A Time To Reap

The Allied invasion of Patmos began last week. As we had been warned, mid-July to early August is Patmos' peak season. The French seem to have taken hold of the lower end of the island – with strong concentrations around Petra and Grikos – but also being well represented in Skala. A second wave of invasion came from American tourists – which becomes amplified when cruise ships pull into town for their four-hour shore excursion periods. Then, far more American voices can be heard. This seems to be drowning out the pockets of Germans we encountered when we first arrived three weeks ago. Scattered Italians seem present and we have encountered one Canadian family of Greek origin. In fact, we have met several Greco-American and Greco-Australian families where returning to Greece, and specifically Patmos is an annual or at least frequent family ritual. 

Emily and I have never been on Patmos before late August, so this busier season is new. It's not crazy, by any means – but certainly we aren't used to seeing full parking lots of finding the tables at my favorite organic farm-to-Greek Table restaurant near Petra full of French patrons enjoying long, lavish lunches as only French patrons can.

Locals will tell you that they earn their living in only four months of the year – June through September (though the seasonal businesses often include May and October for good measure) – so they work long hours during those months, usually 9-12 and 5 to 11 for retail and potentially the entire day and night for cafes, hotels, supermarkets, etc. This is the modern version of the harvest season – when Patmosians reap their profits and store cash for the winter when many take it easy and/or take their own vacations.

But as discussed many years ago, the Greek approach to business can be puzzling. For starters, a surprising number of shop owners and employees look almost put out when we arrive in their shops. Nowhere is more so than many of the prime bakeries – busy places with thin margins which probably rely on strong sales volumes and repeat customers. The employees and owners often give a look that seemingly says, "Really? You need me to get you that?!" And I always think, "Isn't that the business model here?". But it extends to clothing shops, many restaurants and especially the organized beaches. Organized beaches are those with lounge chairs and umbrellas you pay to rent for the day. The success  of this highly seasonal business relies on as many people as possible paying then 5-7 euros per day for a chair, and they have a limited supply of them. But inevitably, the person in charge of collecting our money and seating us looks pained they had to bother to the point where I am almost a little apologetic. 

What's also surprising is that in a country where tourism in their largest industry and again, where that happens in a condensed part of the year, most people don't seem to focus on upselling. Emily and I have noticed that if a restaurant offers four brands of ouzo, for example, and she orders a "small bottle of ouzo", she is rarely asked which kind. Instead, they bring her the lowest priced item by default. The butcher is always careful to caution me against buying too much – he helps ensure I buy exactly what I need. Servers in restaurants too are likely to help us determine if we have too much or too little food for the family when we order. The grocery and laundry delivery men have each told me there is no need to tip them. There is a refreshing and charming honesty – even if it doesn't always seem that they're working in their best interests.

No one here tells you what their best wine is, recommends a particular item on the menu (though they will tell you what they personally like if asked or which of two items is better or fresher), points out the most popular item in their shop or offers to help you find what you're looking for. Not only are they not going to oversell you, they really aren't going to sell to you at all. The money comes, or it doesn't.

One could chalk it up to island behavior – many island cultures are slower paced. But the Greek economy as a whole isn't exactly thriving and amazingly, the success of businesses in the Greek islands is critical to the nation's overall well-being. 

Perhaps the biggest problem Greece faces is its difficulty joining the post-industrial economy. We live in a world where ideas and the ability to synthesize information drive our economic growth and are the determiner of wealth among nations.  Even many of the most resource-rich countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Chile and Venezuela are unable to thrive while countries with little to no natural resources such as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan can stand as economic titans. 

Like many countries with abundant natural resources and a strong agricultural sector – Greece has long been able to get by living off the fat of the land. But time has run out on that approach. Currently, its top industries are:

• Tourism
• Food and tobacco processing
• Textiles
• Chemicals
• Metal products
• Mining
• Petroleum (90th globally in production and 57th globally in exports)

These were enough to get people buy in a slow-moving industrial economy and in the days when Greece could control and live with its own devalued drachma. However, as a member of the EU with foreign loans hanging over its head, Greece has new troubles.

While island life is not necessarily an indicator of a country's overall economic status and business practices (as in Thailand where life open the touristy islands gives no indication of how sophisticated many of its agricultural and industrial sectors have become), you can get a glimpse into a culture's outlook. 

We recently discovered a small, modern-looking bakery in an unlikely spot in town. We stopped by and the very kind, engaging and eloquent woman who owns it was uncharacteristically (for a bakery) happy to see us and explained everything to us. She had an idea to bring Greek bougatsas - a phyllo-wrapped pie of Thessaloniki origin with various kinds of sweet and savory fillings to Patmos. This lady came up with all kinds of interesting fillings and flavors including chocolate, tahini, chicken, beef, a Mediterranean mix of cheeses and vegetables and using almond milk for a non-dairy cream-pie. 

"I had an idea to bring something very new to Patmos!"

Which made her awesome – because virtually no one says that and even fewer have a spark about what they do. Only, most of the bakeries in Patmos have those same style of pies. Maybe not as many varieties of fillings. Yet, many of theirs have similar fillings in crusts not different enough that the average foreigner probably cares that much. She tried to disrupt a saturated market with something only marginally different. Her stuff is great and we applaud her enthusiasm and quality. The tahini pie is also incredible and she does make the best "cream pie" on Patmos. So, we'll continue to support her. But if this is innovation, baby, we're stuck…

To be fair to both Patmos and Greece, few countries in Europe, let alone the world, place the same emphasis on customer service, sales, efficiency or innovation as the United States. That's not to brag because there's a lot to be said about stopping work for a two-hour lunch with friends in the middle of the workday like the French or being able to sit in a cafe for four hours without being pressured to order more like here – or most of Europe for that matter. As one man in Cannes asked me, what did I gain by working while eating my lunch except missing the real taste of my food and essentially ending up with cold pizza? Had I just paused for 20 minutes, would I have really fallen behind? Or would I be better off for having enjoyed my lunch? A point that often haunts me when I eat at my desk. Not everything is about doing, accomplishing or being tended to as a valued customer.

Still, sometimes it would be nice if I showed up with the intention of spending my money and it appeared that the other party welcomed it.