Eats, shoots (pics), and leaves, part 3

Street food edition

Welcome to my occasionally recurring segment on foods. If you’ve been with me for a while, you may have already seen part 1 and part 2. This time, the focus is on street foods I’ve enjoyed. When you get to the comments, let me know about your street food memories—and your recommendations.

Chestnuts and whatnot in Athens

It was Christmas season in Athens when I had my first roasted chestnuts. You know the cliché about a food tasting like chicken? I swear, the roasted chestnuts tasted somehow like chicken. These street vendors set up with their tiny portable grills in Athens around the National Garden and Syntagma Square—and other places, no doubt.

I’m remembering a dorky conversation I once had with Svetlana (keep in mind, no nuts were present at the time):

S: What do you call those nuts—I think it begins with a K.

L: Do you mean chestnuts?

S: That’s it!

L: Because in German they’re Kastanien.

S: Yeah, in Serbian they’re kesten.