Exploring local places is a bit like trick or treating. Here are some places that are a bit of a mixed bag in terms of experience but exploring them is a treat.
Ali Emre Simit Dunyasi
Honey water for the Simit.
Resatbey Simitci
Try unusual local places like these:
Cadir 01 is a yurt harking back to the steppe background of the Turks.
Arya Kebap, mostly because it’s a challenge to find it. Located on the north side of the D400, in an industrial zone. Turn off main road at the orange notary sign.
Dolmus Kafe, for the experience of talking to really local people.
A bus turned into a cafe.
Or maybe avoid these places if you find them spooky.
Of course lots of the locals are wealthy or middle class so if you want to feel like a bougie local, try going to the places on my expat list.
Now that I have lived in Adana for a year, what do I think of it?
A mocktail overlooking the paradise that could be…
Well, I think it is not as hot as people told me it would be. Last summer it was as hot as people told me it would be. It was 109 F (43 C) in the shade. But this summer was not as hot. The weather is a favorite topic here. But that is true of many places.
After a year here, what has surprised me is the live and let live attitude of this “village” of two million people. It was a nice surprise. Also, I am thankful for google translate, but often, I do not use it anymore. Smiles and charades often do enough communicating. And there is always tea. Always say yes to the tea. It is not about the caffeine or the liquid. It is about the offer to be welcomed by the person who offered the tea. Always accept the tea.
Always say hello and good morning/day. They do not like rudeness here. Say thank you. Please. Pardon. These few words go a long way.
Is it cheap here? Steadily less so. Breakfast can cost ten bucks. Or three.
The people? Generally amazed that I live here. Generally friendly. Most are downright polite and helpful.
As I mentioned before, I like that Adana is full of contrasts. I love that I can walk everywhere but I don’t love the bad sidewalks or lack of them. I love the chattiness and friendliness of the folks I meet. I like that there is charity here and little homelessness. I like the taxis. I love that everyone will serve you Turkish breakfast and that it is a thing one does. Always with lots of tea. I like that the sun shines most days.
I got a doner wrap for les than three dollars here.
Also, I love that there are few tourists here. Tourism would be good for the city, but… I like the lack of vicious tourism that happens in big places.
How much do I like it here? It often depends on how much I am sweating.
It is funny how one thing leads to another… for example, there is a movie out now about a guy who was trying to go home to Ithaca… and then I find a pizza place run by a guy who returned home to Adana FROM Ithaca. New York, not Greece.
A view over my slices of Ali’s Favorite.
This Adana guy worked at Ned’s Pizza in Ithaca, NY for five years and now he has opened a place, Pizza Borsa, that serves the same food. In Adana. He makes a delicious spicy pizza.
The pizza guy’s English is probably only slightly better than my Turkish. Luckily Señor Suleyman was there. He is there to help with the tea. Or so it seemed. Turns out that he owns the building, is a retired engineer who speaks some English. His daughter in law runs a pilates studio upstairs and his eldest son, Ali, has a pizza named after him, Ali’s Favorite. It is my favorite too. It has beef bits, mushrooms, and fresh cut jalapeño.
This pizza place is a mishmash of design and I do not know how long before the food has to be adapted to local tastes… Nope, never mind. It already happened. I tried the garlic knots and somehow, they were the most Turkish thing I have ever had. Is it the dried oregano?
Once upon a fairytale, I had read to me stories of far away lands where boys in baggy Turkish pantaloons chased each other through markets with silk draped souk stalls, knocking over giant baskets, all while the colors of a thousand (and one) spices wafted through the hot sunny air…
Spices in drawers.
Stereotypes are hard to break. Adana is a modern city. But, I keep looking for that souk experience of my fairytales. Obviously without the humidity. And icky smells. Just colors and brightness.
Fresh sumac.
But, do you know where I find that in Adana? In the nut stores. And in the spice shops. While one can buy spices in the normal grocery store chains, it is still possible to find speciality stores with an “exotic” flavor. Often there are spices that I have never heard of or ever seen in leaf or bark form. In the nut stores, the sale of nuts is serious business often with a roaster outside (to attract custom with the aroma), but these stores also sell Turkish delight, candy, and other snacks. Mainly confectionary.
