September 11, 2013
Wednesday was a big day. We had plans to meet with several of the Turkish women who participated in Emek Pinari, the project that Pinar and I presented about. Nazo woke us up early and drove us to Yildiz Park, where we would have a picnic with tons of Turkish food.
Yildiz Park was beautiful. There was green grass and trees everywhere, and picnic areas lined the one road that lead through the park. We weren’t the first to arrive; there were already several women waiting for us. Özgür was there, waiting with his mother, Zeynep. I was surprised to see that many of the women were loud and outgoing, I expected them to be calm and serious. I was so wrong! Although I didn’t understand half of the things they said, they were always smiling, and smiling is universally understood. I had a good time talking with them in both broken English and broken Turkish.
A few participants of the Emek Pinari Project. |
When I got there, a woman named Hale gave me a gift, a sari yazma (scarf). It was a beautiful yellow color with bright, floral designs. She colored it using an art called taş basma, or stone press. It was beautiful!
In total, there were 28 people at the picnic, Özgür being the only male. The women traveled from all over Turkey, a few from 2-3 hours away. The women were young and old. I was surprised to see a few women there in their twenties. They are considered the “new generation” of Turkey, and most of the younger men and women know English. There was one young woman there named Pinar that went to school with Pinar. Özgür explained to me that when there are two people near each other with the same name, it is a Turkish belief that if you stand between them and make a wish, it will come true.
They all brought food for the picnic. There was so much food, representing various regions of Turkey. They laid it all out on a picnic table, and stated “afiyet olsun” (bon appetit), indicating that it was time to dig in! I ate su böreği (cheese casserole), dolma (rolled olive leaves), ekler (a type of dessert that tastes similar to a donut), merçimek köfte (spicy lenti rolled in lettuce), islak cake (brown, chocolate, wet cake), and çekme helva (a dry dessert). One woman, named Makbule, even made strawberry cheesecake because Pinar told her how much I loved it! It was a feast, and I felt welcomed and loved by all of the women there!
After the picnic, Özgür drove the two Pinars and I to Ortaköy to go shopping. I spent my time buying souveniers to bring back to my friends and family. In Turkey’s culture, it is custom to bargain with the shopkeepers. I found that this was the perfect opportunity to practice my Turkish numbers! I’d ask the shopkeeper “Ne kadar?” and he would answer. Pinar helped me bargain; I’m not very good at it because I’m not used to Turkish value. I learned that it is easy to offend shopkeepers if you go too low, although it is expected to barter.
After a bit of shopping, we stopped to drink a few beers at a restaurant with a view of the Bosphorus. Shortly after, Pinar left us and we relocated to another restaurant called Destan Meydan, a shop that specializes in kumpir (baked potatos)! These baked potatos are considered “drunk food,” but they were delicious!
Pinar and me at Galata Tower. |
When we were done eating kumpir, we loaded into Özgür’s car and drove to Taksim. There, we met up with another of Pinar’s friends, named Umut. We walked the streets of Taksim and visited the famous Galata Tower. Galata Tower is one of the oldest and most beautiful towers in Istanbul. It was built in 507 by the Eastern Roman empire, but was captured by the Turks in 1453. The tower has served many purposes, including a prison, a residence for the Ottoman military band, and a lighthouse. From the top of the tower, you can view much of the city, including all of Taksim, the Bosphorus, and the Bosphorus bridge.
After we left Galata Tower, we continued to walk through Taksim. Umut persuaded me to eat kokoreç, another Turkish drunk food. After I gobbled it down, he explained to me what kokoreç was: cow intestines. Suprisingly, this did not bother me. It was so good, I ordered another! With our bellies full, we decided to call it an evening. We parted ways with Özgür, and Umut drove us back to Pinar’s house, where we went to bed.