Ekinacea-Take One Everyday

This is my lazy pogaca when I mix the filling in the dough. I make them thinner like little crisps but they are traditionally more round like little bread rolls.

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Mercado de St Miguel is filled with unique delights. From cheese to tapas to sweets to oysters.

Plaza St Ana, by Sol neighborhood is your hub for mid-day tapas and drinking. Also what it is great for is people-watching.

Goes great with coffee. One is enough per trip but I went back for a second serving!

This is the Russian salad mixed when ordered at the table at Pan De Lujo. Next to it are the succulent tomatoes.

The potato jar in Gabinoteca is a piece of heaven. You will not be disappointed with anything you order.

Amazing show as Casapatas. You will be surrounded by tourists. When was the last time you went to a spot to watch your national dance?

What to Think @ Madrid?



Start drinking early and ask yourselves--- why not do this everyday? Why the rush to get everything done?

When having a sip of your drink and a bite of your tapas- think about the value of small bites and drinks. Why do they go so well together? Why not do this all the time to avoid the belligerence that comes with over consumption of alcohol on an empty stomach?

When having a Pepito de Crema -- ask yourself--- can I have two of these or would that make me a complete glutton?

When watching the flamenco show- when they are clapping -- ask yourselves- do their hands hurt?

When going around from Mercado de St Miguel to dinner - after a whole day of eating and drinking ask yourselves-- Can I keep going and repeating doing the same thing?

I hope that the answer to your last question will be : "hell yes!"

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The mumbar- stuffed intestines at Sultan Sofrasi

This is the infamous cake like kunefe of Hatay. You can try it anywhere. They are all good. It could be too sweet but in this case the too sweet kunefe = perfection.

Amazing yoghurt soup at Sultan Sofrasi with a little kibbeh on top

You have to try the hummus garnished when ordered. It is amazing.

Stroll through the Bazaar area. Great sightseeing with tons of small food hubs.

Try Ali Nazik - a kebab consisting of tangy yoghurty eggplants topped small chopped lamb at Leban Restaurant

This is the muhammara at a restaurant at Samandag-- perfect combination of spices, red peppers and wallnut!

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"It Snowed on Tomatoes" Salad at Ece 9, Taksim, Istanbul

The mezes at Munferit, Istanbul

Amazing liver at Maya, Istanbul

The amazingly thin and tasty dolmas at Ece 9

The porcini mushrooms with truffle oil and with feta cheese at Munferit, Istanbul

The Sausage Bread (sucuk ekmek) and fish carpaccio at Maya, Istanbul

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Please beware of a gang of cats that will meow convincingly as you order food in Bozcaada. They are everywhere and are on a mission

A typical wine hour at the house we rented at Bozcaada- Corvus wine, ezine feta , island olives and more

The Eggplant Meze at Lodos, Bozcaada

How to not to get too drunk on too much wine
It was risky business. We decided to go to Bozcaada not knowing too much of each other. We also did not know much about the island. Bozcaada is about 6-7 hours drive from Istanbul (please do not listen to the locals who will tell you it is 4 hours as I am yet to figure out how they make it in such a short time) Across from Canakkale, the homeland of the infamous Troy myths, with its Aegean sea, if you ask someone from Turkey what it is known for, they will quickly tell you two things: wine and cold water(its swimming water that is). They will be right. Bozcaada is almost the Napa Valley of Turkey, the most wine production per square meter (I am not sure but it seemed so) It has decent food (but pricey because you are on an island) but it has also a lot of opportunity for one to indulge in less pricey ways (windmills and sunset with a glass of wine?)


What to Eat and Drink @Bozcaada?


@ Home
Since you are in a wine producing island it is fairly cheap to get wine to drink at home. The Talay Wine company, a producer for table wines in Istanbul for generation have decent and drinkable products. They have a store in the main town. Corvus is the crown prince of island wine making. Their facilities are 5-10 minute drive to main town (follow signs). You can also do wine-tasting in both facilities. I am a white wine drinker and Corvus' Bornova Misket is a must. It is also unique as it is made out of Turkish grapes. Dry with some flower under tones. Assuming that you head to Bozcaada in the summer or early  Fall *best times to go, it will not be a time to cook big meals at a home. However their great jams and cheese on the island. You are right across from Ezine, one of the main cheese-makers of Turkey- their feta is impeccable.  The bread at the local bakery is also a must. Try their corn bread with dill. They will slice it for you. When there also get a small supply of their famous mastic cookies- old Greek recipe and a must. Set-up a table around sunset with the jams, the cheese, the bread. Open up a bottle of wine and watch the sunset. If you can not see the sunset from where you are, wine and such food puts one in a contemplative but joyous mood. So with the effect of both, if you are with a loved one, express your love. Feel the breeze and wonder why you have to work the rest of the year. Also a must is conspiring about giving up your life wherever you are and moving to a similar setting.


