Unpacking My Obsessions: Why My Life is a Buffet of Peculiar Passions

They say obsession is just passion gone rogue. If that’s true, my life is practically a heist movie where quirky fascinations keep commandeering my time, hijacking my conversations, and occasionally, ruining my attempts at playing it cool during dinner dates. But isn’t that what makes us who we are? The little oddities that flicker in the background, shaping our lives like the hidden spices in grandma’s best recipe.

Today, I invite you to pull up a chair at my table of obsessions—where philosophy meets food, and where romance, music, and the messy joys of life intersect. Don’t worry: weirdness is welcome here.

1. The Overthinking Strategist: Me, Plato, and Your Flirting Game

Let me put it this way—if I could ask one person for dating advice, it would probably be Plato. Now, hear me out—because this is precisely the kind of thing I’ve been known to bring up on dates (and why second dates are never guaranteed). I grew up in Athens, a city that breathes philosophy the way other cities inhale exhaust fumes. And while most people carry a love for sports teams, I instead drag along my obsession with ancient Greek debates and the unreasonable expectation that the wisdom of a guy from 2,000 years ago still applies to modern romance.

Take Plato’s idea of “forms,” his notion of perfect ideals: the perfect chair, the perfect love. Dating, in my head, mirrors this eternal search. Every awkward first date becomes a philosophical investigation. Could this be the ideal form of coffee-drinking companionship, or am I just nodding along to another lecture on cryptocurrency? Spoiler: It’s usually the latter.

If I’m honest, though, my obsession with philosophy doesn’t just live in an abstract universe of “what-ifs.” It’s helped me. Asking Platonic questions can transform a conversation from, “What do you do for work?” to, “What’s something you’ve always wanted to create, even if it didn’t pay a cent?” (Fun fact: This question has a 67% success rate of making someone smile. Even cryptocurrency fans.)

Your Takeaway: If you’re passionate about something—even if it’s geeky—don’t hold back. Whether it’s Marvel superheroes, artisan coffee, or an encyclopedic knowledge of rom-com tropes, sharing your passions is more attractive than rehearsing safe, cookie-cutter replies. If they call your obsessions “too much,” they’re not your person anyway.

2. The Gastronomy Gambit: Food Is (Still) the Ultimate Love Language

Growing up in a family of Greek restaurateurs, food was never just nourishment. It was art, strategy, and therapy all rolled into one. That’s how food became one of my dominant obsessions—closely tied to relationships because, frankly, if you don’t eat half the fries off my plate, this won’t work.

Dinner, for me, isn’t a date backdrop; it’s the plot. The sights, smells, and textures—every dish tells a story you’re now part of. I’ve learned that people are rarely more themselves than when they’re sharing a plate of saganaki or debating whether pineapple belongs on pizza. (It doesn’t. Plato would agree.)

Food has also taught me the romance of effort. Picture this: When two people cook together, idiotically fumbling with pasta dough or realizing too late they bought cilantro instead of parsley, they’re building something messy but theirs. It’s not about the result; it’s the delicious chaos of being vulnerable with another person.

My years running a boutique hotel on a Greek island only fueled this obsession. Food was a bridge; even when guests didn’t speak the same language, “Try this,” accompanied by a plate of loukoumades, communicated more than words ever could. And honestly? That’s what I want to offer in relationships—the universal comfort of sharing something simple yet profound.

Your Takeaway: Incorporate food into your love life. Try cooking together for date five instead of defaulting to Netflix (unless you’re making popcorn). Also, take note: how someone treats a waiter reveals more than their Hinge profile ever could.

3. Zorba, Kazantzakis, and Dancing Like No One’s Judging

Speaking of obsessions: Zorba the Greek is my life philosophy in novel form—and also the source of my belief that you should approach both love and obsession like the titular Zorba: wildly, unapologetically, with arms wide open and eyes laughing at your own ridiculousness. Zorba’s ethos, as captured by Nikos Kazantzakis, is this beautiful balance of carefreeness and reverence for life’s fleeting moments.

Because here’s the thing: I tend to overthink (hello, Plato), but Zorba reminds me to live. That’s where another obsession of mine slips in—dance. Not ballroom; I’m talking the kind of dancing you do when someone starts playing a bouzouki tune at 2 a.m. after half a bottle of ouzo.

My worst (…best?) dancing moment happened at a secluded hotel wedding, where one guest insisted I teach her to dance like Zorba. True to the movie, we ended up stomping in a circle of equally dubious amateurs, the moon overhead, the laughter unrestrained. Sure, I looked like a baby giraffe trying to moonwalk, but every obsession deserves its moment of abandon.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that Zorba-level dancing belongs in romance, too. Vulnerability, kindness, and the willingness to risk looking a little foolish are the secret ingredients to the kind of story you’ll want to keep retelling.

Your Takeaway: Whatever your version of a moonlit dance is—karaoke, hiking, stargazing—lean into it. Love doesn’t come from playing it safe. It comes from showing up fully, flaws and all, and seeing who decides to dance along anyway.

4. Culture as Chemistry: Romantic Travel and the One-Suitcase Rule

When I ran that boutique hotel on Santorini, romance bloomed in quiet corners. Travelers from all over the globe would come through, people often lugging lonely hearts and open minds. And somewhere by the sea, over glasses of ouzo or late-night bonfires, connections would form.

I carry this obsessive curiosity about cross-cultural romance. My lived experience has made clear that cultural differences, instead of being barriers, can ignite chemistry. Whether it’s the ritual of splitting the bill (the British technique) vs. ordering tapas for the whole table (the Mediterranean way), these small differences force you to reevaluate your habits, thinking, and communication skills.

Also, spoiler: Travel makes things hot. Anyone who’s navigated a motorbike break-down in Crete or wrangled directions from a non-English-speaking shopkeeper knows that nothing bonds two people faster than shared adversity. Maybe that’s why my other obsession—minimalist travel—pairs so well with romance. I pack light, partly out of practicality, but mostly because love and adventure fare better when you aren’t weighed down by three pairs of shoes you won’t wear.

Your Takeaway: If life’s got you stuck, take your romance (or healing) abroad. Whether it’s through new landscapes, languages, or cuisines, putting yourself in fresh situations often expands perspectives—and relationships.

The Empowering (and Slightly Cliché) Conclusion

Obsessions, quirks, fixations—they’re not flaws or social faux-pas waiting to be edited out. They’re breadcrumb trails to who we are. So, let your little idiosyncrasies run free. Unleash your fanatic love for taco trucks. Quote Kazantzakis like it’s 1935. And always, always, order the appetizer.

You never know who might fall in love—not just with you—but with the wonderfully peculiar banquet of things that make your life yours.