Tag Archives: adana

27 Things to do in Adana Book On Sale Now!

Posted on July 4, 2012 by JakeOlson | Leave a comment

I’m proud to say that my first ever book is completed, and I’m very proud of the result. 27 Things to do in Adana is a 37 page book that can be purchased as an ebook or as a physical book and shipped anywhere in the world.

I believe that this is the best resource in the English Language for things to do in Adana, and I’m very proud of it. I would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word. If you know anyone who is new in Adana, or will be relocating here soon, would you please encourage them to visit www.adanaadventures.com/book ? This would also make a great gift for anyone new to the community.

I also want to mention that I offer a no-questions-asked money back promise. If you’re not 100% pleased with your purchase, I’ll return your money with no questions asked.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about this product. jakedolson at gmail.com.

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Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana, Adana Day Trips

Tagged 52 things to do in Adana, adana, things to do in adana

Turkish Produce Cheat Sheet

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jake Olson | Leave a comment

Turkish Produce Cheat Sheet

I recently found a very helpful cheat sheet for Turkish markets. Here at Incirlik Air Base, there is a regular series of articles on the base’s home page called “Ask Mehmet”. He recently wrote a great article called “Finding Local Markets.” I encourage you to check out the whole article for instructions about shopping at an Adana Fruit and Vegetable Bazaar. I think you’ll appreciate the list he’s put together below. Click the image below for a downloadable PDF of the list that you can take to the bazaar with you.

Click the image to download a printable PDF

Vegetable – Sebze (sab-zah)

bean – fasulye (fah-sool-yea)

pea – bezelye (beh-zell-yeah)

cabbage – lahana (lah-hah-nah)

spinach – ispanak (ihs-pah-knock)

carrot – havuç (hah-wuch)

cauliflower – karnibahar (kahr-ne-bah-are)

tomato – domates (doh-mah-tess)

potato – papates (pah-tah-tess)

artichokes – enginar (ehn-ghin-are)

cucumber – salatalik (sah-lah-tah-like)

corn – misir (mis-ihr)

pepper – biber (be-behr)

red pepper – kirmizi biber (kihr-mih-ze be-behr)

green pepper – yesil biber (yeh-sheel be-behr)

radish – turp (tuhrp)

egg plant – patlican (pot-le-john)

leek – pirasa (pih-rah-sah)

okra – bamya (bahm- yah)

mushroom – mantar (mahn-tar)

onion – sogan (so-o-aahn)

garlic – sarimsak (sah-rihm-suck)

lettuce – marul (mah-rule)

fruit – meyve (may-veh)

apple – elma (el-mah)

pear – armut (are-mut)

orange – portakal (pohr-tah-kahl)

tangerine -mandalina (mahn-dah-lee-nah)

cherry – kiraz (ke-razh)

banana – muz (mooze)

peach – seftali (shef-tah-lee)

grapes – uzum (ue-zuem)

plum – erik (eric)

melon – kavun (kah-woon)

watermelon – karpuz (kahr-pooz)

grapefruit – greyfurt (gray-fuhrt)

apricot – kayisi (kah-ye-se)

strawberry – çilek (chee-lack)

pomegranate – nar (nahr)

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Posted in Adana, Adana Food guide

Tagged adana, fruit, local produce, vegetable

Ayran – A classic Turkish Drink

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Jake Olson | 3 Comments

Ayran

Although this post is a part of the “Adana Food Guide,” I’m introducing a beverage today; namely Ayran.

Ayran is a simple Turkish drink made of yogurt, water with a little bit of salt for flavor. Honestly, when I first came to Turkey, there was not much more disgusting that I could imagine than plain yogurt and water. I’ve grown to love Ayran though, and there are some meals that I simply cannot enjoy without a big glass of ayran. Frankly, I can’t imagine living without it, and thankfully I’ll never have to since Yogurt is easy to make and water is pretty abundant.

