Afiet olsun!

Forget the literal translation, because it's wicked enigmatic, apparently.  "Afiet olsun" is the Turkish equivalent of "bon apetit," and is said pretty much every time a food or beverage is served.  And that's what this entry is about: the eats (and drinks).

My "Turkish food" experience thus far is mostly limited to our three squares a day in the hotel, but it gives a glimpse into Turkish cuisine so we'll go over it anyway. It's a buffet style spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it's quite tasty.  The food is often labeled in English and Turkish, which is great, but sometimes wires get crossed. For example:

"There has got to be a better way to say that."

Linguistic potholes aside, the spread is glorious.  At every meal, including breakfast, there are a variety of cheeses, olives, fresh melon and dates, and a whole bunch of couscous/potato/other salad type operations, all in addition to delicious, hot main dishes (not seen here).

Olives every day ol-ol-ol-olives every day.

Oh yeah also desserts.

Hope you like honey and pistachios.

Nothing much to say about this one, but here is a blurry photo of a Burger King delivery bike. These are common, and just a great idea.

Zoom zoom.

The liquid diet in Turkey warrants a couple separate paragraphs. First of all, there is çay, which is pronounced like "chai" but just means tea in general.  I'm told çay is served at restaurants and in homes all the time, much like ice water in the U.S., but I haven't had much chance to test that out yet.  On the few occasions I have, things have ended well and I've had tasty tea, always served in excellent little Charlie-Moe-hand-size glasses like so:

Hold me.

Great stuff. Onto booze. The Turkish national drink is Raki ("rah-kuh"), which is a very strong, anise-flavored liquor that is served mixed with chilled water.  It's 90 proof, so it'll get you into high gear, but unless you're of the strange variety of persons who actually enjoy the black licorice/jellybean flavor of anise, it's wicked nasty and is worth drinking only to: have the experience, be polite to someone offering it to you, or to simply get drunk.  I've had three servings so far for a couple of these reasons, but don't plan to make it part of my regular Turkish drinking experience.  Because I hate black jellybeans.

Hahaha, you have to drink me.

The most ubiquitous beer is Efes ("eh-fiss," the Turkish name for the city of Ephesus). There are a few varieties, but the most readily available ones are Pilsen and Dark.  The Pilsen tastes like a cross between Stella Artois and Coors Light, so whatever. You can drink it without thinking much about it. The dark is like a slightly watered down Negra Modela or the darker variety of Dos Equis, so it's a good switch-up when you're in the mood for such a thing.  Efes has definitely been a/the staple of our orientation social life, and the mostly depleted beer coolers of the grocer next to the hotel bear witness to the fact. 

Forget Grain Belt and Summit. We're your best friends now!

Given that I've taken all but two meals thus far in the hotel, that's about all I have to share on this front for now. Oh, except I'm still adjusting to the fact that "yogurt" is not a sweet, vaguely health-related snack food here as it is back home, but rather a versatile staple that can be sauce, soupy side dish, or even beverage (Ayran).  I have to suspend my consciousness when it is sauce/side dish, and haven't been bold enough yet to try ayran.  Even though it's like my name.  Eventually I will, and will surely share the experience at that time.

Up next, really this time: The visit to Atatürk's mausoleum, the Anatolian Civilizations museum, and the old city.  Very good stuff.  Til then, güle güle!