the Greek taverna is one of the most civilised social inventions in human history hear me out 😩 you arrive, usually with people and the table is in the street or near the sea the waiter doesn't rush you he brings water and bread and olives without being asked you order in the general direction of what you want - more plates arrive than you ordered because the kitchen decided something else was also good today you eat across two hours the conversation moves through subjects, nobody checks their phone at some point - maybe hour 3 - the owner brings 3 small glass of something on the house not because you asked but because you've been there long enough to be a real customer now that the Greek taverna figured out - probably 2,000 years ago - is that the purpose of a meal is the experience of being human in a specific place with specific people the food enables that it doesn't replace it modern restaurant culture forgot this the Greek taverna never did