Turkish Food

In a lot of my classes we start talking about food and I am often asked if I like Turkish food, and the answer is always yes.  

What isn't there to like about the food in Turkey, everything tastes so good, the fruit and vegetables have good flavour, and the meals always seem to be prepared so well.  Of course I do miss some of the food in the UK, especially my Mum's cooking.  I am not a very good cook, but I think my cooking is getting slightly better, and I want to learn how to cook some of the Turkish dishes.

One of my students asked me if I had tried Cigkofte the other day, and I replied no.  The same student had told me when I first arrived in Ankara, this was something I should try, so I think she was a little disappointed in me!

Also each time I go to a new city, I am asked if I tried the dish that the city is famous for.  Each area of Turkey has a speciality, maybe a different type of kebab, or a dessert or something else.  So it is time to try new foods and I aim to try something new every couple of weeks and blog about it, I will also blog about some of my favourite meals and desserts that I eat on a regular basis.  I have my favourite kebab and simit shops, so time to share them with you.

When (if) I have success in cooking a Turkish meal, I will also share it with you.

Food is very important to Turkish people and they are very proud of the different food they serve, and rightly so.

I think the first blog will be about one of my favourite desserts, Baklava.  so watch this space....

Those Familiar Places

OK, so Ankara is a city that is so different to my small corner of North Wales.  The traffic is crazy, the city is busy and the people are so friendly even if communication is a problem, and with me it is quite a big problem.  Well I can now buy my fruit and vegetables at the market with a little more ease and confidence than when I attempted a few months ago.  The stallholders will always say hello to the strange foreigner walking around the market and when I approach their stalls they are so helpful.  A couple of them even attempt to teach me a couple of words, and are so happy when I use them the following week!

But amongst the craziness and unfamiliarity of the city, there are some familiar sights that make me think fondly of home.

A couple of months ago, my flatmate and I decided we would head off to that familiar blue and yellow building that we could see from where we go for a walk.  It was Ikea.  It didn't look too far, but looking at the bus route would take a couple of buses.  We got there with a little help and guidance from some Turkish gentlemen who took us right up to the right bus to get on.  The bus journey was a lot longer than expected, and at one point I thought we must have missed it, but you can't lose an Ikea, surely!?  Then I spotted it in the distance, and checked with a man on the bus, and thought he said get off at the next stop.  OK, looks like a bit of a walk but we did that and started walking.  As we reached Ikea so did the bus that we had just got off, and it stopped right outside.  Hmm OK we will remember that.  As soon as we got into the shop, we headed straight to the restaurant area.  Yes, same food options as the UK.  I know I shouldn't (being wheat and dairy intolerant) but I just couldn't resist the meatballs, hmm and maybe a slice of the almond cake.  Just like being in the UK.  We then headed off into the shop, and everything seemed so familiar, and just for a moment I forgot I was in Ankara.

Just across the way was Kipa (otherwise known as a Turkish Tesco).  I went in to see if they had gluten free pasta and I wasn't disappointed!  Its also strange seeing Tesco Finest range in exactly the same packaging but called Kipa Finest!

The same can be said for when we visit a local coffee shop.  Although I always preferred Costa Coffee in the UK, I very occasionally visited Starbucks.  There are quite a few Starbucks here, and I have visited a few times for my Soya Latte.  I still think I prefer the Turkish coffee shops though, but sometimes for that reminder of home it is OK.

I was also surprised and very happy when we came across a Cafe Nero at Ankara airport and of course we just had to have a coffee there.

Other familiar sights are 'Marks and Spencer', which is more expensive than the UK, but its understandable, but the styles, and more importantly the sizes are more familiar to me.  'The Body Shop' also have a few stores here in Ankara, and are a lot more expensive than the UK, but its nice to go for a browse.

Obviously we have the Fast Food places.  McDonald's, Burger King and Domino's all deliver to your home.  It amused me that you could call and order your Big Mac, and just wait for it to arrive.  I never would though as I can't stand the food in either McDonald's or Burger King!

Turkey and Sport

Sport is very important to most Turkish people, especially football.  I think I am asked in every class which Turkish football team I support, and my answer is always I don't support any team in Turkey or the UK.  There is always a look of horror and surprise.

Some students tell me there are three main football teams in Turkey,  Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas, but others say there are four adding Trabzonspor to the list.  I am told I should pick a team, so I generally tell them I choose Fethiyespor.  Fethiye is a place very close to my heart, so it seems right to support their team if I am to choose one!  And of course they had a famous win over Fenerbahce in December which I often remind my students. I don't know enough about Turkish football to choose a team on skill or anything, most people in Turkey follow the team that they were brought up supporting.  I don't have that and I don't really follow football in the UK either.

Apparently betting on the results of football matches is very popular here, and is a popular activity for the younger generation.  Betting on horses is popular among the older generation.

But of course being Welsh the sport close to my heart is rugby.  I would always catch the international matches cheering on my country, and the Six Nations is about to start soon (1st February).  I doubt I will get to watch a match in a bar in Ankara, but I will watch the matches that I can at home, with the Welsh flag around me (yes I brought my flag with me to Ankara).

