Animal Welfare - Traditional views of Working Animals Versus Pets in Homes

Animals in Crete information attempts to explain the cultural differences in attitudes towards pet welfare between the local Greeks and Northern Europeans. Times are changing rapidly with many animal welfare centres established by local private  groups in the main towns. Each municipality has by EU law to establish and operate a dog rescue centre.

Animal Welfare is being taken more seriously by Cretan/Greek residents and expats alike to improve the well being of pets in their custody from retired donkeys, to stray dogs and feral cats. The podcasts cover a range of subjects from within Greece and overseas including RSPCA in Britain.

The Chance to Be More Positive doing the daily chores and the Rest in sunshine weather

For Brits in Crete, we as expects have high expectations of the quality of life in Greece, especially Crete. Happily, we cover comprehensively lots of information in this website on what an expat can expect to encounter in day-to-day life. Our sister forum website also offers experiences of those who have already moved from the UK or elsewhere and settled down in Greece.

At least from day-to-day you can expect the sun to shine longer and more frequently than in Northern Europe throughout the whole year, for example. puts one into a more positive frame of mind and outlook on life.

Cretan cuisine (Κρητική κουζίνα)

We appreciate that the traditional Cretan diet is known as being one of the healthiest in the world. Several studies have been carried out to test the effect of Cretan cuisine on human health. The island had attracted the attention of the scientific community as early as 1948.

Cretan cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Mediterranean island of Crete.

The core of the cuisine consists of food derived from natural sources, whereas food of animal origin was more peripheral in nature. In general, people consumed seasonal products, available in the wider local area, which underwent minimal processing or none at all. The traditional cuisine was widespread in the island until the 1960s.

Fresh and dried fruits, pulses, endemic wild herbs and aromatic plants, and rough cereals, whose cultivation was favoured by the regional climate, were consumed in great amounts and constituted the base of the Cretan cuisine during that period.

Dairy products were consumed on a daily basis in low to moderate quantities. Poultry and fish were consumed on a weekly basis in moderate quantities, whereas red meat was consumed only a few times a month.

The main supply of fat was effectuated by olive oil, which was used not only in salads but also in cooking. Another essential feature of the Cretan cuisine was the moderate use of alcohol, mainly red wine which accompanied meals. Finally, the most common dessert was fresh fruits, while traditional pastry based on honey had been consumed a few times a week.

Initially, the protective effect of the Cretan cuisine for human health was attributed to its high monounsaturated fat content, due to the daily use of olive oil, as well as to low saturated fat, due to the low consumption of red meat. Today it is recognized that this particular nutritional scheme possesses important additional features, providing the necessary micro-constituents (i.e. vitamins and minerals), being rich in ω-3 fatty acids, vegetable fibers, antioxidants and various photochemical, which have significant influence on several body functions, and a beneficial effect on health.

So now we will look at the actual recipies used in Cretan Cuisine and some in the wider area of Greece.  If anyone has a favourite recipe that they would like published please send it to us, and we will re-publish it for you and give you credit. Recognition also, by way of a link to your website if you have one.

Greek Humour, nothing connected to Plato or Aristotle but that which is enjoyed by English speakers who are the Brits in Crete

The Basis for Jest in the West From the Greek Philosophers

"Western humour theory begins with Plato, who attributed to Socrates (as a semi-historical dialogue character) in the Philebus  the view that the essence of the ridiculous is an ignorance in the weak, who are thus unable to retaliate when ridiculed. Later, in Greek philosophy, Aristotle, in the Poetics, suggested that an ugliness that does not disgust is fundamental to humour."

Source: Wikipedia

Note: Humour = spelling in English from UK, while humor is the American spelling form

British People Who Make a Name for Themselves on Crete

This section of the britsincrete.net website focusses on those Brits who have made their home on Crete and have carved a niche or area of interest in which they have gained a reputation. The British community on the island of Crete is one of the larger groups of foreign residents.

Animal Welfare - Traditional views of Working Animals Versus Pets in Homes

Animals in Crete information attempts to explain the cultural differences in attitudes towards pet welfare between the local Greeks and Northern Europeans. Times are changing rapidly with many animal welfare centres established by local private  groups in the main towns. Each municipality has by EU law to establish and operate a dog rescue centre.

Animal Welfare is being taken more seriously by Cretan/Greek residents and expats alike to improve the well being of pets in their custody from retired donkeys, to stray dogs and feral cats. The podcasts cover a range of subjects from within Greece and overseas including RSPCA in Britain.

Healthcare in an Expat Setting

Both in this website "BritsinCrete.net" and our sister forum site, gives significant coverage to aspects of taking care of ourselves and wellbeing when resident in Greece and living in Crete