This Will Put Some Hair On Your Chest

When Ben and I stayed with my grandma and grandpa in Florida, we visited a nearby town that boasts "sponge docks". The sponge docks are where boats go out and bring back sponges from the ocean to sell. The industry started around 1900 when experienced divers from Greece moved to Tarpon Springs to dive for sponges.

Now, the area boasts many Greek restaurants and bakeries in addition to the sponge shops. Although the need for sponges isn't what it once was, men still continue the tradition.

We browsed one shop and really liked the young guy who showed us the different sponges that he had gotten from the ocean. If we bought one, he said, we got a free shot of ouzo.

"Ouzo?" I hesitantly replied.

"A Greek liquor," he said. "90 proof."

He needn't tell us twice - when in Rome, do as the Romans do! We bought the sponge and he poured us little plastic cups of ouzo. I sniffed it. My bravery wavered. It smelled like liquified black licorice. Uh-oh!

Ben nodded his head and without thinking twice, we downed our ouzo (I chased mine with a cup of water). Whew! If anything is going to put hair on your chest... THAT will.