Street Cats of Istanbul: Photo Post

This is a blog post I’ve been meaning to do for a long, long time.

For the past three years, I’ve collected more than 100 photos of the street cats of Istanbul. If you live here or have visited here, you can’t help but notice these furry felines everywhere. And I do mean EVERYWHERE! I’ve spotted them hanging out in Ayasofya as well as the Chora Church as you’ll see below.

There’s also hundreds of street dogs, but the street cats seemed to be the easiest for me to photograph. Many of the dogs are larger breed dogs and tend to get shooed away from the main streets. (Sadly, they are often abused too.)

I’m actually more of a dog person, but even I can’t resist these friendly cats, except when I’ve had one or two beat at my legs because they wanted food.

I’ve posted about the street cats before in two neighborhood posts which you can find here: The  Cats of Çukurcuma, and here: The Cats of Büyükada.

In this post, I’ve been trying to learn some new photo editing techniques using Adobe Lightroom 4. I’ve finally figured out how to make diptychs using this handy tutorial on Jay Watson’s Photography blog. Now, I can pair two images side by side, giving me more room to show you more photos here on the blog. Diptchs kind of showcase a mini story in one. Awesome!

Hope you enjoy!

What do you think of the Istanbul street cats as diptychs?

(By the way, you also should check out another fellow Istanbul blogger’s recent street cat post called: Cat-stantinople.)

Left: Ayasofya. Right: Blue Mosque.

Bottom photo: The infamous Callie the Cat over at my friends' place: Denizen Coffee in Sultanahmet.

Top photo: Cat seeks solitude in one of the many hans in the Grand Bazaar.
Bottom photo: Turkish cat attempts to 'capture' the peacock in Yesilyurt.

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My Favorite Pazar in Istanbul: Photo Post

On Friday nights, dozens of Turkish men arrive at a nearby covered parking lot to start setting up for Saturday’s pazar in Beşiktaş.

They precariously hang strands of light bulbs and electrical cords across the ceiling. Worn tables are covered in brilliant blue plastic tarps. Wooden crates are stuffed to the brim with fresh produce from around the Turkey.

On almost every Saturday morning (when we aren’t traveling), we wake up and head to the pazar to see what new fruit and veggies there are that week. This is my favorite weekend activity, and the Beşiktaş pazar is my favorite one in Istanbul!

Sometimes I’ll post my latest produce findings on Instagram; and every now and then, I’ll post a recipe using said produce. But earlier this spring, I finally brought along my good camera and took a ton of photos. Yesterday, I finally edited these photos and wanted to share them with you.

I love the vibrancy of the fresh greens splayed out on the tables! The stall holders meticulously lay out their wares every week in neat, organized piles. Some even get artistic with the displays.

I never turn down an offer for a free sample. Olives, cheese, tomatoes, mandalina, strawberries, oranges – you can taste them all before you buy!

The pazar is a bustling, bedlam filled with people clamoring and bargaining over the price of that day’s fruits and vegetables. I could spend hours here.

Afiyet olsun!

Finike is one of the coastal districts of the Antalya province and is known for its oranges.

You know it's spring when çağla (unripe almonds) appear at the pazar.

You can eat the whole fuzzy thing - tart, citrusy and strange. I don't like them.

This seller of üzüm yaprak (grape leaves) grabbed my arm when he saw my camera and wanted to pose with me. He was a very jovial man.

Şevketi Bostan translates to Golden Thistle. This common plant can be simmered or grilled and eaten with olive oil and vinegar (or lemon) as a salad. In the Aegean region, it is cooked with meat or with chickpeas.

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Turkish Pide with Eggs in Istanbul

Have you ever eaten something so delicious for the first time and wondered how the heck it took you so long to discover it?

I’m sure all of us foodies have.

In Istanbul, one of those recently discovered items is pide yumurtalı (Turkish pizza with egg). I used to order my pide with sucuk and kaşar peynir (Turkish cheddar cheese). Then, one day, the photo on a menu of a pide with a sunny yellow egg on top jumped out at me. I want that one I pointed out on the menu.

Unfortunately, the egg didn’t come out as oozing sunny side up as it looked like in the picture, but it was delicious.

Often, we’ve walked past a small pide shop near the Saturday pazar in Beşiktaş. One day, at my urging, we finally decided to stop and warm up with a bowl of soup and a pide. Karadeniz Pide Kebab ve Yemek Salonu is a simple place where you’ll find two or three daily soups, a few meze items and pide. I love the fact that almost every Turkish café serves soup!

If you can resist the gözleme at the pazar, stop by Karadeniz for a quick lunch. I think the cost for the two us was 24 tl ($13 USD).

Now, the best place I’ve discovered to eat pide yumurtalı is at Kırçiçeği in Ortaköy. Somehow, I received the most lovely, golden, oozing egg on top of my pide. I used the crispy crust to dip into my egg. Amazing!

Kırçiçeği, which means wildflower in Turkish, has several locations in Istanbul as well as Izmir, Bodrum and Ankara. This family-owned company, originally from Aydın, has been open since 1985.

Now, I haven’t quite figured out how to say that I want the egg to be sunny side up like I had at Kırçiçeği. Can anyone advise what Turkish words I need to say when I order my pide next time?

Afiyet olsun!