I don’t know. Potpouri?
The spice stores sell many kinds of spices but also often function as apothecaries, carrying olive oil shampoo, or baldness remedies. Some of the products are to be steeped as a tisane, or smoked, or applied as a salve.
I would like to say that these stores are located in the souks of my imagination. They are not. For that I may have to go to Izmir. Or Istanbul. Adana is too practical, I guess.
Of course I tried the specialties of Antalya. At first the hotel person told me to go to a place called Seven Sultans, or something like that. But I told him that I wanted to go somewhere that locals would go to, not tourists.
Just a two minute away from the mega tourism of Hadrian’s Gate, one finds local Antalya. I walked past the touristy juice bar and found, around a corner, Arabin Yeri.
The menu.
They were friendly in there even if they spoke no English and I spoke no Turkish. They conveyed to me that they only had the two top items on their menu. I managed to convey that I was dying of heat and thirst and they immediately brought me a bottle of cold water. Then I said that I only wanted a single shish kebab. They said that the portion was six kebabs of kofte (meatball) kebab. So I got a half portion.
The lamb kebabs.
I asked if they had “cag kebab” as I was told that this was the specialty. They only had the two items on their menu… More about cag kebab another time.
Arabin Yeri.
So I got the “piyaz” which is a cannelloni bean salad. It has tahini dressing, olive oil, onions, tomatoes, and hard boiled egg. And parsley. Always parsley. One is supposed to drizzle lemon juice on it and more olive oil to taste while stirring it all up. Then eat with spoon.
I wrote that I would return to Antalya. I would go back for the Korean ribs and food and Kore Dimibang. Maybe it’s shallow of me, but as my friend says, “You do you, and I’ll do me.” And me is going back for those ridiculously delicious beef ribs.
Part of the menu.
On the last day I was in Antalya, I had enough of eating lamb/mutton. I found this newly opened Korean restaurant. The beef ribs are marinated for 72 hours so one has to order ahead. But lucky for me, they had some already marinated. I had one bite and ordered a second portion to go. I almost missed my flight…
Cold rice noodles with spicy sauce.
The cool noodle dish was also perfection on a sizzling hot day. The cool slippery noodles and the spicy sauce were refreshing together. The drink of the day was a tomato and basil spritzer. No alcohol. The tomatoes were peeled and sweetened so they tasted almost like jujubes. To Koreans, the tomato is a fruit (it is) so they treat it like a fruit in drinks like this one.
Tomato and basil spritzer.
Now, why would this Korean couple open a Korean place in Antalya. Through their staff, who speaks Turkish, Korean, and English, I found out that it is because this couple honeymooned in Turkey many years ago and had this dream of opening an authentic Korean palace cuisine inspired place. I wish them good luck. I do not know how they will survive with adaption their recipes even more. Note the grilled pepper on the ribs… that is very Turkish. The chef even makes his own noodles. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Turks like their pasta soft… not al dente… so they might appreciate the chew on his hand crafted noodles.
Open kitchen with hand made noodles.
But, the name of the restaurant and the flavors were Korean. The name is taken from the famous Korean cookbook from 400 years ago. This harks back to my favorite place in Dhaka.
Where the names comes from.
I told them that I wished they were in Adana and they said that if they had success, then maybe they would be some day. Sigh. One can hope.
Kore Dimibang is on a one way street near the coast in Antalya.
The famous Roman Hadrian’s gate with a bit of Roman road.
If you can’t afford the French Riviera, why not try the Turkish Turquoise Coast? If you imagine all the sun, beaches, and ancient sites of Greece, but in Turkish.
The sunshine coast of Turkiye.
For many years, a Turkish holiday was cheaper but these days I am told it is cheaper in Greece.
Such pretty streets.
There are many charter flights to the major airports in this area. Many northern Europeans seek vitamin D vacations for their health.
I went to Antalya. What a lovely city. As I mentioned, I am done with tourism, but then again, I have to do something between eating… and sleeping…
Cool bazaar in an old historic building.
