"We can see that Hellenism is fading out but we won't leave. It's hard to leave behind something that works for you and rebuild your life from scratch. Besides, even though we were spoilt as children, we are also taught how to stand on our feet during hardships. We are not only 'fair weather' children".

She adored Athenagoras

Dora Kanja-Tekkenden is the head accountant of a Turkish clothes factory. She graduated from the Joachimian Greek primary school and then attended the Maraslios Greek Urban School.

"The buses that went to the Great School of the Nation and the Joachimian school used to let out in front of the Orthodox Patriarchate every day. When we got off the bus we saw Patriarch Athenagoras waving his hand and greeting us from his window. You can't imagine how happy I was when he called me by my first name, Theodora. We used to play in the courtyard of Panagia Vlachernon Church and he came to offer us candy. He liked seeing children play outside the churches. Our favourite game was hopscotch but we also loved the rag dolls with the porcelain faces".

When Dora narrates stories from the old days, you can almost see the image coming alive in front of you; like watching an old movie.

Her father, Chris Kanjas, was a pharmacist. "All his medicines were made by hand, mixed in whitewash marble mortars that were sparkly clean. He began with the smallest mortar and ended up using the biggest one. The pharmacy's closets had various colours, each one with its own special meaning. For example, the red ones and the green ones had the strong powders; that is why he always locked them up and kept the keys in his pocket".

Her mother taught her to cook 

Dora still keeps the luxurious plates where she and her family used to eat, the ones with flowers and khanums (Turkish women) drawn on their surfaces. Her mother, along with her and her two sisters, used to cook "hunkiar beyendi" in the summer. In Turkish "hunkiar" means "officer" and "beyendi" means "liked", so the name of the dish can loosely be translated to "the food that the sultan liked".

"It is made with aubergines from Constantinople, which have a dull colour, they're not lilac like the Greek ones. We used to make a hole in them with a fork and let them roast. Then we peeled them, washed them to remove the black spots and strained them. In another pot where we added butter, milk, some flour, salt, pepper and once it was roasted we'd mix in the aubergine and grated cheese. We served it with meat and it was delicious. It was the best dish, especially for those who really love food. It took a long time to be made, but it was worth it".

She is worried about Greece

Dora is happy every time Greek prime ministers visit Turkey. All the Greeks in Constantinople sit in front of their TVs willing to see the Greek leaders signing bilateral agreements that would improve the Diaspora's position inside Turkey. 

They are impressed, though, when the Turkish channels promote these visits more than the Greek ones. People who watch satellite Greek channels pinch themselves to be sure they're not asleep. The prime minister is nowhere to be found, and they only show fights and brawls.
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com