1. Without fail, they made you go to church with them every Sunday.
2. They strongly encouraged you to marry someone who was Greek and would play matchmaker despite your protests.
3. The quickest way to disappoint them would be to miss a Greek school class.
4. They taught you how to shake your hips to all of the best Greek folk dances.
5. You would always hear the same stories of how they moved to America with nothing in their pockets.
6. They didn't hesitate to give you their secret recipe to make the best Spanakopita in town.
7. No matter how many times you told them you weren't hungry, they still made food for you...
8. ... And despite how much food you ate, they gave you copious amounts of plates to take home.
9. You never understood how your Pappou could drink so much Ouzo.
10. If there was one thing your Grandparents disagreed about, it was the Civil War in Greece.
My Greek grandparents are literally arguing over who's home got destroyed first in the war that happened decades ago
11. You only remembered your Yia-Yia wearing nothing but black clothes.
12. You lost count of how many times you heard about the horrors of the evil eye.
Don't forget to do your cross.
13. Every corner of their house was covered in religious icons.
14. The only two channels your Grandparents ever watched were ERT World and the Antenna.
There's nothing like those good ol' Greek soap operas to keep you going. Right, Pappou?
15. They never missed an opportunity to sing songs like "Kalanta Of The New Year" during the holidays.
16. And the sound of your Pappou playing his clarinet would echo through the entire house.
It was an after dinner ritual.
17. There was always an ice cold glass of Nescafé waiting for you whenever you came over.
18. And they were always ready to tell you your fortune whenever you finished that cup of Greek espresso.
Free of charge.
19. You were constantly in awe at the power of their green thumb.
And most importantly, they taught you how to be proud of where you came from and to appreciate the values of being Greek.
So dance on. Because after all, we're Greek, aren't we? We dance!