Noitce the cup of Ayran with straw at McDonalds

A fun fact about Ayran that is that it is a very popular alternative to cola for kids when ordering happy meals at McDonalds. My kids were raised drinking Ayran as their beverage whenever we eat out and often at home and they love it.

I know that Americans are rediscovering fermented foods, “Greek” Yogurt and lactic acid fermentation, and I can’t think of any better way to get those probiotics into your system than with a big glass of Ayran.

How to fall in Love with Ayran: I haven’t always liked Ayran. One day in my first year in Adana, after a long run, I was offered a glass of şalgam (a very tart drink made with fermented black carrots). I accepted reluctantly and took a big gulp. I had tasted Şalgam before, but hated it. Now I was trying it with an open mind and a very thirsty palate. I’ve loved it ever since. I tried the same thing with Ayran a few weeks later and have loved it ever since. I encourage you to try Ayran after a workout or at some other time when you’re really thirsty. It really quenches your thirst, and I think trying it when thirsty is a key.

I also think it’s helpful for Americans to remember before trying Ayran that peoples all around the world enjoy salty beverages and that although it’s not “normal” for us, it’s common around the world and worth a try. In fact, versions of Ayran exist in Albanian, Arab, Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, Kurdish and Persian cultures, so I think it’s really worth giving it a try.

A simple recipe for Ayran found at Ayran.com goes like this:

Plain Ayran

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt

Combine all of the above in a blender. Mix for 35-40 seconds. Also after blending, at the top, you will see bubbles and that’s the best part. Makes 4 portions.

You can read about more Adana cuisine in the Adana Food Guide.

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Posted in Adana Food guide

Tagged adana, adana food guide, ayran, probiotics, yogurt

What came first: The Turkey or Turkey?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Jake Olson | 3 Comments

What came first, The Turkey or Turkey?

I recently watched the PBS documentary “Hidden Turkey”, and learned that there is actually a connection between the country Turkey, and the bird that we call by the same name.

As the story goes, The French word for Turkey is “dinde“ which means “From India.”

Turks also believed that Turkeys came from India, and thus named the bird “Hindi” (Hindistan is Turkish for = India)

The English believed that Turkeys must have come from Turkey, because they arrived on ships that had been trading with Turkey

All of them were wrong however as Turkeys were first domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16^th century.

Although Turkey isn’t all that popular of a meat these days in Turkey, they are still raised and eaten throughout modern Turkey, apparently however have a lively history in this land.

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Posted in turkey

Tagged adana, trivia, turkey

Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Jake Olson | 2 Comments

Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and men, it’s good to have a plan. What better way to celebrate this hallmark holiday than with dinner at an upscale restaurant? The six restaurants below are among my best recommendations for a fancy dinner in Adana. I’ve linked to the restaurant’s website and provided a phone number for making reservations. I’d recommend arriving early if you don’t have reservations; however the restaurants below featuring fixed menus all start at 8:00 pm. Please feel free to comment below if you’d like detailed directions to any of these places.