@ Restaurants

The Bakkal Restaurant/Bar at Bozcaada offers a unique menu. Do not shy away from pasta dishes as they are amazing. Late night wine and mojitos are also available

Islands tend to have over priced food. Do not be turned of by the prices. I want to single out four locations that I frequented and loved. (1) is Lodos- I think the best mezes in the island- the artichoke w mastic is a must! It is pricier than what you would expect from a meze spot like this. The fish is also good. (2) is just around the corner- Batti Balik- has some special Greek mezes of its own and employ a Greek resident to prepare some authentic island fare. (3) Ada Cafe- famous for their salty pastries- borek and the must is the eggplant one (4) Bakkal is a rare treat. The Istanbul expat makes amazing pasta dishes. The cheese plate is good change if you make it a tradition to have that at home. What you also go for is the pepper taste they will give you with your bread that you can also buy inside the store. It is apparently made buy a drunk captain. It is spicy and it is the ideal thing to dip bread in.


Where to Stay@Bozcaada?


There are two types of hotels on the island. (1)Ones in the town, an old Greek town. Staying in town gives you access by walk to the spaces in the town and to basic market shopping. Beware that you will have to drive to the better beaches and to the windmills to watch the sunset. This is not so much a pedestrian island and best enjoyed by a rented car or a bike. (2)There are also a number of hotels on the vineyard side of the island. More breathtaking than the city, these are large homes divided into rooms or aparts. You are basically in the middle of the vineyards. (3)In the edge of the town is the priciest but best option is the Kaikas- a set of restored historic building. Each room is unique and the place is filled with antiques.


(4)You can also do what we did. We rented a small house from a local for around 1000 turkish liras for a month. Given it was pretty basic but it was right up the hill by the town and it had stunning views of the island/town.

A typical home at Bozcaada is small and colorful. It is a delight to walk around town and take photos.

What to do @ Bozcaada?

Pictures of the windmills- best spot to view the sunset!

Not much is always the ideal thing to do on vacation. But there are always those who needs an activity or two each day. The best is to still do the first, and make peace with your feelings. A great thing to do during the day is to drive around and discover your own untouched beach- there are many around the island but a sea shoe is a must as there are many pebbles and those beaches are untouched for a reason. The more known secret beach is the Aquarium. There is a tiny sign for it. There are no facilities in any of these beaches so you will have to bring your own towel. If in need of a shade you will also need to bring your own umbrella. There are two other beaches : one is a public beach and they charge you around 5 TL(Ayazma Beach) the other is pricier but has facilities and food on the beach if you prefer the more fancy fare. The later also plays entertaining oldies from Europe.(Habelle Beach) In any of the beach what awaits you is a small shock of cold water. It is the coldest point of water in the Aegean. It causes goose bumps. The attempt to jump into cold water and facing the fear everyday is great existentialist activity. The fear due to anticipation tend to be worse than the actual activity. In this case too, after the jump and initial freeze, it is very amazing water.

This is a picture of me right when the sun is about to set. By the windmills you can get a full view!

In the afternoon you can take stroll across town. It is an old Greek town with interesting buildings.


During sunset you drive to windmills.You will know you are on the right track when you see a convoy of cars going there. Before going there make sure to pack however many wineglasses you need, however bottles of wine you need to accompany you to the scene. When you get there, you are in for a show of nature. Also great spot for people watching.


Go for occasional dinners and vineyard visits. The bazaar of Bozcaada also is not bad.


What to Think @ Bozcaada?

A secluded beach we came across at Bozcaada. There are actually many. It helps to have beach chairs which we packed with us on our way to the island as it helped us to make a secluded beach habitable. This one is right by Corvus main building.

When jumping into cold water, think about how long it takes for one to jump into things no matter how pleasurable afterwards.


When drinking wine think about what it takes to produce it . Always so detached from production, us moderns tend to forget the making of things.


When looking at the sunset, think about your attachment to big cities. Is it really necessary after all to make more money to spend more money?


When eating the pepper paste at Bakkal, think about what the captain might have put in the mixture to make it so good?


When driving through the island, looking down on the cliffs, try not to think.


When at Bozcaada, think about the value and beauty of places that are not easy to get to (Bozcaada- is a strenuous weekend trip as you have to drive to two ferries). There is something remarkable at sights that are hard to get to.  I am more drawn to such places each day.

