Tag Archives: turkey

Film Review: Hidden Turkey

Posted on February 22, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Film Review: Hidden Turkey

Click to buy on Amazon

I recently watched the PBS Documentary, Hidden Turkey.  Hosted by food historian Bruce Kraig, this hour-long program was a fun, informative introduction to Turkey that featured outstanding scenery, off-the-beaten-path exploration and an all-around entertaining hour of programming.

A country with such a rich of history, vast geography and vibrant culture can hardly be summarized in an hour long program, and thankfully, the producers did not attempt to be comprehensive.  Rather they took the time to explore a few aspects of the culture that might not be experienced by the casual traveler.  The film takes viewers to the Black Sea region and spends time exploring the Tea industry and the classic foods of the region, then visits central Anatolia and focuses not so much on the classic touristic spots in Cappidocia, but rather on the food traditions of lifestyles of the people still living in this historic region.   It wraps up by delving  briefly into the religious tapestry that makes up the history of this ancient land.

I learned some interesting facts about Turkey in the film.  Among those are the history of calling the bird that Americans eat on Thanksgiving “Turkey”, the fact that grain was first cultivated in Turkey and the theory that all stuffed pastries and pastas of both Eastern and Western cuisines originate with Turkish dishes made with Yufka.

Whether you’re an established traveler in Turkey, or someone planning a trip to Turkey, I think you’ll find Hidden Turkey to be a fun and informative way to spend an hour.

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Posted in Film Reviews, Life In Turkey, turkey

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What came first: The Turkey or Turkey?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | 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 16th 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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Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | 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

Terras Restaurant Adana

The Terras Restaurant

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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.

 

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Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | 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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Apparel in Turkey – Why Context matters

Posted on July 24, 2011 by | 6 Comments

How to Dress in Turkey – Why Context matters

I want to share a quick story before sharing my suggestions for how to dress for travel in Turkey.

On June 17, my wife, kids and I relocated to the summer beach town of Arsuz.  On that day the high temperature in Adana and Arsuz was around 32⁰C/88⁰F. I took the day off of work, and on our way out of town, we stopped off at McDonalds.  My wife, Rana was wearing shorts and a modest tank-top, ready for Arsuz.  We ate our lunch outside at McDonalds while the kids played on the play area.  It was HOT and the play area was packed.

Rana at McDonalds

Rana observed that of all the families with kids eating at Mcdonalds watching their kids play, Rana was the ONLY woman wearing shorts.  In fact, she felt like people were staring at her to the point that she felt uncomfortable.

When we arrived at Arsuz 2 hours later, we were greeted by the same temperatures, but a totally different social climate.  Everyone wearing shorts, from the elderly to the laborer.  Streets filled with men in T-shirts and shorts, ladies of all ages in tank tops, many less modest than the one Rana was wearing.  Rana fit in perfectly.

arsuz beach

Everything is different when you're at the beach town

What changed? We were only 100 KM away, the temperatures were the same, and we were still in Turkey.  The big difference was that we were in a vacation town.  We’d just come from a city center on a week day.

Let’s come back to the idea of going unnoticed when traveling in Turkey.  What can we learn about this?  One might jump to this conclusion after the trip to McDonalds: “Women shouldn’t wear shorts or tank tops in Turkey”, I’ve even seen travel advice for Turkey that states exactly that, but that’s really not true.  The important thing is the context.  Rana was wearing an outfit that was appropriate for the weekend or a vacation town, but it was a weekday and we were in the heart of Adana.  It didn’t fit the flow of what was going on, and she stuck out.  As a foreigner who wants to blend in, the lesson here is that you can’t have hard fast rules in your mind like “Turks don’t wear shorts” or “Turks dress more formally” or “Turks dress more modestly than Americans”.  Those stereotypes don’t hold much water.  The key is to observe what others around you are doing and go with the flow.

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Posted in Regional Travel, Travel Tips, turkey

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How to Blend in when traveling in Turkey

Posted on July 23, 2011 by | 2 Comments

How to Blend in when traveling in Turkey

A good friend of mine is moving to the Adana area to teach at Cag University in the fall.  In thinking about his arrival, I thought it might be good to write an open letter to travelers in Turkey about how to dress in Turkey.  I come into this topic knowing that many will disagree with me, some vigorously.  I just wanted to get my thoughts on this sensitive topic out online and hear what others think.

I want to start today however with a personal principle about traveling in Turkey: Remain Unnoticed.

my family in turkey

Nothing wrong with being a tourist once in a while (my family at a castle after my wedding)

At every stage of my travels in Turkey (10 day, 40 day, 1-year trips and long term residence,) I’ve thought of myself as something totally beyond “touristy”.  I think that many people traveling in Turkey also separate themselves in their mind from the average “Tourist” in some way, but we all start out as tourists, don’t we?  So here’s my question: How do you want to be perceived? My philosophy is that I usually don’t want to be noticed by anybody other than the person I’m interracting with.  I don’t want to stick out when I walk down the road, I don’t want people to observe me as a “tourist” when they see me walking down the street.    I want to remain unnoticed.

