highlifer

In praise of Gyros

This year I made a shortened trip to the Ohio State Fair and ate one of my favorite fair foods. Was it the corn dog? The elephant ear? The fried cheese? NO! It was the gyro.

Let's go back to the early 80's, when I was a young girl growing up in rural Ohio. Where a big fancy meal was at the Ponderosa, and ethnic food was a Jeno's pizza. I go to the Ohio State fair and see this thing called a "gyro." It smells delicious. It IS delicious. I eat about 6 of them, alternated with that other exotic food, the taco. (Later, a Taco Bell opened in Zanesville and my boyfriend at the time lived right behind it. Almost every day we went there, and I got a combo burrito, which they don't have anymore, but was just like the burrito supreme only with refried beans in it. YUM! Frankly, I could still eat at Taco Bell every day! Supersize this!)

But back to the humble gyro. When I went to THE Ohio State University, the gyro was the food of the late night drunk. Two places sold the $1 gyro and were open 24 hours - Apollo's, and the Honey Bee. I was an Apollo's fan, since it was also the punk rock club. But Apollos/Honey bee could start arguments just like Genos/Pats or Acme/whatever that other oyster house is in New Orleans that I never go to.

The late night gyro,, after a night of drinking, always left a taste in your mouth like gyro poop the next day. But it was all worth it.

The gyro. Lamby meat on a spit. Creamy white sauce. That soft but toasty pita bread. Juicy tomatoes. Sheer perfection.

My first day in Baltimore, we went to the diner in Canton Square. I was so pleased to see the gyro spits turning. Welcome to Baltimore, which even has it's own Greektown! Yes, I'll have a gyro please.

posted by jamie @ 2:53 PM