Me: Born in Athens, raised in the American Midwest. A writer who cooks to relax, work through blocked creativity and indulge her inner Greek mama.

Eats: Scottish scones, nabeyaki udon, mushroom risotto, blueberry pancakes, enchiladas, salads with pomegranate seeds, most dishes with sweet potatoes, chipotle or quince

Drinks: almond milk, Riesling, northern Greek red wine, fresh-brewed coffee, chai with star anise, Japanese green tea, hot chocolate with chestnut spoon sweet.

Sings along to: The Doves, Kate Rusby, Chris Whitley, Ray LaMontagne, Rosie Thomas, Vienna Teng, Duran Duran, Men Without Hats.

Can’t stop re-reading: Norman Maclean, Penelope Fitzgerald, Alice Munro, Raymond Carver, Seamus Heaney, that weird Gastronomica story about prisons and “spreads”

Is befuddled by: Smokers, bouzouki music, Athenian ‘urban planning’ (if that’s what they must call it), men who wear hair gel and untucked oxford shirts.

Loves: Hazel Dell mushrooms (from Fort Collins, Colorado!), Korres mango butter lipstick, yoga brunches, sharing bike lanes in Boulder with deer.

Daydreams about: old-growth forests, really fresh asparagus, President Barack Obama (one dream that came true!)

Avoids: People who use the phrase “bus class,” those who are not friends with deodorant, fake leftists, Euro-poseurs who diss the Midwestern US.

Wishes she could: paint, sculpt, levitate, speak French and Italian, find true love.