This evening a couple of us went to have dinner at a place by the Limassol pier. It was an eye-opening experience. The dinner was great, and I had a nice piece of sea bass. But the food was not particularly eye-opening; it was the atmosphere around the dinner. When we went to the restaurant front, a sign said, “Please wait to be served.” Awkwardly we waited for about 10 minutes without any indication of a hostess or waiter. Finally, a woman sitting at a nearby table stated that “You can just come in a sit and wait for a waiter at your table.” So we did just that. Except for the tables we sat at, we were low to the ground a surround by coaches with cushions. The people around us were also lying on the coaches, some smoking a vape, drinking, others just talking. It didn’t feel like dinner. It felt like a hangout. The people weren’t here for the food. They were here for each other, a virtue often forgotten in American culture. 

On top of the uncertain arrival, the food took an extra extended time. And it wasn’t like the restaurant was crowded; the waiter never brought out the food. If I had been in America, I would have been frustrated with the service and probably have said something to the waiter. But here in Cyprus, it was different. The extra time provided me with some needed rest and, I think, allowed the conversation between us guys to be less superficial and more personal. Again, the people weren’t here for the food. They were here for each other. 

This is the small part of Cyprus culture that I understood today; the people of Cyprus have a collective rather than a personal identity. When going to a restaurant, they are willing to give up their own time, to form relationships with the people around them. The restaurant feels like a family, even though I can’t understand what they say. In America, everything has to be transactional; if you wait a long time for food, the food must be the highest quality in the World. And while the food was good, even if it wasn’t, I would have been satisfied knowing I strengthened the relationships with the people around me. This cultural identity of Cyprus is not unique, yet it was foreign to me and most Americans. I am already grateful for the Cyprus culture.