We met her standing outside her shop in Alona village, in Nicosia District. Her face had a big smile, and she looked like a 15-year-old bursting with life, a teenager not missing any chance to greet and invite people for ham and lunch.
“Come on down, let us treat you with traditional ‘shiromeri’ [ham] or ‘lountza’ [traditional Cypriot cold meat consisting of smoked pork].”
Without missing any time, she dragged me by the hand into her little kingdom and began the “tour.” Mrs. Maria, despite how cute she looks, is a typical Cypriot woman from another era who has worked exceptionally hard in her life under challenging conditions.
She told us about the “art” of harvesting grapes, and how hard it is to butcher the animals she feeds so she will make all those traditional products. But, then again, using all the advice from her parents, she starts turning everything she holds into “mezeklikkia” [small edible in small pieces that accompany wine drinking or ouzo drinking]. Then, she starts narrating the procedure: how she wakes up early in the morning, so she can work and do all the hard job.
Mrs. Maria Theofanous has maintained the business “Allantopoiia Theofanous” [Theophanous Charcutery] since 1970.
Looking at her, the novel “The Mother,” written in 1934 by the American writer Pearl Buck, comes to my mind. The book is about the daily life and activities of a mother who supports her poor farm family with her unceasing work and steadfast devotion. The story takes place in early 20th-century China.
Pearl Buck wonders:
“Is there a difference for a mother from one day to another?
In the morning, the mother awoke and rose before dawn. While the others were still asleep, she opened the door, did all the farm work, cleaned up all the dirt they had made during the night, gathered them up, and made a pile of them in the corner of the corral. While the others were still sleeping, she went into the kitchen, lit the fire, and boiled water for the man and the old woman to drink when they got up, and she poured some of it into a wooden basin to cool it down a little so that she could wash the eyes of her little girl”.
I look at Mrs. Maria. Is there any difference between one mother and another who share the same sky?”.
