Bread, bread, and more bread

Have I mentioned the food here is delicious? Since I love trying new foods and all food in general, I decided to make a post about the food here in Turkey.

For breakfast I typically have some type of bread from the local bakery with an occasional banana or peach bought from the local market. Sometimes we will have an omelet or a traditional Turkish breakfast. For lunch we typically go to a local restaurant or cafe. However, we recently got approved to eat at the university cafeteria so from now on I think we will be eating there. This cafteria is not like any at MSU. It only costs 1TL or .6USD for a meal and it is not a buffet; they only cook one meal and you can only go through the line once. For dinner we typically eat at another restaurant or cafe and get a larger meal to last through the night. The food is much cheaper here than in the United States. Most every meal costs less than 10TL or 6USD. I have to laugh though because McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants are considered to be a luxury and are more expensive to eat at then restaurants on the street! Something that is found everywhere and is eaten at almost every meal is bread (ekmek). The bread is very good and made fresh everyday but eating with every meal can get old quickly. Since fast food restaurants are few and far between, bakery items are about the only “on the go” food. This is a stark contrast to American culture where everything is made to be “on the go” and hardly anyone sits down for a meal. Here everyone (especially in the evening and on weekends) can be found at a restaurant or cafe eating or drinking tea and playing board games.

Some bakery goods.

Omelet served with a side of tomato slices.

The other day I tried some of Turkey’s famous baklava, it was amazing! There was so much syrup on it that it was dripping from the bottom of the piece! There is another type of baklava (that I know of) that is filled with pistachio nuts and is called fistic sarmasi. I will definitely be trying this in the near future. Turkey also has some delicious ice cream (or dondurma). I guess it is more like gelato than American ice cream, with a thick and creamy texture that makes it almost sticky and very pungent flavors. There are also some little Turkish candies and other desserts that I will have to try as well. With bakeries around every corner it shouldn't be too difficult.

Delicious baklava.

Assortment of dondurma flavors.

As for drinks, we mostly all just drink water (su) or beer (bira). Pop (mesrubat or kola) is quite expensive compared to other beverages like water, tea (cay), and coffee (kahve). Both the tea and coffee here is delicious and served extremely hot. There is one drink that everyone in Turkey drinks and it is called Ayran. It is literally watered down salty yogurt (sounds delicious I know). Nobody that I am traveling with seems to like it, but I have heard that it is an acquired taste. They do sometimes put this on food, which is more appetizing, but still, moderation is best. Beer is not terribly expensive but is doing a great job of ruining my budget. We seem to be going out quite often to celebrate various occasions like birthdays, 4^th of July, being in Turkey, being done with class (for the day), and really any other reason you can think of. The bars here are pretty cool. A number of them will give you one free beer on a certain day of the week for showing your passport, one of them has a quiz night, and all of them have great snacks. Typically they serve popcorn, very salty peanuts, shrimp chips, or any combination of this. One bar in particular that we find ourselves at quite often is Café del Mundo. The first time we went there the waiter gave all of us three patches: one of the American flag, one of the Turkish flag, and one with the bar’s name. Ever since, we’ve been hooked. They really know how to attract a loyal clientele!

A meter of beer!

Probably the most popular beer in Turkey.

Turkish tea, typically served in this tulip shaped glass.

One of the bars on bar street. Haven't been there yet though...

All of the food here is delicious and I look forward to trying more things like sheep stomach soup and ciborek (a food special to Eskisehir) among others. In a little under 5 hours we will be taking a bus to Istanbul for the weekend. Gule-gule!