A Touch of Spice

"To keep things interesting, life needs a little spice - like food": A Touch of Spice is a sensual, bitter-sweet comedy about the loss of home, friendship and love, and how cooking can teach valuable lessons about life. Greek astrophysicist Fanis learns that his grandfather Vassilis has fallen ill. He sets out on a final journey to visit him in Istanbul, where the whole family once lived. Fanis begins to remember his childhood in Istanbul, where his grandfather taught him his first lessons in astronomy using spices. The word gastronomy also contains the word astronomy, according to the old man. Pepper is warm and burns like the sun, cinnamon is sweet and bitter like Venus and therefore women. Spices have magical and healing powers, Fanis learns during the exciting hours with his grandfather, in whose attic he used to play with the girl Saime. But the idyll is shattered when the Turks force the Greeks to leave the country in 1964. Fanis' family mourns the loss of their homeland, and for seven-year-old Fanis, the world collapses: He has to leave behind not only his grandfather, but also his best friend Saime. Now, 30 years later, Fanis, now a passionate cook himself, wonders if he has managed to add enough spice to his own life. Humor, tenderness, a dash of romance and mouthwatering culinary delights are the essential ingredients of this moving yet witty story.