Western – Turkish Blend

The Terras Restaurant

Terrace – Terrace Restaurant is one of Adana’s enduring establishments for high quality food in a sophisticated atmosphere. Their menu is a perfect blend of Turkish specialties and western options. I’m told that the owner is a very serious foodie and this is why the standards of quality have remained high for so long. Terrace’s Valentine’s Day program consists of a fixed menu of Cheese platter, hot and cold Turkish appetizers, spring rolls, a main course of fish or chicken and deserts. Soft drinks are included in the price of 50TL. They will have acoustic classical Turkish music. The program starts around 8:00pm. 0322-226-0343 Directions here
The North Shield –A beautifully designed Irish pub, The North Shield is one of the nicest places to have a beer and a western meal in all of Adana. They also have an extensive selection of single malt whiskies. North Shield is a block south of the train station on Ziya Pasa Blvd Map. 0322-458-6262
Park Zirve – One of Adana’s fanciest restaurants, Park Zirve is putting two special events on Valentines day. The first event is a dinner with a fixed menu, unlimited drinks and live music for 95 TL. Although the price may seem high, I can virtually gurantee that you won’t be disappointed with the quality of the meal. The second event is an evening of dancing to a DJ in their club with a cover charge of 30TL (one drink is included.) For reservations call 0322-231-2404. Map
Şato (Website in English) Şato restaurant is a beautifully designed restaurant in North Adana with an outstanding menu. They will be putting on a special program for Valentine ’s Day. For 80TL, you get a full meal (appetizers – hot and cold, salad, the main meal of Kavurma (a meat and vegetable dish which is amazing), desert and unlimited drinks. They will have live Turkish acoustic folk music performing. 0322-233-1444 Map
Seafood
Kumkapı –is a nice fish restaurant near the Burger King in Gazi Pasa Neighborhood. If you want a simpler night, you may want to take your valentine to Kumkapı for a quiet dinner and follow up with deserts and coffee at Mado or Starbucks on Ziya Paşa. Map0322-458-3238Traditional Adana Cuisine
Gazi Paşa Restaurant – I’ve written recently about Gazi Paşa Restaurant, and I’m very fond of the place. This could possibly be the most sophisticated place to have true Adana Kebap in the world. If you want to have traditional Turkish food this Valentine ’s Day, but want the luxury of a fancy restaurant, Gazi Paşa Restaurant is the perfect place for you 0322-453-3550.

The Terras Restaurant

Şato Restaurant

The North Shield

Gazi Paşa Kebap

Kumkapı Seafood

Park Zirve

Park Zirve Promotional Flier

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Posted in Adana, Adana Restaurants, Lists

Tagged adana, incirlik, restaurants, romantic, sevgililer gunu, turkey, valentine's day

Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Jake Olson | 2 Comments

Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant

One of our favorite places in all of Adana is Pastabahçesi Restaurant. “Pasta” is Turkish for “Cake” (not to be confused with “Makarna” which is Turkish for “Pasta”) so Pastabahçe could be directly translated “Cake Garden”. Pastabahçesi Restaurant combines a great view of the lake, amazing architecture and high-quality food to brand itself as one of the best places in Adana to get a meal, have deserts and coffee or have a lazy brunch. One unique thing about Pastabahçesi Restaurant is that they offer a great brunch spread on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Pastabahçesi Restaurant has an extensive menu with many very good western dishes and I think it’s the best place in Adana to get a burger. The urban legend of Pastabahçe is that the founder was well known among her friends for making amazing cakes and was eventually pushed by friends into opening a little cake shop ,“Pasta,” in Gazi Paşa neighborhood. There she developed a strong reputation for making the best cakes and pastries in Adana. With a son who studies culinary arts in France, she eventually opened the most beautiful restaurant in North Adana; Pastabahçesi Restaurant. Pastabahçe Restaurant still makes amazing cakes and also is one of the best places in Adana to buy artisan breads and pastries.

We can’t get enough of Pastabahçesi, and when we lived closer, we were there for brunch about once a month. If you want a great experience of Turkish dining at it’s best, I can’t recommend Pastabahçesi enough.

You can visit their website here, and find directions here.

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Posted in Adana, Adana Restaurants

Tagged adana, adana restaurants, incirlik, turkey, turkish food

Picnic at Sarıçam Park – Things to do in Adana

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Jake Olson | Leave a comment

Picnic at Sarıçam Park - Things to do in Adana

This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series. You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.

If you need to get out of the city without driving for an hour, than an afternoon picnic to Sarıçam picnic area might be just what you’re looking for. Sarıçam Picnic area is about a 20 minute drive from the city center or from Incirlik and we’ve charted out the route for you.

There are not many (or any) services there, but that’s not always necessary. Sometimes all you need is some picnic tables in the middle of a forest and a place to make a fire for hot dogs or hamburgers. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d suggest a quick trip in the car to Sarıçam Park.

We most recently visited this park on a Saturday in late January, 2011 and this was the assessment: There is a little forest of pine trees right off of a main road with plenty of picnic tables and fire pits where one could make a fire and have a picnic. There are some swings and slides that are pretty beat up, but our kids loved them. On the back side of the picnic area is a wooded valley that seems to have some walking trails through it, although we were unable to explore much. I look forward to getting back there with one of the kids to explore more later in Feb.

