A century ago, Kallikrates, a mountainous village in the Sfakia province, used to have 500 residents; today only seven people live there - the members of the breeder Manolis Manouselis's family. The only child of the village is his little son who goes to school in the nearby village called Myriokefalos.

The family of Manolis is very hospitable and during the winter, they sometimes organize festivities with friends, so as not to be estranged. The only thing that obstructs the social gatherings of this Cretan shepherd is the dense snow which falls on the White Mountains. The biggest festivity takes place in the summer though, during sheep-shearing season.

Each one has his own scissors

Every year, in the middle of July, more than fifty friends of Manolis arrive at Kallikrates with their scissors in order to help him shear his sheep. At the end of this tiring day, the breeder offers his visitors a rich meal under the mulberry trees standing in front of his house. The women of the family, who have strong personalities but keep out of the spotlight, begin cutting and washing large quantities of meat early in the morning.

When you take a look at the men with their moustaches, beards and black shirts sitting so seriously around the table, you can’t help but wonder how they would react if struck up a conversation. It is surprising how easily you change your mind about them, even from the first words expressed. They are open and remind you of giant-sized children who trust people without any reservations. They listen to you carefully and respect your opinion, while at the same time they do everything possible to get you out of your embarrassment and hesitation.

Even though Crete is surrounded by enormous seas, the mountains are much more characteristic to the island than the sea. The islands heart “beats” in the mountains and that’s where its "mysteries" are hidden. The countless crowds of tourists, led like sleepwalkers by the fashionable tourist guides, haven’t got the slightest idea about the magic of human relationships and characters existing on the top of the Cretan mountains.  

Eating by force

When I sat on the table I told Manolis I wouldn't eat or drink too much because I had to drive the dangerous road back to Fragkocastelo in the dark. "You'll sit, you'll eat and drink", he answered curtly, showing me he would not take no for an answer. "You will try everything and you'll not skip dishes over. It is forbidden to say no here, just close your eyes and eat. Don't worry about the way back, most of the people go up and down the road while drunk and nobody has ever been hurt".

Before I went to Manolis', I went for a coffee at the coffeehouse of Mr. Stelios Giannakakis in Kallikrates. "Now that you go to Manolis' house”, he told me, “you have to stay until the end and say no to nothing. You have no choice, promise that you keep this seriously in mind".
So I sat there and stared at the platters arriving, filled with spit roasted lamp, barley boiled into consommé, "furiariko" (wild goat) that tasted like "agrimaki" (ibex), fried rabbit, graviera cheese covered with honey and "thousands" of amazing delicacies. Before the first platters were emptied, the next were already coming and placed on the previous. It was a feast of tastes, a delight for the eyes and a deification of hospitality.

Outspoken words

-Do you check your cholesterol Manolis?
No we don't, in Sfakia we're not allowed to. Old men, hardly being able to move, eat meat knowing it is not good for their health. Men here don't even go to doctors, they go once and for all…(laughing).

-It amazes me that no woman is ever at the table.
-Don' make things difficult, he answered with a sly smile on his face. Here in the village we say that when the world is burning, you know who is to blame. Women. Don't judge by what you see. Women have the most important role in the world, I assure you. We, Cretans, fight to control them and at the same time to make them bring our babies into the world, but it is hard".

-The mountain is crowded with sheep. How do you know which of them are yours?
-First of all we scar them, we cut their ears, everyone uses their own special scars. Now we also have the code-earrings that the European Union gave us.

-Are you in debt? Do you get any loan for the breeder's job?
-I tend not to get myself messed up with loans, even if I'm starving. But I also tend not to starve.

-For how long do you think you'll stand playing the role of the breeder and of the only resident citizen of the village as well?
I think it won't last very long. When it is snowing here, a week can pass until we are unblocked. The breeder is the last one to be considered in today's economy. But if it weren't for us what would the people in the city eat? Pencils and pens? How long will I be able to withstand the pains in my back, the cold and the fatigue. Once, during a snowstorm, I was covered by the snow.

-Do you enjoy hunting?
-What am I supposed to hunt? You can't hunt any more, there are no animals to hunt; everything has fallen apart. Back in the day, grouses were uncountable, but now they hardly exist. I haven’t hunted grouses in ten years, and I also prevent other men from hunting. I have been in trouble because of this. They hunt inside my property, among my sheep.

-Do you love the sea, do you like it?
-Not at all.

-Do you eat fish?
-Sometimes I do but I don't really like it. I buy fish mostly for the children's sake, because they're said to be nutritious. Look, we mountainous people in Crete have meat to accompany our meat. If I don't eat meat one day I'm hungry, especially when I work. If one day I don't eat meat, the next day I can't control myself.

P.S. In Manolis Manouselis's table they didn't sing, nor dance, because the village was mourning two recent deaths.
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS

The sheep's tonsure demands many hands and great skills.

Sheep relieved from their wool.

The view of Libyan Sea from the White Mountains is breathtaking.

The road leading from Fragkocastelo to Kallikrates is very steep and dangerous.

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