Four advantages to remaining unnoticed:

  1. You’re not immediately identified by the leeches of society who attempt to befriend foreigners for manipulative reasons (for more on this, see this great article about Carpet Salesmen in Turkey).
  2. Your presence doesn’t disrupt the activity that’s going on around you, thus allowing you to observe Turkish life as it really is.
  3. You can avoid getting unwanted help and advice from nosy people and being treated as stupid because you’re a naïve foreigner.  (Note that when you truly need help, Turks are incredibly helpful, but if know where you’re going and why, there’s nothing more annoying than having a local trying to convince you that you shouldn’t go there or do that.)
  4. You don’t single yourself out as a target for people how may want to do westerners harm.

I think one of the greatest keys to remaining unnoticed is our apparel, which will be covered in a future article.  Beyond dress, here are my four recommendations for remaining unnoticed.

  1. Speak Quietly- This is the big one.  I’ve observed that Americans are very loud in public when traveling in Turkey, and our voices really carry.  This is the big thing that makes Americans stick out.  I think it has to do with how the sound of our voices disrupts the normal daily white noise.
    The # 1 way to blend in is to speak quietly.  I am NOT a stickler about this.  When I’m moving about in my neighborhood, I don’t mind if I’m noticed. But when I’m in a new area or a place where I’m trying to blend in (downtown, a new city, a different neighborhood, a government office, etc), I speak rarely and in low tones.  I think for people new to the country, this should be practiced everywhere except for designated tourist areas.
  2.  Walk Purposefully – one thing that I’ve noticed is that newcomers walk differently.  They walk as someone in awe, slowly taking in the whole scene and gobbling up the moment.  There’s nothing wrong with that… unless your goal is to blend in.  Walking purposefully at the pace of others around will really help you to blend in.
  3. Think Twice about Big Accessories – If your goal is to blend in, then the baby backpack, the jogging stroller, the Indiana Jones hat, the CamelBak, or anything else that you don’t see people walking around with should be reconsidered.  These and similar contraptions identify you as something different.  If your goal is comfort, fine.  If your goal is to blend in, you need to think twice about big accessories.
log jam

Minnesota Log Jam http://www.nps.gov/sacn/historyculture/stories.htm

Go With the Flow – Think of Turkish society as a river filled with logs moving steadily, purposefully toward the mill.  As a foreigner, you’re a canoe in that river.  You’re not that different in size and shape from the logs in the river, and if you do things right, you get into the flow, enjoy the ride and get out when you need to.  The best way to do this is to just follow the cues to do what the people around you are doing.  Walk at the pace they walk, dress the way they dress, flow with what’s going on and enjoy the river.  When you don’t do this, you disrupt the flow and experience a version of Turkey that’s different from normal, you risk detours and even personal harm.  Try to fit in and go with the flow and I believe you’ll enjoy Turkey more.

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Working in Turkey as a Foreigner

Posted on June 10, 2011 by | 7 Comments

I received a great question from a reader a couple weeks ago, and thought it’d be good to answer it here.  I hope my answer isn’t too discouraging.

I was just wondering if you think Adana Turkey is a good place for an American to move for employment. Are there many opportunities for Americans or otherwise English speakers? Whether it be for employment or partnerships? I used to live on Incirlik Air Base. I miss Turkey a great deal and would love to have a business in or with Adana, Turkey. That way I can go visit often but have a purpose as well. Anyways, thanks for your time and opinion. :-) LLT

Dear LLT,

Thanks so much for reading A Foreign Perspective, and thanks for your great question.  You ask a question that you’ll have a hard time getting a straight answer for.  The reason is that many folks who have relocated to Adana really struggle to find sustaining, legal employment.  My observation is that people who come to Adana to work, don’t stick around long unless they have a powerful reason to stay (like a Turkish significant other or a strong sense of calling to Adana.)

Turkish hospitality is in amazing thing, but sadly the ministry of labor is much less than hospitable.  From everything I hear, they are very reluctant to grant work permits to foreigners, unless they are either A.) Teaching English at a very professional institution or B.) Creating a significant number of jobs for locals.

Turkish Labor Ministry... don't expect a red carpet

Teaching English in Adana

If you have a four-year university degree, you could very likely find a job teaching English at a private primary or high school or university.  If you’re actually a trained teacher, there are very professional teaching positions in all subjects at an American High School in Tarsus.  Other than these, there are opportunities to find cash jobs teaching English, which are risky/illegal, and it’s an unstable income.

Teaching Opportunities Do Exist in Adana and beyond

My Advice

Here’s my advice.  If you have the skills or connections, try to find an “Office Job” in the United States that can be done from home, or start a freelance business doing something from your computer.  This would allow you to live in Adana without depending on finding a job from the Turkish economy. This has worked great for me.  I’m an American, working from home for an American company in America.  I just happen to spend most of the year “traveling.”  I make my money in America and spend it in Turkey and live here as a Tourist.  I think this is the most bullet-proof method of living in Turkey and still being gainfully employed. As former military, you also may be able to find civilian work at Incirlik (although few who seek it actually find it… jobs at Incirlik, that is.)  I’d recommend picking up The Four Hour Workweek as well and seeing if it helps you to generate a good idea for a home based business that you could do from Adana.

