As the Greek economy rages, so do the Greeks. With more citizens taking to the streets in protest, tensions are bound to run high and sometimes, things get out of hand. Literally. In the past few years, more Greeks have been expressing their frustration by throwing Greek yogurt in the faces of politicians and government officials.
While food throwing has long been a means of protest in many cultures, the Greek practice of using yogurt (yaourtoma) originated in the late 1950s. Inspired by a group of rebellious young Brits known as the “Teddy Boys,” Greeks decided to protest in a similar way — sometimes using Greek yogurt as a weapon. As the trend gained traction, the government quickly passed a law to curtail it in 1958, making yogurt throwing a crime punishable by public humiliation. Offenders would have their heads shaved and be forced to walk the streets in tattered clothes.
In 1983, the Greek government withdrew the law and the practice of yaourtoma mostly ceased. But since the economic crisis started a few years ago, Greek politicians have once again become targets. And, unlike the Teddy Boys of the 20th century, men and women of all ages are now taking part.
Food throwing as a means of protest isn’t limited to the Greeks. In France, Nicolas Sarkozy and Bernard-Henri Lévy have been subjected to the practice of entartage or the act of throwing a pie. So, why do the Greeks choose to throw yogurt? Firstly, for practical reasons — when the practice began, yogurt had just been changed from ceramic pots to lightweight plastic containers, making them the perfect means for insulting someone without necessarily causing injury. Secondly, yogurt is cheap and readily available. It wouldn’t make much sense to throw caviar.
Even more interesting is the cultural symbolism of yogurt in Greece. Leonidas Vournelis is an expert in Greek culture and politics explains: “The sharp contrast between eating food—traditionally a social activity in Greece based on sharing, remembering, and exchanging—and using food as a tool of condemnation and ridicule reflects the sharp contrast between the protestors’ vision for Greece and the government’s vision for the country and its people. Throwing food is a symbol that can capture the notion not only of disrespect, but of a failure of Greekness on the part of the government.”
While some politicians are understandably miffed by the practice, others have accepted it as due course for the government’s transgressions. Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Sokratis Xinidis, welcomes it with open arms, saying, “The time has come for all of us to pay the price. I am ready to be thrown a yogurt…”
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