Program 546a: Greek Godmother; Lidia's American Dream; Promised Land

A Greece-based tour guide describes the elevated role of godparents in her adopted country, where godparents become a lifelong part of the child's family. Then TV chef Lidia Bastianich shares the story of her family's flight from Yugoslavia, and the successful family business they were able to start in America. And former NBC Middle East correspondent Martin Fletcher explains how his latest novel, set in Israel during its early years as a modern state, evokes the extraordinary drama of Israeli life in that era.

• Greece-based tour guide Maria Sioulas
• Lidia Bastianich, host of "Lidia's Kitchen" and author of "My American Dream" (Knopf)
• Correspondent Martin Fletcher, author of "Promised Land" (Thomas Dunne-St. Martin's Press)

• Rick checked in with Maria Sioulas in Greece during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic on his blog. 
• Lidia Bastianich hosts the "Lidia's Italy" and "Lidia's Kitchen" cooking shows on public TV.  She's authored a number of cookbooks, and an autobiography, "My American Dream."
• Martin Fletcher wrote "Promised Land: A Novel of Israel," to describe life during the early years of the modern state of Israel.
• Martin was also Rick's guest in 2016 and 2013, talking about what it takes to be a war reporter on program #463, the experiences of Holocaust survivors on program #431, and tells us what he observed walking the length of Israel's Mediterranean coast on program #254a.