Arts & Entertainment
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Taste sometimes is taken for granted
By muck uyer
Stiff jUfrOltef __
Editor’s Note: This is the first hi a
weck-kmg aeries ok senses. Each day,
members of the Arts and Entertainment
Staff will take theta* readers on a trip of
sight, sound, taste, touch and smeil. Have
a tasty day.
' 7s she taste in the tea or in the tongue ?
- Mark Voanegut, “Eden “
It’s an old question posed by
and pondered by western g
alike.
The zen master presents
the student to illustrate a
existence - the nature
student meditates on
zen “enlightenment,”
zen mind. It may takey
anything more about it
words that don’t describe wl
implications of this question
zen.
The western philosopher asks this ques
tion because the over-dependence on ra
tional thought processes to understand the
world force* a duality of thinking to
This duality required that
phrased and considered
Reason splits the phi
and logic only
Getting deep
Actually,
foun
thought they were saying and!-would re
read a sentence in my textbook 20 times just
times it’s good, sometimes it's bad, And all
too often, it’s a sense experience that is
taken for granted.
As a professional cook for a restaurant
that specializes in preparing foods that are
both delicious ana out of the ordinary, l
can't believe the way most people treat their
taste buds. Bland fast foods that depend on
“special sauce" to give them any fia
, packaged snack items with enough
atives to give them a shelf life into
century, microwave meals with no
~ they may be convenient and
which is fine, but that's
vantages end.
tude about food. It
a snack? Skip the chips or cookies
try fresh fruit or a bagei. If you drink
soda, try a fruit spritzer for variety. If you
drink coffee,
new restauran
hold of a cookbook
for friends at home,
than you think.
Epicurcaft diversions are
most rewarding ways to break
and get the spice back in your
let your taste buds gel in a
that if you get into the habit
ent and exciting foods once
rl* tappy ^
Restaurant owners say preparing
Greek meals is a labor of love
By Mick Dyer
Suff Reporter
Papa John’s restaurant, 114 S.
14th Street, is a dream come true
for the Kazas family.
After owning and operating
family steakhouse franchises in
Lincoln and Ohio, the Kazas fam
ily has. complete creative freedom
and financial control of its busi
ness for the first time in about 20
years.
Despina Kazas, who owns and
manages the restaurant with her
husband John, the restaurant’s
namesake, said they enjoy being
their own bosses.
’’With a franchise, you work
very hard for the franchise and
they (the franchise) make all the
moneyshe said. ” We owned the
franchise, but they told us what to
do.”
The restaurant is a labor of love
for the Kazas family. The menu
features authentic Greek foods,
prepared from family recipes,
ranging from gyro sandwiches to
daily specials - such as Mousaka,
a Greek eggplant casserole and
Dolmathes, stuffed grape leaves -
as well as fresh-baked Greek pas
tries.
The menu also offers quite a
few standard diner favorites such
as fried chicken, spaghetti and
roast beef dinners.
Mrs. Kazas said she makes the
daily specials and pastries herself.
She said the takes a lot of pride ip
the food they serve and cooks eve
rything with attention and love.
Four of the cbuple’s six chil
dren spend time working at Papa
John's. Mrs. Kazas said they take
as much pride in the restaurant as
their parents do.
"They care for the customers
as best they can," Mrs. Kazas said.
The restaurant opened April 24.
Mrs. Kazas said since then the
family-run restaurant has devel
oped a variety of steady customers
ranging from students to profes
sional people who work down
town.
The family’s concern for serv
ing quality food has paid off for
Papa John’s. Customers have told
Mrs. Kazas that her gyros are the
best in town. She said the secret to
her gyros is the type of meat (100
percent beef) and the homemade
sauce she uses.
“I've never had one com
Mrs. Kazas said. "Every
; ’You serv&good food a
ce,r aid they comeback."
nd the prices are quite reason
able; children's meals are $1.99;
allarndwiches are $2.99 including
and hrcad; and all dbmers are * V
$4.99 including salad, choice of
potato and bread. Breakfast items
also are available until 11 a.m. for
jirices ranging from $1.80 to
I had a piece of Greek lemon
custard. It had a mellow, sweet
. flavor and a smooth, creamy tex
ture. It wasn’t too heavy either and
made for a delicious afternoon
snack.
The restaurant was clean and
the walls were decorated wifta
photographs of places in Greecd
Tasteful arrangements of artificial
flowers set off every table. The
employees were friendly «a4 Ae
whole atmosphere was |nd
ndaxaL . ‘
itffca John's is open Sunday
through Thursday from 7 jefa. to 8
p m. and Friday and Saturday from
7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Pictured from ieft are John, George, Angela, Despina
and SteHa Katas.
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