I hope this helps!

Check out the “Turkish Travel Blog” for another sober article about working as a foreigner in Turkey.

I hope this helps.  If you’re a foreigner in Turkey, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue.

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Chicken Chalupas – Made in Adana

Posted on June 8, 2011 by | 1 Comment

This week’s Made in Adana Recipe for Chicken Chalupas is from page 243 of the “I Need Help in Turkey Cookbook.”  I was very happy with how this recipe turned out, it was really tasty, something a little different, and all of us loved it. Here’s how I made it.  Note that the recipe below, which we made, is for a half recipe.  Double everything and use a full size cake pan for a larger batch.

Step 1:  Chop two large chicken breasts into a few pieces and boil them in water on the stovetop until completely cooked (20-30 min).  When it’s finished, you should be able to cut the largest piece in half, and the inside will be totally white.  I added some pepper corns, a sprig of rosemary and salt while the chicken was cooking (optional).

Chicken boiled with 2 sprigs rosemary, peppercorns, bay leaf and salt

< While the chicken is boiling>

Step 2: Grease a small cake pan

Step 3: In a large bowl combine the following:

  • 1 package of Labne Peynir (200g light Cream Cheese)
  • 1 small can of green chilies (optional)
  • 2 green onions chopped up
  • ½ c black olives – chopped up
  • 150 g kaşar peynir
Chicken Chalupa Ingredients

Boiled Chicken, Ceam of Chicken Soup Packet (Kremali Tavuk Çorbası) Kaşar Cheese, Labne Cheese, Green Onions, Black Olives

(preheat the oven to 350F/180C)

Step 4: After the chicken is cooked, take out the chicken, and set it aside to cool a bit.  Use some of the broth from the chicken to mix up one packet of cream of chicken soup.  Use half of the required water for the soup packet.  Mix up the soup well, and then add the soup to the mixture in the bowl.  Mix it all up well, and then set aside 1 Cup of the cheesy mixture.  Shred the chicken into really fine pieces and add it to the sauce bowl.

Chicken All Chopped Up

The Chicken Shredded, Cheese Sauce Assembled, 1 Cup set aside, Cheese for the top shredded.

Step 5: Fill 6 tortillas with the cheese/sauce/chicken mix. Roll them up and put them in the cake pan.

Stuffing Chicken Chalupas

Stuffing Chicken Chalupas with cheese mixture

Step 6: pour the remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas.  Cover with shredded cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve

Chicken Chalupas Ready for the Oven

Chicken Chalupas Ready for the Oven

Chicken Chalupa Dinner

Chicken Chalupa Dinner - unfortunately the black olives colored everything a little pink.

Shopping List

  • 6 Large Flour Tortillas
  • 2 Large Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Package of Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 Package of Labne Peynir (200g)
  • 300 g Kaşar Peynir
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 can green chillies (optional)
  • ½ cup sliced black olives

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Posted in Adana, DIY food, Eating Right, Made In Adana

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Mado Photos

Posted on June 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

We decided to take my own advice yesterday and cool off at Mado with some Turkish Ice Cream (Dondurma).  Check out my recent 52 Things to do in Adana post if you didn’t see it about Having Ice Cream at Mado if you didn’t see it on Saturday. This was a great way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon.

I nearly forgot how much I love Mado Ice Cream.  I had one scoop of sour cherry ice cream – (Vişneli) and one scoop of caramel almond.  Rana and the kids loved their ice cream too.  Check out the pictures below.

Prices for Cones and Cups Clearly Marked - Also available by the Kilo

 

Lots of options there.  Mado usually has a waiter who speaks English.

This young man offered to serve us in English.

One Scoop of Cherry Ice Cream, one scoop of Caramel.

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Summer Garden Update

Posted on June 5, 2011 by | 4 Comments

As a family, we’re pretty excited about spending the summer by the sea in Arsuz.  We’ll be relocating some time in the next couple of weeks.  I’m be writing more about this later as the summer progresses, but I wanted to share the progress of my Square Foot Gardens that we planted there.

I’m hoping to learn a little bit about gardening this summer by growing some of our own food. The landlord was kind enough to let us have a little corner of their garden under a lemon tree to put two raised beds in.  I read through the super practical gardening book “Square Foot Gardening” which I borrowed from my friend John.  Then, about a month ago I set up 2 one-meter square boxes. I filled them with a soil mix and planted seedlings and seeds in the boxes and left them alone for the last month while the landlord did nothing but water them.  Check out the before and after pictures.

Saturday April 16 (before)

   Square Foot Garden Before

Saturday May 30 (After)

We harvested  a lot of the 3 different basil varieties, green onions, baby spinach and salad greens for salads. I also made an amazing pesto.  I hope to perfect the recipe over the summer and share it then.  We look forward to fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, beets and many other goodies over the summer.  Most importantly, I look forward to learning more about how to grow my own food.

What gardening projects do you have underway this spring?

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