The Hellenistic Greek eats little and simply: the ariston (midday snack, often cold) and the deipnon (main evening meal). The staple is maza, a barley flatbread, or artos of wheat, accompanied by opson — that which "relishes" the bread: olives, cheese, legumes, fish. The feast takes the form of the symposion, where wine mixed with water is drunk and honey-and-fig treats are passed around. In Alexandria, a city of the sea and trade, fish and garos (fermented fish sauce) enrich the learned daily fare of Apollonius.

Two noble fluids of the Greek world, measured with as much care as the curves of the Conics: olive oil binds and nourishes the daily bread, honey perfumes and preserves the sweets of the banquet. Garos, a fermented condiment typical of Alexandria, punctuates the whole with an umami note.