Breakfast Lessons in Sri Lanka, part 1

I’m back from Sri Lanka and still reflecting on what an amazing time I had. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the hotel breakfast, and not just because I love breakfast or how good the food was. I loved sharing a table with different people from different parts of the world, and getting to know them.

“What do you normally do for New Year’s?” Kami asked.

“Usually I’m home with friends and family,” I said. “What about you?”

“This,” she said, gesturing around us. “Last year I was in Bali when they didn’t have the camp, and the year before that I was in Vietnam. My dad’s birthday is at the end of January, so I usually travel to see family then.”

“Cool,” I said. “I kind of wish I’d started coming to this camp earlier. What about you, Vasilis?”

“January 1st is my name day, and January 2nd is my brother’s birthday,” he said. “So we usually have a gathering on the evening of January 1st, and when it turns midnight we celebrate my brother.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “What is ‘name day?’”

“In Greece, most names have a specific day, usually tied to a saint or biblical figure,” he explained. “You prepare food at home, and people just come over. They don’t call, they just show up since they know it’s your name day.”

“That’s fascinating,” I said. “So you celebrate both name days and birthdays?”

“Yes, usually. Some people only celebrate name days, but many do both.”

“We have something similar in Bulgaria,” Kami added.

Because we were at breakfast, the conversation turned, as it often does, to food. I asked Vasilis about Greek yogurt, which is when I learned that live yogurt cultures actually originated in Bulgaria. Later, I looked at a map and realized Bulgaria sits right next to Greece, which suddenly made the whole thing feel obvious.

That’s how breakfast typically went on this trip. One question turns into three, a casual meal turns into a geography lesson, and I walk away knowing a little more about how other people mark time, celebrate family, and carry traditions I never grew up with.

It’s still surprising to me how much of Europe I don’t really understand, even after visiting so many places. But mornings like this remind me that understanding doesn’t come from passports or stamps. It comes from shared tables, unhurried conversations, and being curious enough to ask why someone celebrates January 1st a little differently than I do.