Locations:

Karadeniz Pide Kebab ve Yemek Salonu

Ali Suavi Sokak (Şehit Ali Kerem Mergen Sokak)

Beşiktaş

Tel: +90 212 261 2347

Kırçiçeği

Mecidiye Mah.

Ortaköy Değirmenci Sokak No:41 (by the Starbucks)

Ortaköy

Tel: +90 212 260 3535

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Following Turkish Coffee in Eminönü in Istanbul: Photo Post

During my many jaunts in Eminönü, the intense smell of freshly ground coffee beans seems to follow me everywhere.

If you follow this irresistible scent, you will find at least a dozen people waiting in line at the small windowed-storefront of Kurukaveci Mehmet Efendi. This coffee shop has been roasting raw coffee beans, grinding them and selling freshly roasted and ready-ground Turkish coffee since 1871. That year, at the age of 14, the shop’s founder, Mehmet Efendi, took over the family business, and today it is run by his grandchildren, according to the company’s website.

I’ve seen a line here as early as 9 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m. Turks love their coffee, and you’ll see plenty of tourists buying it too. By the way, the line seems to move quickly.

If you know Turkish coffee, then you know the global brand of Kurukaveci Mehmet Efendi. However, you might not know that the shop’s coffee beans are roasted in an unassuming building a few doors away.

In the southwest corner behind the Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Bazaar), you will see a white Ottoman-scripted plaque dated 1912 like the one pictured below.

Step inside this han and bypass the small store that sells cheap, 200-meter rolls of baking paper (my favorite), plastic drinking straws and colorful paper napkins. On your left, you will find rows and rows of burlap bags filled with coffee beans from Brazil. Behind a nearby closed door, you’ll hear the roaring sound of those coffee beans being roasted.

To your right, you’ll see a small window where you can order your own cup of freshly made Turkish coffee or a glass of çay. Don’t be intimidated. Just grab a seat like I’ve done. It’s a unique place to take visitors.

The guys are friendly and willing to chat a bit if you want to practice your Turkish.

Then, sit back with your Turkish coffee and try to imagine all the footsteps that have passed through this Ottoman-era building. It may be a bit dingy now, but I'd say it just has character.

I'll drink Turkish coffee now and then, but I'd rather have a latte.

To learn more about Turkish coffee, check out this post from my blogger friend, Claudia, who recently wrote: Iconic Turkish Coffee - Turk Kahvesi.

Traditional copper cezve - or the cooking vessel of Turkish coffee.

Fancy, silver Turkish serving cups with lids so the coffee stays hot!

This is how you deliver a cup of Turkish coffee inside the han.

These Turkish guys were such great sports and posed for my photos.

More customers in line at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi.

Location:

Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi

Tahmis Sok. No: 66

Eminönü

Tel: +90-212-511-4262

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Expat Life: Going to the Doctor, Kuaför in Istanbul

As an expat, going to the doctor or to the kuaför (Turkish hair salon) are two experiences that can make you cry.

Well, at least if you are a woman.

I’ve dealt with both while living in Istanbul.

Actually, I’ve left several different American hair stylists in tears as well after a haircut or coloring gone wrong. I’ve had my hair colored all different shades of blonde and brown over the years, including a fluffy, blonde perm in the early 1990s (picture on right). What was I thinking?

Finding a good hair stylist is important no matter where you live. In Istanbul, at least I was referred to a Turkish guy that speaks a little English, but is a little too proud of his çok altın (very gold) highlights every time.

“Evet, Tekken Bey, çok güzel, çok altın,” I always tell him.

At least, I like the cut, and the price is fair, so I can’t complain too much. It sure beats trying to figure out what box of hair dye I would use instead. I’ve heard of other expat friends paying 300 tl or more for a haircut and color in Etiler and Istinye Park too. No, thanks!

Finding a doctor, especially a good OB/GYN, also is problematic. I’ve relied on friends’ recommendations and have had mixed results.

First, I ended up at the American Hospital with a female doctor, whom delivered six of my friends’ babies, but I thought she had an unfriendly bedside manner. Her English was near perfect, but she was always icy toward me and my husband. Not exactly the kind of personality you want to deal with when you’re trying to get pregnant.

Then, earlier this year, I went to another OB/GYN – this time a Turkish male – at the German Hospital. He was kind, friendly, answered all my questions and didn’t treat me like an idiot.

However, I had to go to another clinic for some specialty tests in an unfamiliar part of the city. It was raining. I was lost and in near tears until a friendly, older Turkish gentleman helped me find where I needed to go.

No one spoke English at this clinic. I was okay for awhile, but my Turkish comprehension doesn’t cover medical terms.

I lay down on the cold, flat table so the tests could begin. I was uncomfortably half way undressed. I was exposed and vulnerable. I wished I had a friend with me to hold my hand. I wished my husband was there.

The technician explained some things in Turkish that I didn’t really understand. “Kesmek?” Doesn’t that mean “to cut” in Turkish? Dear, god!

That’s when the tears started. The tears kept coming. I couldn’t help it.

I didn’t understand, and I was alone. The exam seemed to last forever, but in reality took only 10 minutes or so.

Some days that’s what my expat life is like here. I don’t understand, and I feel completely like a foreigner.

As an expat, have you ever had a similar experience going to the doctor or hair stylist while you lived abroad?

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