for the Papadopoulos women to bring Nick and Paula together every chance they get. There are as many recipes for baklava as there are Greek families. Baklava takes time to make, but it is absolutely delicious, sweet, and worth the time and effort—just like the nurturing of a loving family.

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