Getting there is pretty easy. The key is that you have to get on the Imamoğlu/Kozan road. After that, it’s just a matter of looking out for the signs. Below are directions from Incirlik, but the same directions could be used from the city center, only you’d be traveling East on E5 to the freeway exit.

Directions from Incirlik:

Get on the main highway outside the alley (E5) and go west (toward Adana).
Drive half way to Adana until you get to the road that takes you to the freeway (autobahn). You’ll see green signs that say “Mersin”. Turn north (right).
There are two main exits off of that road before getting to the freeway. You want to take the second exit, which will be on your left. Follow the signs that say “Imamoğlu/Kozan”, which means you’ll go up a few blocks and take a right.
Once you get on that road, you’re home free. You just have to drive 10-15 minutes until you get to a restaurant called Hanım’ın Çiftliği. After that restaurant, you’ll see a little picnic area with a rustic little security shack at the entrance on the right. You’ve arrived.

When you see these signs on the right, you're about 1km away from the destination

Now, it’s possible that at high-season, a city official might be there to charge a small fee, but there was nobody there when we visited. I’d recommend going on Saturday rather than Sunday to avoid the crowds, but if you’re going in winter, even Sundays shouldn’t be too crowded.

If you’ve been out to this spot, please leave your feedback in the comments. I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

Here’s a little video that shows the park in all it’s glory. As I said, nothing super special, but a good place for a picnic

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Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana, Adana Day Trips, Adana Parks

Tagged adana, outdoors, parks, saricam park, things to do in adana

Gazi Pasa Kebap – Restaurant Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Jake Olson | 1 Comment

Gazi Pasa Kebap – Restaurant Review

This is the first in a series of restaurant reviews. When I was in Heidelberg Germany last November, I wanted so badly to find a website by an expat who would say “Go here and eat this. ” I found some great restaurants, but wasted a few meals at duds. When I write a restaurant, I’ll attempt to answer the most important questions for our family and give a review.

I’m sure I’ll be asked “why are all the reviews positive?” The reason is that I won’t be posting any negative reviews. If I can’t endorse a restaurant, I won’t review it. This is simply because I don’t care to make any enemies or burn any bridges in a city where (after 7 years,) I’m still a guest.

Click to go to their Website (still in construction)

Summary: Gazi Pasa Kebap is a great restaurant to go for classic Adana grilled cuisine, prepared and presented in a premium environment at a premium price. If you’ve been turned off to Adana Kebap in the past, I’d recommend trying it here. If you are entertaining guests from out of town, I’d recommend bringing them here.

One of the best Kebap I've ever had

We went there for lunch on a Sunday around noon. We had the restaurant to ourselves. The interior of the restaurant (formerly Kip Kirmizi) was very classy and clean. The bathrooms were very clean, and there was a nice little kid’s play room. The waiters did not speak English, so I’d recommend preparing your order before going if you don’t speak Turkish. You can read my guide to ordering Kebap here.

We had all of the standard salads, drank salagm, ordered one meze, which was amazing – Mediterranean olive salad, and we each ate Beyti Kebap (Adana Kebap with garlic), we also had one portion of desert (Tel Kadayif). The bill came to 69TL. As I said, it’s a premium establishment with a premium price. The price could have been brought down by ordering “Tek porsion Adana Kebap” as Beyti kebap is always served as 1.5 porsion of meat.

Tel Kadaif - A Classic Adana desert

Other notes:
They have Valet parking, so despite being in the city center, it’s easy to find parking (tip 3-5 TL)
Sunday lunch is a great time to try this place as it was very empty.
You can choose mezes (appetizers) by ordering from the glass cooler.
The meat was very lean for Adana Kebap. If you think Adana Kebap is too greasy for you, try it here.

