25 February 2012

Things Turkish People Like

The Turkish Flag and Atatürk. Every country likes their flag and their most revered leader. But, in Turkey, it's easy to spot. The bright red flag flew everywhere. This one, pictured, was stenciled onto a car. Mustafa Kemel's photo hung on walls in establishments. He is the father of Modern Turkey, "Atatürk," and devotion to him is so strong that it is actually illegal to say anything negative about the man.
Branded Wet Naps. For most businesses in Turkey, giving customers wet naps isn't just a service - it's promotional. These branded packages, filled with napkins doused in lemony cleaner, are given before and after a meal. Sometimes, yet again, on the way out. We have quite a collection.
Nuts, Seeds and Chickpeas. Here, at a meyhane, men drank tea and Efes beer and snacked on pumpkin seeds. The click click click of shelling is heard all over the place. Beer is always accompanied by a bowl of nuts, sometimes salted peanuts, sometimes small, soft, tasty Turkish pistachios. My favorite is the "Koktyl" mix of almonds, peanuts, pistachios and dried, crunchy chickpeas.Gravestones with Hats. On the Gelibolu Peninsula, these markers were designed to look like they were wearing helmets. In Istanbul, we stumbled upon an old cemetery with gravestones topped with turbans and fezes fashioned out of the stone.LinkMale Hair Salons. Since women traditionally keep their hair covered it's up to men to keep the art of hair sculpture alive. And boy do they. There's a salon on every block and they do not lack for business. Teenagers go for mohawk-type hairdos with fancy designs shaved into the side. They gel their hair up in the front, down in the back, to one side or another. Older men go for a less ostentatious, neat styling - usually some version of a short cropped bowl cut meticulously blown out.
Simits. These wildly popular snacks are available all over the place. Having taste-tested, we've decided that the one sold by men who balance a stack on their head are the best. The ones sold in stores or cafes are the worst. All are covered in fragrant, roasted sesame seeds - sometimes applied with a delicately sweet egg white wash. They taste a lot like a bagel and it's become popular in Istanbul to eat them sliced with cream cheese.
These Shoe-Shine Stands. There were a lot of shoe-shines and they all used these stands. Really cool.
Bargaining and Touting. I know I've mentioned this in a lot of other posts, but touting and bargaining are a real part of day to day life. What's nice about both practices here is the congeniality with which they're done. It is simply how business runs and you never get the sense that anyone's really trying to rip anyone else off.

15 comments:

  1. You have a very nice blog and beautiful pictures. Your travels sound great. I just have to disagree with one point, and that is the men hairdressers are keeping the art alive because women cover their hair. I think you will find more hairdressers whose clientele is women than men. Because only a portion of women keep their hair covered,many women are not covering their hair and very modern.Even the covered ones go to the hair dressers very regularly. However, based on my experience, I can say that there are more hairdressers who are men that really rock the art if that is what you mean. That is one thing I struggled here in the US, finding a good hairdresser who knows what they are doing, instead of cutting however many inches off of your hair no matter what the style is!

    ReplyDelete
  2. NOW LIFE IS WORTH LIVING WITH THE HELP OF EDWARD JONES FINANCE {Jonesloanfinance@yahoo.com}

    Hello Every One, My Name is Trevor Cohen live in Texas and life is worth living comfortably for me and my family now. I really have never seen goodness shown to me this much in my life as i am a struggling Dad with three kids and i have been going through a serious problem as my son encountered a terrible accident last week, and the doctors states that he needs to undergo a delicate surgery for him to be able to walk again, and i could not afford the bill for his surgery then i went to the bank for a loan and they turn me down stating that credit score was bad, from there i run to my father and some of my freinds but they could not help, then when i was surfing through the net i came across a loan lender EDWARD JONES who provides loans at an affordable interest rate of 2% and i have been hearing about so many scams on the internet but at this time, in my desperate situation i had no choice than to give it a try and surprisingly it was all like a dream, i received a loan of $85,000.00 and i payed for my son surgery and thank GOD today he is okay and can walk. I could in turn start something profitable with the remaining amount and i said to my self that i will shout loud to the world of the wonders of GOD to me through this GOD fearing lender EDWARD JONES and i will advise anyone in genuine and serious need of loan to contact this GOD fearing Company via: Jonesloanfinance@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My name is Mrs Aisha Mohamed, am a Citizen Of Qatar.Have you been looking for a loan?Do you need an urgent personal loan or business loan?contact Dr James Eric Finance Home he help me with a loan of $42,000 some days ago after been scammed of $2,800 from a woman claiming to been a loan lender but i thank God today that i got my loan worth $42,000.Feel free to contact the company for a genuine financial service. Email:(financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com) call/whats-App Contact Number +918929509036

    ReplyDelete
  4. My name is Mrs Aisha Mohamed, am a Citizen Of Qatar.Have you been looking for a loan?Do you need an urgent personal loan or business loan?contact Dr James Eric Finance Home he help me with a loan of $42,000 some days ago after been scammed of $2,800 from a woman claiming to been a loan lender but i thank God today that i got my loan worth $42,000.Feel free to contact the company for a genuine financial service. Email:(financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com) call/whats-App Contact Number +918929509036

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Sir/Madam,

    Do you need a quick long or short term Loan with a relatively low interest rate as low as 3%? We offer business Loan, personal Loan, home Loan, auto Loan,student Loan, debt consolidation Loan e.t.c. no matter your credit score.

    * Personal Loans (Secure and Unsecured)
    * Business Loans (Secure and Unsecured)
    * Consolidation Loan and many more.

    Contact US for more information about Loan offer and we will solve your
    financial problem. contact us via email: markthomasfinanceltd@gmail.com

    Whats-App no +919667837169
    Company Name Ronnie Finance Ltd
    Dr. Mark Thomas

    ReplyDelete
  6. Need a Debt Loan To Pay Off Bills?
    Take control of your debt today
    Available Now Business Expansion Loan Offer?
    Do you need a loan to pay off Bills?
    Do you need a loan?
    Do you need Personal Loan?
    Business Expansion Loan?
    Business Start-up, Education,
    Debt Consolidation Loan
    Hard Money Loans
    Loan for any thing ?
    We offer loan at low interest rate of 3%
    Loan with no credit check,
    Email us: financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com
    Call or add us on what's app +918929509036

    ReplyDelete
  7. Our company is into project funding, Loan, joint venture, Equity and we are globally willing to fund companies, Private bodies,Government bodies and we are ready to help you with any kind of financial needs. In-case you are interested with my company financial services do get back to me with Kindly get back to us: magmafincropp@gmail.com
    Whats-app us on +917428734439

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thus, don’t think so much about the quality of young teen call girls because our Mahipalpur Escorts are also a better performer in the bedroom through which you can find and make sure the hot things in your life. Mahipalpur Escorts

    ReplyDelete
  9. Welcome To Jodhpur Escorts, which is based on adult service, featuring high-profile, college girls in Jodhpur Young Girls. Jodhpur offers you unlimited fun pleasure through Independent Jodhpur Escorts. Get ready to feel and take this pleasurable movement in just a minute.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is a wonderful blog. I liked that so much.
    kolkata model girls

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is a amazing blog. thanks for sharing this.
    newtown model girls

    ReplyDelete
  12. Whether you're marveling at a stunning granite countertop, exploring the breathtaking beauty of granite cliffs, or considering it as a building material, granite stone stands as a testament to the harmonious blend of natural artistry and enduring practicality. South Black Granite

    ReplyDelete