Iyi Bayramlar

This past week was the bayram, which is a national holiday or festival. There are many throughout the year, celebrating the country, Ataturk, and other nationalistic holidays. This bayram was the Kurban Bayram, or Sacrifice Bayram. It is traditional to sacrifice a lamb to the Gods. Once the lamb has been slaughtered, a dish called "Beş Parmak" (meaning "five fingers"), is eaten. It is called Beş Parmak because it is carved and served with just the bare hands. 

While I didn't see any of the lambs get slaughtered, I did experience something equally as eerie; when we drove to Kurban Bayram dinner at my host-grandmother's house, there were hundreds and hundreds of sheep lined up on the sides of the highway, contained by pallets and tarps. When we returned home four hours later, all of the sheep were gone, and all that remained were hundreds of hoof-prints contained in a perfect square where the pallets had been. 

Despite the morbid theme, the holiday was in fact wonderful. I met my host-grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins, and other various extended family members. Tuesday, the 15th of October, was the first day of the holiday. We had Beş Parmak and many vegetable side dishes. One of my particular favorites is a type of pastry called Börek. The pastry is made of many layers of thin dough, and is stuffed with potatoes, cheese, meat, vegetables, or any combination therein. My host-aunt's husband, Mike, is British, and their two children are bilingual. It was delightful to have a complete explanation of what was going on. 

All of the cousins on my host-father's side

Cousins with my host father

On Wednesday I ate lunch at a traditional Turkish restaurant that had wonderful seating options: 

These seats were flat on the floor, and full of pillows. Customers lounge on the pillows as they eat.

This woman was rolling out dough so thin that when she lifted it to place it on the stove, the light shone through it. She had a lovely smile, and sat on pillows in the same way that the customers did. 

After a delicious lunch, I went to the Arkeoloji Müzesi (archeology museum), and had a peek at some of the oldest pieces of Turkish, Ottoman, and Byzantine culture. 

This building has over 100,000 ceramic tiles on the front alone.

Side view of the museum with Byzantine caskets. 

Arkeoloji Müzesi

Some of the exquisite tiles.

Gold detail on the ceiling.

Another wonderfully symmetric ceiling.

On Friday my host mother, sister, brother, and I went to the Sakip Sabanci Müzesi where Anish Kapoor is being featured. Anish Kapoor is an Indian sculptor, most famous for Cloud Gate in Chicago. 

This mirror sculpture turned the whole world upside down. Just past the railing is the Bosphorus, and it's reflection in the mirror was wonderful.

With vacation, and no school, come plenty of free time to explore famous and beautiful neighborhoods. This Saturday I went to Karaköy with three other exchange students. Karaköy is across the Bosporus on the European side, and we took a ferry to get there. The neighborhood is home to the famous Galata Tower, an icon in Istanbul. We spent our time wandering the streets, looking for a place to eat, and eventually settling outside with a view of the water. The restaurant we ate at was a complete array of seemingly every traditional Turkish food, and some unusual twists. The men behind the counter guided me along as I chose my dishes, and made helpful suggestions. At the end they weigh your plate, and bring it to your table for you. Everything was delightful. 

Buffet where the big decisions are made.

Börek, grilled pepers, pilav, and beans, in the foreground.

On the other side of the restaurant specialty jams, spreads, breads, and other non-perishables were for sale. 

When we finished eating, we realized that a world-famous baklava shop, Karaköy Baklava was just down the street. We had to go, it was destiny.

The street was so crowded with cars that I couldn't step back far enough to take a picture of the whole sign. Everyone wanted the delicious baklava, and rightly so. 

Fıstık baklava, cevis baklava, and çikolata baklava.

Pistachio baklava, walnut baklava, and chocolate baklava.

I had never tasted chocolate baklava, and in the beginning I was a little wary, however, it was divine. 

I now fully understand why this particular baklava store is so famous.