Saturday, April 18, 2009

The Other Side of Istanbul

I took the overnight bus back to Istanbul and finally had some food good enough to travel for. This time I’m staying in the Taksim Square/Galata area just off the main pedestrian street Istiklal. The direction to the hotel suggested people to follow the crowd to the main street but at 8am on a Saturday morning that just wasn’t a viable way to go. Instead I stumbled around the very confusing Taksim Square, which is more like an irregular traffic cycle but not in a perfect cycle either. I had to ask few people and eventually checked into the right place. The owner was a bit strange and I made it clear that I didn’t appreciate strangers petting my head like I’m a 3-year-old. Later he was quite apologetic and offered me some tea and simit (Turkish bagel with sesame). I checked my email for Myland stuff. Even though I’m on the road I’ve still kept up with ongoing business at home. It really makes me feel that I’m in the middle of two worlds, China is 6 hours ahead and New York is 7 hours behind.

Taksim Square is across the Golden Horn from the Old City and it’s considered to be the new city center of Istanbul. The area immediately surrounding my hostel is full of shops and restaurants and is especially lively late at night. Istiklal Street has three Starbucks, two McDonalds, one Burger King and countless connecting side streets and alley ways. However, most important of all there is a Self Serve eatery on every block with endless tasty looking ready to eat dishes displaying through large class windows. I’ve eaten at couple places like this in the Old Town but due to the fact that it’s more of a touristy area, the food was average and pricy. The worst meal I had was at a called the Pudding Shop recommended by Rick Steves. The Döner kebab sandwich was also pretty dry except a lamb one I had in Kusadasi yesterday. I’m finally at the right place for some good meals! And I’m quickly decided this is exactly what I want to do for the last three days of my trip. Eat and relax with little bit of walk between meals.

I started lunch promptly at 11am just as the Self Serves started to open. I figure I could just get a plate of food here and there throughout the day! First stop was a place across the street from the hostel with people grilling chicken and kebabs through the window. The food there looked particularly delicious and fresh just as they are being taken out of the oven. I sat down for two of the best grilled chicken tights I’ve ever had in my life! They were tender, juicy and flavorful but not overpowering with crispy skin on the outside. No sheep intestine, cow stomach lining or pig feet. After all, everyone can appreciate simple food made extremely well.

The other end of Istiklal Street, opposite of Taksim Square, is lined with music shops displaying all sorts of instruments including the popular Turkish string instrument called bağlama. It sort looks sort like a lute with long neck and 7 strings (2, 2, 3). I spent sometime at one of the stores flipping through an English instruction book trying to get a better understanding of the instrument. Instead of one semi step between two notes in western music, the folk music here divides a note into 9 parts! Holy dissonances. So the frets on the bağlama are bit different from a lute or a guitar. There can also be many different tunings depending on the music. The bağlama is played with a tezene, like a guitar pick. There are also many variations of bağlama, some big and some small with different tunings.

After the Istiklal Street I hopped into another Self Serve place for my second lunch: a big slice of moussaka with zucchini puree and meat patty and cheese. I’m still not too convinced that the top was made of zucchini. It tasted like super smooth and buttery mash potato. It was very good and filling. Leaving me no room for another plate anytime soon.

So instead, I took a short nap in the afternoon followed by a not so pleasant cold shower. Apparently there is no hot water at the hostel. I haven’t taken a shower in two days so I didn’t have a choice. I guess it’s a price to pay for budget travel. Many people come here to experience the Turkish bath, just not sure if I’m really up to that. Lying on a slab of marble with people rubbing me down with soap just doesn’t sound all that appealing.

By dinner time there was still one thing missing: eggplant and I corrected that with another trip to the Self Serve across the street. A plate of delicious eggplant toped with small chucks of pork. Like I mentioned before the people here really has a way with eggplants. The stuffed eggplants (Karnıyarık in Turkish), one with onions and the other one with lentil beans, are probably the best vegetarian dishes I’ve ever had other than things made with tofu. The Turkish version of moussaka is also extremely tasty with sautéed eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat and parsley. I also had a plate of sausages, or Kofte as they are called in Turkey. Adding an ice tea the total came to 12 liras, or $8US. Great deal for a great meal.

In the evening I went to a milonga just a block down the street called TangoJean. It’s a small place with couple dozen people. I danced few sets and when the people started to thin around 1am I walked back to the hostel soon after, figuring milonga is something I can easily live without.The streets were completed jammed with people, mostly locals. Many bars and restaurants have tables outside in the side streets. Friends gathered around having coffee and tea, some sharing a hooka filled with dry fruits, some playing backgammon. It was definitely quite the scene.

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