Excitement. The one word to describe the first steps on Cyprian soil after a combined 13 hours of air travel. The jetlag was intense, and everyone was groggy. The first thing to come to mind is food, as all the bad airport food had been fueling the past couple of days. After arriving at the hotel, showering, and getting the most introductory tour of Limassol we were off to get our first meal in Cyprus, dinner. We were released of our free will not knowing any Greek, making the dinner selection process increasingly more difficult. Therefore, to get to know the Greek culture better, we had to jump in the deep end and “swim”.

The restaurant culture in Cyprus is unlike anything within the states, with the main focus being the social aspect of eating. We first learned this when first wanted to eat at the Mediterraneo. Our group waited 30 minutes around a please wait to be seated sign- until we were told by some locals we do not have to wait and can seat ourselves. This was our first new aspect of Cypriot dining as the rules are more relaxed than original American Cuisine. We ended up at an outdoor table and a waiter came by and gave us the menus. This was again a shock to us as we just had to sit to start our dining experience. Following our orders, we waited around 30 minutes for our bottle of water and another 45 minutes for our food. As the dinner progressed, we picked up on cues from other tables and managed to pay for the check and leave promptly. Afterward, we were left pondering why this dinner took such a long time.

This dinner contrasts sharply with American cuisine. For starters, seating yourself in American restaurants is extremely rare. Moreover, emphasizing the social aspect of dining by lengthening the time between meals is also unique to the Cypriot dining experience. For us to learn, we needed to immerse ourselves in the culture and “jump in the deep end”. In the end, we became much more knowledgeable of the culture here in Cyprus.