When one pictures Greece, one often thinks of the idea of philoxenia, or “love of strangers,” thanks also to the extensive photographic works of Robert McCabe.
McCabe has documented the astounding beauty of Greece through his camera lens since his very first visit to the island of Santorini in 1954. It is through his lifetime of work that one can truly understand the depth of philoxenia in Greek life.
In his published work Santorini – Portrait of a Vanished Era, one sees the island of Santorini before the onslaught of mass tourism, and the Greek generosity of spirit is encapsulated in every photo. Not only does McCabe capture the island’s images, but he also shares the stories of the people.
One story in particular stands out among the rest—that of Loucas’ Restaurant. When visiting Santorini with friends, McCabe would share two or three meals a day with Loucas at his taverna. At the end of every meal, McCabe would of course request a bill, but the response he received was always “later.”
By the end of the week, at the final meal they would even share on the island, the group of photographers told Loucas that they were leaving and asked for the final bill, and the response was simply “souvenir…souvenir.” Loucas would simply not take any payment from them.
McCabe recalls in his book: “He was insistent that we could not pay for anything! It was a gesture that none of us will ever forget. He was in business, struggling to raise a family. What was he thinking? How could this be? (In the end one of us sneaked into the kitchen and left some money under a plate.)”
McCabe captures Greek philoxenia
The authentic philoxenia that Loucas showed his guests that week would not go unforgotten by McCabe, even after all this time.
The stories of Greek philoxenia are numerous, but few people have captured the generosity of the Greek people, the elements of their everyday lives, and the sometimes stark beauty of the country’s landscape, quite like Robert McCabe.
It is through photographic works such as these that he has become an honorary Greek citizen, a great distinction for the lifetime philhellene who has brought the beauty of Greece to the entire world.
Related: Greece Named One of the World’s Most Generous Nations in New Study
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