Meze Cooler - Choose what sides you want from here

Getting There: Go to the intersection of Vali Yolu and Ataturk Cd (1 block north/east of Ataturk Park). Go east 1 block on Vali Yolu, Turn North on the first street (there’s a Kare Pizza on that corner). The restaurant is 3/4 of a block up on your right. (Right after Waffle House).

Click the Map above and zoom in for more detail

Check out the form below with our family feedback.

Restaurant Name	Gazi Pasa Kebap
Location	In Gazi Pasa Neighborhood
Distance from Incirlik Air Base	15 minutes
Type of Restaurant	Upscale Kebap Restaurant
difficulty to find (easy/med/hard)	Easy
GPS coordinates	36.999742,35.324767
Price Range (Pricey/Medium/Cheap)	Pricey
cost of one beer	?
cost of one wine	8TL
Is there a menu? (y/n)	N
English Menu (Y/N)	N
Bathrooms (clean/dirty/nasty)	immaculate
What did you eat?	Beyti (Adana Kebap with garlic) + all standard salads + Olive salad
Should you tip there?	yes (5-10 TL depending on size of party)
Kid’s play area (y/n)	yes – pretty basic, but kept the kids busy
how many members in your party	2 adults 2 kids
How was the food?	Amazing
How was the service?	Great
how long did it take to get food	less than 20 min
Overall rankings (Amazing, Good, Ok, Bad, Terrible)	Amazing

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Posted in Adana, Adana Food guide, Adana Restaurants

Tagged adana, adana food guide, adana kebap, kebap

Adana Adventures – A New Vision

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Jake Olson | Leave a comment

What is Adana Adventures?

Thanks for visiting the new and improved AdanaAdventures.com. I want to take a minute to introduce AdanaAdventures.com and let my long time readers know about some changes.

For those of you who have been following along with my blogging since back in 2006 when I first got started with ForeignPerspective.wordpress.com, thanks so much for sticking with me through my start-again-stop-again blogging. It’s amazing how technology has allowed us to keep connections fresh.

If you have followed A Foreign Perspecitve, you’ll will notice some changes over the next few months to the blog. These are reflected in the name and domain change. When I first started blogging back in 2006, my intent was to keep in touch with people back home, and to share my “foreign perspective.” This led to a website pretty much focused on me, my thoughts and my experiences.

Although there was nothing wrong with that; I’m approaching this website with a new vision; which is to build a collection of enduring content about Adana that will be useful to visitors not only now, but also years down the road. My actual goal is “To become the #1 source for information about Adana in the English language.” My tagline is “Helping you to make the most of your time in Adana” and I sincerely hope that Adana Adventures will succeed in that vision.

I’ve lived in Adana since 2003. I’ve realized that my best times here have been those times that I’ve been out exploring, experiencing the culture, and helping others to do so. My low points have been those periods where I’ve been mainly stuck in the house in front of my computer, interacting with few people outside our family. Hopefully by re-launching the website, I’ll be able to get out more and explore and I’ll also be able to spend more time showing people this nice little city that’s been my home for so long.

Thanks for coming along for the journey,

Jake Olson

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Posted in Adana

Tagged adana

Adana Oktoberfest – A Recap

Posted on October 16, 2011 by JakeOlson | 4 Comments

We had a wonderful time last night at the Adana Oktoberfest. Me, Rana and the kids went out to the event hosted by the German/Turkish Partnership Society and were really entertained by the event.

They had converted the outdoor seating area at Aqualand Tennis Club into a German beer garden where there was traditional Bavarian food, dress, music and (Turkish) Beer. I especially enjoyed the Sauerkraut that went with the sausages being served it was delicious and I hope to be making it someday soon. They even were serving fresh Berliner pastries.

Adana Oktoberfest was an all-around great night. Our only regret was that we were on our children’s schedule, so we had to depart early because of the kids’ sleep schedules. Here are some pictures from the event.

For more info on the Turkish German Cultural Partnership Organization, check out their website here. Would you believe that their Adana branch has over 100 members? Enjoy the pictures below.