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Writing Travel Guides
Last year before our almost month long trip to Bozcaada, I was frustrated due to the scarcity of resources. New York Times is dedicated to covering parts of Turkey but mainly Istanbul, almost every month. (is Turkey their travel writers favorite vacation spot maybe?) I love their 36 hour-series but that usually covers the big cities. Travel commentators are also almost always are drawn to more predictable destinations. I want to be able to trust Trip Advisor but something about it turns me off. I can never tell who it is that wrote those comments. I have not been their suggestions but yet again- there is something fishy. I am almost waiting to be disappointed each time. For eating suggestions within the US Eater is by far the best. There is nothing like Eater in places I travel outside of the US. Those who comment on the food are divided also to two camps; those who love fancy travel/eating and those who are more drawn to the approachable and affordable stops. (such as the Frugal Traveller of NY Times who apparently is attempting to come up with a Sweden travel. I hope he publishes his story before we get there in two weeks) There is something universal about the desire to eat and to see new places. This class distinction of coverage is also unsettling. I decided as a response to prepare a set of guides for places I know well.

Trustworthy, hungry and adventurous = me

Why trust me?

I shake when I see good food. I love airports. My cheeks get red when I consume 2 or more drinks but in general I am a happy drunk. A good sunset is always an occasion to celebrate and drink.  I am yet to get sick from anything I eat of the street. I love offal meat. I also love proper dining when I have the money to do so. I don't have too much to indulge in what I do all the time, but just enough to enjoy it immensely when I get to go somewhere. The budget restrains allows me to be selective and my approach to traveling to be itself more approachable to many. Things I chronicle I live to do. I am just picky enough without ever loosing on the kindness. I like to be able to remember things with a smile. For the Turkey part of the travels, I am also the daughter of a famous Turkish food show host. I have not been a spot that I did not love that was my father's suggestion. He is the guru of Turkish dives and local food hubs. So there you go.

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A typical gout party spread minus the meat.

We try to not to eat meat this summer. Just for the next couple of weeks. A growing desire to become a pescetarian as my digestive track seems to fail with age, that desire fades at the sight of grilled meat. Perhaps an overload of meat once a year would be enough. We had just the occasion for that- ever since 1998.

I do not know how it first started- maybe from a dinner conversation, or from an instance of over-eating. There the difference between a true food-lovers and an occasional indulger is evident. Those who love food still can dream of food even the thin line above the lips is wet from sweat not formed by heat but by food. The original group consisted of Tarik and Savas (the owners of now amazing Istanbul eating destinations Changa and Muzedechanga) and my parents. Someone may have dared someone about the amounts of meat they could consume. So came the idea of a yearly party in the summers in our garden- a gout party- it would be called where the participants would be served endless amounts of meat products. Not much else. Meat as much as you could eat- maybe until you formed a case of gout. The now so-famous Nusr-et was a grill master in two parties.

Early nibble goods for the gout party. The key is not to overate them. The pictures are from the 2009 Gout gathering. In the picture are: my aunt Unay, Tarik and Savas

The core group of Savas and Tarik never changed. There were new additions every year and new surprise delights. My mother would set a long table for 18-19 people. The key for a meat party is not to prepare too many side-dishes or appetizers. Any over-indulgence will result in the lessening of the capacity to consume as much meat as possible. The meats every year are chosen by my father and mother. They consult their butcher friend Cuneyt (now owner of butcher, meat-restaurant franchise)

Moment of chaos due to the rush that everyone has for their attempts of overeating.

 

One year we had pieces of steaks followed by wraps of kebabs. We estimated the meat to be approximately 2-3 pounds per person. If people can consume more, they are welcome to more meat. There is always desert but I have always been too high on the meat to remember what they were. There is also good conversation, momentarily about other aspects of life, the rest of the time about food. The value of a ritual such as this one is many. (1) is to reconnect with each other around the premise of good food (2) is to test our ability each year for meat consumption (3) to talk about food whilst eating food.

 There has been a break for the past couple years. We did not have the Gout party. The ritualistic eating becomes more difficult with changing schedules/destinations and lives. Thankfully gout party is happy history for many. A memory of meat to remember for me in its absence. A case for meat when health says otherwise.

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This is a cliche shot of Ortakoy. For some reason I do not have my own photos of Ortakoy but this should give you an idea if you have never been there.

These are also photos not taken by me but gives you an idea of the process of production when it comes to gozleme. These stands no longer exist in abundance. Rather they are replaced by stable little shops in the entrance to Ortakoy.

This is Claude sitting on the tip of the boat on Sunday morning as we approach to Symi.

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