01.21.22

It’s a cliché: we use the expression, “all the tea in China,” to indicate that you would not do something “for all the tea in China,” which means you definitely will not do it. I think I can amend that to read, “for all the tea in Turkiye,” too.

I remember walking into a grocery store when we first got to Italy a few years ago and being awed by abundant displays of pasta on the shelf. I mean, it took up an entire aisle! It may be a stereotype, but it’s still true: Italians love their pasta! But so do many other countries.

Meanwhile, here in Turkiye, their style of eating is unlike others we have encountered in the world, especially pertaining to breakfast. It is a Muslim country, so bacon and eggs are uncommon. A traditional Turkish breakfast is more like a European buffet spread: cold cuts, hardboiled egg, and then they add other more native delicacies. Nuts, figs, dates, and a whole collection of cheese. And don’t forget the bread! Pita of course is very Turkish, but you can get bread anywhere in many flavor choices. As the New Yorkers have their bagels, here they have what is called a simit, which is a little skinnier version of a bagel with lots of sesame seeds, and is very, very good.

And the point to this entry is that as the Italians love their pasta, here they love their tea, and it comes in many different assortments of flavors and styles. Turkish tea, also known as chai tea, is served anywhere and everywhere, and just walking down the street we see the merchants and vendors sitting outside enjoying their tea. Hence the reason for this picture of an entire aisle of tea!

I have grown to like their tea and have at least one cup every day. As a matter of fact, if someone asks you if you would like some, it is rude to decline. And of course, I don’t want to be rude! Turkish coffee is a “thing,” and it is very thick and dark, though not as strong as some regular ground coffees. I like it but not enough to drink it regularly, and prefer tea, which is the national drink, not coffee.

If you have read any of my blogs over the last 3 years you know that food is an important topic of my conversations. From the initial foods we discovered in Spain, then Italy, then Croatia, followed by different parts of Eastern Europe. Later it was onward to Greece, the Far East, Thailand, etc, and finally on to Mexico where we were stuck for 15 months. Yes, food is important although I do not call myself a foodie. You wouldn’t know that considering that I have dozens if not hundreds of food photos on my Facebook feeds!

So far no food has been a total turn off, though what they call Turkish delight, is too sweet for me, and their ice cream is too thick. I do miss my strudel and my more western style breakfast pastries, but overall, the food here is much healthier.