If it is possible, then Antalya has it all. Even beaches. But in the town, it has a great “exotic” holiday where one sits and sips aperol spritzes by the pool after a morning of wandering the bazaar and shopping for oriental rugs..
The Ottoman style of building is visible if you look up.
Antalya has ruins too. It is old. More than 2,000 years old. The city was founded by a king Attalus of Pergamon in 130 BCE. Antalya was the largest port city in the area back then and it still is. It seems like everyone has been here, even St. Paul on his way to Antioch. And since then, Greeks, Seluks, Ottomans, and so many others. It seems that once upon a time not so recently, there were many Russian speaking tourists because there are many signs in Russian.
The rug shops look so enticing.
There are so many instagrammable pedestrian streets and so many places to “be on holiday” that one could spend an entire week just in the old town. They even have public toilets (1 Euro/40 Turkish Lira), although in the heat of the summer, I assume one sweats most water out of the body.
The downside is that in the summer, it is very very hot. Like 110 F/43 C. It is hard to describe how hot that is, but it is too hot to think clearly. Some of us find out that we have sweat glands in the puffy bits under our eyes… even in the shade.
At Kebapci Euup Usta, this is the standard free salads/mezze with a kabob meal.
When you order Adana kebab, or any kind of kebab, you will be given some free dishes. This is how it is supposed to be. If a place charges you for these salads that they bring to you, don’t go there again. Also, don’t go back if the place charges you too much (Recently I was charged 3,000 Turkish Lira for a mixed grill for two people — that is too much!).
These free salads or appetizers will arrive before your meal but you can continue to eat them during your meal to use in your sandwich. Most kabobs are eaten as a handheld wrap. There will usually be salt and red pepper powder on the table as well. Some places include grape molasses which alongside the lemons allow you to create your own dressing for the sandwich or salads. Most of the salads area already dressed with grape molasses or sumac. Most places will include a plate of herbs and lemons. Always parsley, often mint, and sometimes dill too. Many Turks will eat parsley straight up while waiting for the rest of the food. Sort of treating parsley like a breadstick.
At Han Kebap, they give you individual salads and “cig kofte” wraps.
Really basic places will give you smaller portions or simply the herbs and the onion salad. And large places will give you lots of salads including the basics, some with shallots only, cooked onion salads, and some even include baked “pizza” items like pide or lahmacun.
At Han Kebap, their spicy wet salad is excellent.
The thing with kabobs is that they are customizable and completely up to you how you want to eat it. I usually use a fork and knife. Many places will give you a fork and a spoon only. Many Turks use a spoon to eat the salads. I personally quite like eating things that only require a spoon.
At Hand Kebap, they serve mini pide with cheese. Yummy.
If you order a kabob, it will be served with bread, usually a flat or flatter bread like pita/pide, or a lavash/tortilla style bread. Some places have rice that you can order as well.
Chicken kabob.
Another thing is that all kabobs are served with a grilled chili pepper and a bit of tomato. This chicken kabob meal including the salads, an ayran yogurt drink, and tea cost me 540 Turkish lira. I’m told that it was a bit pricey but that I was paying for the view of the hospital… and the English speaking waiter.
The hot summers: It gets up to 110 F (44 C) almost every day for a few weeks and the rest of the three or so months (mid-June through mid-September) the temperature will be above 90 F (32 C) during the day for months on end. This heat is not too sticky but it’s not completely dry and you still sweat. A lot. There is one good thing about this heat and that is that there are minimal outdoor activities or anything outdoors during this time. And there is lots of air conditioning.
The smoking. They smoke. A lot. Even inside restaurants.
The traffic. Yes, it’s bad. In the city. The roads are in bad condition. Not everyone follows the rules. Is the traffic worse than Dhaka? No.
Chaos but no animals in the streets.
