Job Discussion Forums

yaramaz · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:17 am Post subject: Yabancilar rendez-vous?

Just a thought...

I think I might be coming to Istanbul for the long weekend to check out schools and to drink beer in public and to eat something other than kebab...

Anybody fancy a get together over food and drink?

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I'd love to. But what is wrong with kebabs? I'm on at least 2 a day.

yaramaz · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:37 am Post subject:

All kebabs and no Thai curries make Yaramaz a dull girl
All kebabs and no Thai curries make Yaramaz a dull girl
All kebabs and no Thai curries make Yaramaz a dull girl
All kebabs and no Thai curries make Yaramaz a dull girl
All kebabs and no Thai curries make Yaramaz a dull girl

Actually kebabs are a beautiful thing... when interspersed with occasional satays and pasta and curries and dim sum and pho and other delights of culinary exploration. However, there are no such variations here. You enter a restaurant and you can choose from doner kebab, sis kebab, Iskender kebab, beyti kebab, etc, or pide, or �orba, or pastirma. It's getting to me. Even in the supermarkets you cant find the spices or ingredients to create your exotic diversions: everything available is specially calculated to only make Turkish food, no matter which recipe you try to make. I tried to make a curry and I got guve�... I tried to make samosas and was greeted by a happy, tauting g�zleme...

johnslat · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:57 am Post subject: Honey, I'm hoooome

Dear yaramaz,

yaramaz · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:43 am Post subject:

Dear John,

You are most astute. Indeed it is from the Shining. I tend to use it when I want to make a point.

Kind regards,

Yaramaz

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 2:10 pm Post subject: Let food be the spice of life !!

Hi Yaramaz

Nice idea ,like it a lot, but , well that place is soooooooo expensive if you want to eat something different ,I very rarely eat kebabs of any kind these days ,tend to do my own stuff and even if I say so myself I do a mean chili ,most Turks explode when I lay it on them and well the homemade Madras can be pretty mean too always have plenty of Yoghurt standing by . Seriously though you are right the local stuff does get a bit samey and finding a half decent Chinese or Indian is a tough job ,so try Bodrum or Kusadasi,there is at least one in Izmir but it is expensive but good . Now personally I do like grilled fish and they know how to cook it well in the Aegean in fact sea food generally is of the highest quality here . Yes there are a one or two Mexicans here too ,restaurants I mean don't know about them though ,maybe FGT will help there I get the impression she likes a night out .
Any way sorry I won't be joining you up norf,I get the impression it might be a girlies night out any way and my signicant other would have something to say about that ,me under the thumb ,yes thats life ,enjoy it have a raki for me too .

yaramaz · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 2:58 pm Post subject:

Ollie,

I brought Thai curry pastes (red and green), a jar of Tom Yum paste, a jar of Vindaloo paste, several blocks of coconut milk, some home-made garam masala and chili powder from Canada- and I do cook with them- but I am forced to cook for one and one alone because the Turks here are absolutely terrified to try anything foreign. Even my description of a simple chow mein left them gagging. In this city there are NO foreign restaurants. None. Zip. Zilch. Her sey kebab...

As for the girl's night... does a pint with dmb and I constitute a girly night? Intriguing. I guess we'll have to swap the pints for some pink drinks...

Anyone else keen?

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Yes, Kebabs are delicious, as are most other meat dishes in Turkey, but all that meat is not very good for your health.

Just recently back from South East Asia, where one experimented with a quasi meatless diet for two months. However fish was eaten, and the occasional chicken (in Sri Lanka).

Looking at the health stats., the people of South East Asia are in general much healthier than Turks, and you see very few obese people in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos...in those countries you see a lot of old people, around 80 years of age. In Turkey one is considered "old" at 50 years.....so all that meat is a contributing factor in ageing process and many illnesses.

Ghost lost 5 kilos in two months, thanks to the "meatless" diet, and feels better for it.

In Turkey, there are plenty of good soups and abergine type dishes, which you could use for your diet. The kebabs are tasty but not good for one, especially two a day...

yaramaz · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 8:20 am Post subject:

The Turks eat a lot less meat and a lot more veggies than most North Americans or Western Europeans. The portions are smaller and more varied. Lots of salads. I feel a lot healthier here than I did in the UK or in meat-and-mayonnaise obsessed South Africa. In Canada I had my own garden and was vegetarian for the most part. For the most part, however, I think the Turks eat a healthier diet than many of my junk-food consuming compatriots... and yet we live longer too. Go figure.

Maybe the smoking, pollution, or other reasons contribute to the lower life expectancy? Is this life expectancy projection accurate or just a guess based on who you saw when you were here? There are a lot of old folks aroun here, still active, esp. in Cappadocia where they are still out in the fields.

Anyway, I still miss a good Vietnamese pho. I will work my way through the cafes of vancouver this summer, from Malay to Bengali...

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

A girlies night ou????
That's the second time my gender has been questıoned Evil or Very Mad

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

dmb ?

No sweat, just turn up in drag. You might like it !

yaramaz · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 12:57 pm Post subject:

dmb, I never doubted your gender. I assume you'll wear a skirt and heels for the rendezvous? Twisted Evil

Anyone else joining us or will we and his missus have to drink the whole bottle of raki ourselves?

PS to all: I have officially got a job at IH Istanbul starting in autumn and the pay HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. This truly rocks.

Laura777 · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Istanbul Turkey

Congratulations Yaramaz on the new job!! Smile

I will be arriving there late July. Hopefully I will be blessed with good fortune as well...

Reading this thread has made me yearn for Turkish food. Guvec, my favorite!!

dmb how is the life for you there now? As you remembered it?!

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

CONGRATULATIONS YARAMAZ! I'm very happy for you, I've heard good things about IH in Istanbul (anyone know Mary - now in Ankara with BC?)
Only sorry you won't be joining us in Izmir. Maybe we can all get together sometime, here or there. I'll wear a frock if dmb does!

vre · Joined: 17 Mar 2004 Posts: 371

If I get chance to leave the capital I would really like to meet up with you all. I once went for a Thai in Istanbul, very expensive but worth every lira!! I crave it so much. We get Chinese in the capital but it isnt what I'm craving. I long for a decent Indian too!

Anyway, Congrats Yaramaz. I was also thinking about IH Istanbul. How good IS the money? Do you get accom? Which one did you go for of the two? I heard it is a great place to work and has improved a lot.

Hope we can all meet.