George and Maria Stamatakos' cafe-restaurant in Mitata is one of the island's great attractions. George's service and Maria's irresistible laugh - not to mention her delicious village cuisine - draw guests from all corners of Kythera. Of the three cafes in the village, theirs is situated to the left of the other two when viewed from the town square, a location which suits the political leanings of its owners. Greece is split between three political parties and this is mirrored in the cafe culture of Mitata, George and Maria's cafe purportedly representing the staunchly socialist. Purported in that although a copy of Marx's "Das Kapital" indeed takes pride of place in George's modest library, one could safely assume it has never been read, being as it is in German. And, perhaps rather appropriately, it is the only book in the shelf which is upside down. In 1989 a fundamental change took place at George and Maria's restaurant. Now growing a little older, they realised their inability to further offer an extensive menu, and consequently adopted a foolproof service technique: upon seating their guests, whether two or twenty, they save precious time and trouble by disappearing into the kitchen to battle together enough plates of food to feed twice the number. Before the guests have comprehended the system, Maria is already scuttling back and forth with dishes of chip omelettes, tender rabbit in clove sauce, stewed goat and boiled greens, while George has prepared fresh salads of tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese - all of which, he reports, are home-grown and home-made. This no-one doubts, despite the many plant pots on the wall separating the restaurant from the garden which look very much like converted Dutch feta canisters.
