Your Excellency.
As my friends in Chef Talk are locked in the kitchen excited with the idea of your visit in our virtual community and preparing their best of menus, I take the opportunity to narrate you a story.
I come from a small country, Greece.
In one of our history books of high school, there was a picture of a large painting that belongs to the Library of Washington.
In this painting, the Fathers of the American Nation are gathered around a table, discussing the forthcoming Declaration of Independence.
Above them, seated on a cloud, all the famous ancient Greek Philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates accompagnied with Pericles and Thucidetes, are observing them. In their faces you can look the approval and the pride they feel, as they observe You the Fathers of the American Nation, to establish your country on the ideals and the morals of the most famous ancient civilization to the History of Mankind; the ancient Greek civilization.
This painting Sir, had a great influence on me.
It took me several years of studies though to realize the core meaning of this painting.
The year you declared the Independence, those men on the cloud, the ancient Greek philosophers, were "dead" in the country that gave them birth.
Long ago ( in 1453) the country was under Ottoman Occupation and the language was almost forgotten.
But the 18th century, which was marked by the awakening of the ideal of the National State, brought to my ancestors the idea of liberating themselves from Ottoman Turks and declare their independent State.
None in Greece really remembered of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in 18th century.
But EVERYONE in this country had You Sir, as an ideal for your service towards the Liberation of your Country. The local press was talking about Thomas Jefferson and his ideals. Local guerillas that they were fighting against Ottoman Turks, loved to called themselves “the New Jefferson”
Life functions in circles.
You took from Greeks the Ideas and after 200 years you returned to them the Lights that they have lost.
In a way, we owe You Sir, and I always wanted to take the opportunity to talk about that.
Sometimes, I think how would you feel if you knew that Greeks in 1821 swore on your name and had you in mind when they were talking about Liberty.
I observe that the first course of your menu is almost here so I will close my story with a culinary anecdote that is related with You.
In 18th century, the educated Greeks that lived outside the country knew that You were very fond of the Arts and you were a connoisseur of Food.
Some of them returned home to fight for Liberty. One of them was fighting next to the General of the revolution Theodore Kolokotronis. Although he used to be an officer in the English Army, Kolokotronis had the reputation of a very brave but very “wild Man” as well.
One day he must have been eating like a pig and one educated soldier of his dared to observe: “General, if President Jefferson could see you eating like an animal he would be very ashamed of you. Warriors of Liberty are above all gentlemen” General replied to him: “ Maybe president Jefferson didn’t have such nice food. You do not know anything about English Food. I used to behave like a gentleman too when I was in the English Army. When you are served English Food and you are obliged to have it, you have no option but to behave like a gentleman as you cannot do anything but watch your plate”
Bibliography
Richard Clogg, Concise History of Modern Greece. Cambridge University Press
Kostas Tertsetis, General Kolokotronis. Memoirs Athens 1973, revised edition
Vivian Efthymiopoulou, The influence of the American declaration of Independence in Greek political thought, Balkan Studies 23, Cambridge University Press.
An invitation to dinner-The stories 
Impressive start 