The students always seem a little confused when I tell them about rugby 'Ah teacher, you mean American football.'  I then get the confused look as I try to explain the difference between rugby and American football.  I think they understand, or maybe they are just humouring me!

So although the sport close to my heart is my national sport of rugby, maybe I should maybe take in a Turkish football match sometime......

But until then I have the six nations to enjoy.

A day in Konya

There are many places in Turkey that I want to visit, and time is passing by so fast, so this month we decided to visit Konya.

Konya is a city to the south of Ankara, and can be reached by high speed train in just under 2 hours.  This is how we chose to travel as it is reasonably priced and of course the quickest way to get there.  This was the second time we had used the high speed train and it was just as efficient and comfortable this time around.

Konya is well known for the Whirling Dervishes, but the best time to visit to see these is in December, so we missed out on this.  We did however visit the Mevlana museum

Konya is a very traditional city, the city centre appears to be quite small, but the city does cover a large area, it's the seventh most populated city in Turkey.  

While sitting in the park where Alaeddin Mosque is located, we were approached by some children.  'Where are you from?' they asked.  'What is your name?'.  There were about 10 of them and they were 12 years old, and wanted to practice the English they learnt in school.  They then tested us to see if we could pronounce their names, I think we passed!  Then they asked the question 'Do you have an I love you?', we had to smile at the way they asked the question, they got their mobile phone out and then asked again 'You married?'  

Our day out in Konya was interesting and I am looking forward to visiting another city next month.  Hmmm where will it be.

Language Learning

During my time here in Ankara I want to learn Turkish, and I am trying!  It's not an easy language to learn, but I want to give it a go.  I was looking at courses in local language centres, but they are a minimum of 12 hours a week, which combined with a full time job is really a non starter.  So I have been trying to learn using some books that were given to me.  They are difficult  books to follow, but I have been trying, and maybe it is time for me to invest in some new books, that don't try to teach me phrases like 'Is that your UFO in the car park?', and 'Are you an alien, which planet are you from?'.  These are phrases that I don't think I will be able to use on a regular basis.

I agreed with my beginner class that I would study Turkish for 10 minutes every day.  I am 5 days into the agreement and I have 40 minutes to catch up on somehow!

For me learning the language of the country I am calling home for the time being is very important.  I don't expect the locals to speak English to me.  In my younger days I studied Welsh and French at school, French and Spanish in University, and later even attempted to learn some Japanese, so normally languages come very easily to me, but this isn't happening with Turkish.  I also explain to my students that I understand that learning a language is difficult, because I am also trying, and I also make lots of mistakes, but you can only learn from the mistakes.

I love teaching and each level is fun in different ways.  Beginners are good fun but are also the most challenging.  The students laugh at me quite a lot, as I try to act out different words, and laugh even more at my attempts to draw things on the whiteboard.  I have now given up trying to draw anything, I was never an artist, and I never will be.  Last week I walked into one of my classes after the break, and they were 'redrawing' one of my pictures!

We were talking about food in one beginner class, and I was asked if I liked Fish and Chips, as this is one of the most well known food from the UK.  I said yes, I liked them with mushy peas!  Then of course I had to explain mushy peas, this was unsuccessful, so they looked it up in the dictionary, and then responded, 'Ah yes Caroline, we understand....... romantic peas!'  Ummm not quite!

I am often asked questions about Wales, and this is a subject I could never get fed up of talking about.  I am proud to be Welsh, and am happy to tell people about Wales, most students didn't even know Wales existed, but now they are keen to know about the country I call home.  I miss so much about Wales, friends, family, the coast and beauty of the country, but for now Ankara and Turkey is where I choose to be.

New Year in Istanbul

Happy New Year to you all!

I was lucky to spend New Year in the stunning city of Istanbul, and all I can say is 'WOW'.  It truly is a beautiful and vibrant city and I was sorry to say goodbye, but this will be the first of many visits I am sure.  The weather was rainy, but this didn't dampen our spirits.

New Year's Eve was spent with a boat trip on the Bosphorus, it was very windy and cold but the sights were spectacular.

Bosphorus Bridge looked spectacular in lights

The following morning we were up and about early to make the most of our only full day in Istanbul (yes it was a flying visit that's for sure).

Sultan Ahmet Mosque and Hagia Sophia were first on the list for the morning:

Sultan Ahmet Mosque at night

Hagia Sophia

A Hagia Sophia guard cat

Following some tea and Gozleme (a type of turkish pancake, which strangely I can eat even though I am wheat intolerant) we headed off to the Basilica Cistern (in Turkish Yerebatan), which was built to supply water to the Grand Palace.

And then it was time for some shopping in the Grand Bazaar, which is a huge covered market with 60 streets and 5000 shops.  It is one of the biggest covered markets in the world, and it was a hive of activity, with the shopkeepers getting you to look at their goods, and we had some good fun bargaining with them.  There were so many beautiful items on sale, we were spoilt for choice.

Mosaic lights at the Grand Bazaar

After shopping for our bargains we spent a bit more time enjoying the sights and sounds of the city.

The trip was way too short, but I fell in love with Istanbul and will return soon to see some more of this wonderful city.