Nightclubs in Greece
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Nightclubs in Greece are divided into two main categories: those that feature live Greek music with artists, and the usual foreign music discotheques or bars.
[edit] Bouzoukia
All nightclubs that feature laïkó music in Greece are popularily called bouzoukia (deriving from the plural of the main Greek instrument bouzouki), or sometimes pejoratively "skyladika" ("dog joints" - dog meaning here the one involved in bouzoukia). Their typical arrangement includes an elevated stage ("pista") where singers, dancers and musicians perform, and a court of elongated tables positioned at right angles to the stage so that every guest can see the spectacle. The corridors between those tables are usually very narrow so as to increase store capacity, which makes access by customers and the waiters themselves quite difficult.
A short menu is available to those who want to eat, but is rarely ordered, since the customers usually limit their consumption to alcoholic beverages with assorted nuts or raw vegetables.
Whole tables are reserved days earlier, especially when the singers are popular, and the customers are expected to "make a damage" (bill) proportional to the prominence of their table's position. The most advantageous tables are considered those immediately adjacent to the stage and in the center ("proto trapezi pista"), and are always reserved for rich and famous (i.e. spending) customers.
Throwing plates at the performer's feet was a practice popular until the 1970s when "plate smashing" was forbidden by law. It rarely happens today, despite the belief of some foreigners that it is a widespread Greek custom.
Throwing flowers or other items that will not cause injury (e.g. napkins) has become more common. Flowers are sold separately by the club's "wardrobe" in trays or baskets of ten or twenty pieces and are thrown en masse on artists, singers, dancers, and other spectators (quite often along with the trays, or even in piles of many trays). They are also used as a means for courtship and flirting. In practice, the bill in Greek bouzoukia, especially on the more advantageous tables, is largely based on flowers, and can sometimes exceed the cost of a brand new car. Such exaggerations in this practice are highly criticized as showing off one's social status. However, most customers indulge in flower throwing to the extent they can afford.
Many prominent Greeks were known for their habit of visiting bouzoukia, notably the late tycoon Aristotle Onassis, the former president of Greece Constantine Karamanlis, and the former prime minister Andreas Papandreou.