The flies — well that ONE fly that goes straight for my mouth when I step outdoors. Or buzzes around our food at the breakfast places. Ugh. Usually it is not a big fly. But after I bought the electric fly swatter, life changed. Now I just have to figure out a way to attach the fly swatter to my face…
The lack of international items other than Japanese sushi rolls. No real Indian food. None. There is pasta with curry or rice with curry but it’s nothing like curry.
The language. It’s hard.
Other parts of Turkiye look down on this city. Many treat it like the ugly step child… It seems like lots of people come from Adana but have left.
But, even with all these negative things about Adana, I like this city. Maybe because it’s the underdog.
Turkish meatballs are usually this shape although they can also be round.
I see the köfte (the Turkish meatball) everywhere in modern-day Turkish cooking. Never once have I thought how Swedish it seemed. It is surprising to think of it having a connection to Sweden. But, recently, I learned the origins of the Swedish meatball (köttbullar). Apparently, a Swedish King brought back the meatball from his travels to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1708, King Charles XII of Sweden decided to invade Russia. After a military defeat in 1709, he fled to the Ottoman Empire. The Swedish king went into exile for five days… but stayed for as a guest of the Ottoman Empire for five years. The Swedish king was at the Ottoman court for so long that the Ottoman treasury (who funded him) gave him the nickname, “registered immovable property.”
When King Charles XII returned to Swedish, he and his troops had acquired a taste for the Ottoman flavors ofmeatballs, stuffed cabbage, coffee, and sherbet. These foods entered the Swedish cuisine. The Swedish meatball was adapted to meet local tastes, including a creamy gravy, and lingonberry jelly. The first printed recipe for Swedish meatballs was in the 1755 cookbook by Swedish chef Casja Warg. As for the king, in 1718 when he tried to invade Denmark, again, he was fatally shot in the head.
Ikea in Turkiye sells the Swedish meatballs as a sandwich.
With the rise of Ikea, Swedish meatballs have become an internationally known dish. There is an Ikea store in Adana, out at the M1 mall, and they sell Swedish meatballs. You can even eat them at the cafe in the store. They are all beef as this is Adana.
In the freezer section at Ikea in Adana.
I wonder if the Turks enjoying the Swedish meatballs at Ikea think about the Turkish origins of their Swedish meatballs.
As I have done for all the places I’ve lived these past 15 years, I write about the pros and cons. This is the good stuff about living in Adana as a foreigner.
It’s a chill place even though the weather is hot in the summer. People are fairly relaxed here about dress code, lifestyle, smoking, drinking, etc. Live and let live. Cover your hair if you want. Wear shorts if you want. Hijabs next to mini skirts.
There are lots of coffee shops open late into the evening so that one can go out without going to a club.
Cups for sale.
There are thousands of restaurants in all price ranges. Every place will serve Turkish breakfast (kahvalti). Just ask.
A local eatery. A fancier restaurant.
The locals are friendly. Everyone has a phone so they can use a translator app.
There are no tourists. I mentioned that already in another article.
The great things about living in Adana are that it’s a vibrant city full of people going about their lives. Food is fresh and good. People are friendly. Taxis are cheap.
A man is not really a father until he has a daughter. This is what a Turkish man told me. Maybe it was a translation thing. I don’t know. But I thought it was an intriguing thing to say. I do not think that it meant that one should not have sons, but that one should also have a daughter. Sweet thought.
Turkiye is undergoing a downward trending birth rate. Less than the replacement rate. The birth rate has dropped by half from 1960 when it was three children per woman. Now, 1.5 per woman. The Turkish government has tried to encourage their citizens to have more children, but the cost of living is stopping people from having more children. The government called 2025, the “Year of the Family” and started paying money to families who had more children. But still, as one Turk said to me, “Who can afford it?” When I asked about his thoughts on having children.
As for the comment about having a daughter to become a “real father” — others have told me that this is not true. In Turkiye, there is still a preference for boys, so maybe this comment was a personal opinion?
There is a set price for bread.
Yes, the Turks also celebrate Fathers’ Day on the third Sunday in June. The first one was in 1910 in the United States. The Turks started celebrating a few decades ago. The Turks often celebrate Ataturk as they consider him the father of the nation. So maybe “every day is fathers’ day!”
