The Roman Stone Bridge with the Sabanci Central Mosque in the background.
A few years ago, I lived in Rome, Italy. For the past two years, I lived in the “new Rome” of Washington, DC, in the USA. Now, I have moved to a place that is still connected to Rome (after all, all roads…) but it’s also near history from beforeRome. (Rome was founded in 753 BCE). I’ve moved to Adana, Türkiye.
A “simit” vendor on the Roman Stone bridge.
Despite being a city of two million people, Adana is a less famous than Istanbul (Istanbul is 575 miles/925 kilometers from Adana) but Istanbul is its own universe.
Adana kebab is minced meat. It is the most famous dish from Adana.
I’ve moved somewhere famous for its kebab (More on that later). Adana is also known for its Roman stone bridge (Taşköprü in Turkish), and more recently for being near the location of another famous bridge (Varda Viaduct) featured in a recent James Bond movie. But there are over 12,000 years of history in this area of the world including the famous Göbekli Tepe, from 9500-8000 BCE.
There is so much to explore. I look forward to the adventure!
Sometimes a place is just what the neighborhood needed. The Turkish Coffee Lady cafe is just such a place. It’s located in Alexandria, Virginia, on a main street in the old part of town.
Inside the Turkish Coffee Lady cafe.
The place is on a corner, up a few steps, and into a whole different world of ottomans and chatty laughter. The tableware is sumptuous and the food is elegant. There is not only the normal bite size baklava but large wedges of it as well. Who knew?
Lifting the lid on the Turkish delight.
The Turkish coffee is served on a golden tray with a delicate handle connecting the three small parts — one for the cup of coffee, one for the miniature decorated glass of water, and one for the miniature gold pot of ‘lokum’ or Turkish delight.
This place transports you to a different world. Maybe not all the way to Turkiye, but at least to a world of warmth and hospitality.
The corner location is a good one.
I look forward to trying out cafes in Turkiye when I move there…
But order the west African food (the food is fairly meh but the west African food was not bad — the current cook is from there. I had jerk chicken and jollof rice). And take an easily embarrassed preteen with you (No preteens were harmed in writing this).
Gadsby’s Tavern is famous being one of the restaurants where the likes of George Washington ate. If you want that tourist experience, then go.
The actor who is dressed in period costume and makes his rounds speaking in “olde English” does a pretty good job of riffing in the moment (insert embarrassing comments to parents and preteen).
As Jeeves said, “It makes for light entertainment.”
As my time in Washington draws to an end, I’m reflecting on the things I’ve enjoyed about living in the United States. One of the awesome things about life in America is the American breakfast and brunch. If I was to describe America and what makes it uniquely American, I would say that it’s the breakfast. Take for example the classic American diner. A place where you can get breakfast all day, and night, long. What makes breakfast for an American? Eggs. Bacon. Sausage. Biscuits…
Where have I had the best breakfasts in the Washington, DC, area? Hard to say. Here are a few places.
Bob and Edith’s Diner: Classic old school. Maybe not great food but it’s a greasy a spoon as one can find.
Table Talk: Same thing.
Matt and Tony’s: It’s fancier but I liked that I could order a giant breaded chicken breast as a side.
Classic with pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Sidamo: An Ethiopian coffee shop. Their breakfast sandwich tastes homemade and they decorate the plate with a side of honey covered banana.
Good Company Doughnuts: Really good for meeting up with good company. Their espresso creme doughnut is so good that one French lady I spoke with told me that it was her second day in a row eating there.
Look at the espresso creme!
Another country that has a famous breakfast is Turkiye. More on that later.
Aromatic, seductive, entrancing, spiced crumbles of ground lamb, warm like an embrace, soft like sweet nothings, strong like passion… is what you feel, smell, sense, when you bite into the flaky crunch of the thick golden samosa crust.
I miss Vik’s samosa.
Photo does not do it justice.
I liked the dosa and I liked that he has children’s dosas. I love the chutneys and sauces. I love the strong substantial mango lassi, bright yellow like a sunny memory. I liked the pani puri (small chickpea ‘bowls’ which one stuffs with more chick peas and ‘water’ if one gets the kind with lots of spicy sour ‘water’).
Dosa is a crepe like wrap. This one is ‘masala’ so filled with potatoes and spices.
Viks Chaat (‘chaat’ means ‘to lick’ as in the food is so good you will lick the plate) is a hidden gem on 4th street in Berkeley, California, serving Indian street food. It has been around since 1989. Don’t go to any imitations. Go hungry. Sit indoors or out. Eat in or take away. Tell yourself that one portion is enough.
Pani puri — pani means water. Pani puri with the spicy ‘water’.
I was going to do a list of the 10 best Mexican restaurants in the Washington, DC, area. But, I just don’t want to. Also, I am not finding them… so here’s my list.
Cielo Rojo, Takoma Park, Maryland: High class, world class, cosmopolitan, Mexican food. Also includes a vegan menu. Really good food.
As I mentioned earlier, I went to Table Talk diner. Inside it sure has the feel of an old school diner.
I imagine that they have a waitress named Flo… with big hair…
Gloria taking orders for pancakes.
As I was saying, it’s retro inside. One can meets locals. I did. One can chat with passers through. I did not. One can eat there everyday. I met a local who does.
If you find yourself back in the area, and need to get a crab cake, then drop by Table Talk. They got them under “must try.” They even have meatloaf and liver and onions. I may have to go back to try those. Meanwhile, their ham was good!
Virginia ham, bacon, and sausage.
The place needs to be saved. I hope they stay open for years to come.
Tikal is a World Heritage Site. It was used for a Star Wars movie. It is majestic. But HOT. Here are my pros and cons of visiting Tikal.
This was used in a Star Wars movie (think ending of the movie).
The pros:
It is only a 90 minute drive from Isla de Flores. But 30 of those minutes are at the main gate while those that didn’t buy their tickets online go to the ticket office (my advice is get a coffee at the stand where the driver is getting his cup of joe).
On the way, you can see the alligator island.See monkey do.
The tourist museum and vendors are all at the entrance of the archeological park.
No one dresses up like a Maya.
There are lots of birds (peacock like birds and others).
There are howler monkeys that will spook you making you think some monster is coming to rip out your lungs…
You can still climb some of the original structures.
It’s fairly unvisited.
The main plaza.
There are bathrooms in the park. But you won’t need them as you will sweat out all the liquid in your body (or at least whatever is not blood).
Another pyramid.
The park is clean.
The guides are good. You must hire a guide (around 500-600 quetzal) for a sunrise or sunset tour, separate from your extra ticket.
More.
The cons:
Other ruins.
Too much walking on boring dirt roads wide enough for trucks. In fact, a dump truck takes stragglers out of the park at 3 pm every day. The walk in is over two kilometers (over a mile) to the rest station/toilets at the base of the main plaza (for the love of all that is right, put in a transport system! I’ll pay for it!)
The Jungle Lodge has cobble stones (why break our already shattered feet?) and costs $375 per night.
The Ceiba tree.
A sunrise tour from Isla de Flores starts at 2 am. I still recommend doing it so that you are not walking in the heat.
This is a huge site.
The sunset tour ends up with that two kilometer death march in the pitch dark.
Walking in the dark down stairs and over tree roots…
The mosquitoes leave puncture wounds that last for weeks.
A storage hole.
I can’t decide if the ticket price is a pro or a con. Things were in general more expensive than I thought they should be. But, maybe it’s a way to keep the place intact.
Another thing that may be a pro and a con — it’s not so easy to get to Tikal. An eight hour bus ride or a one hour flight from Guatemala City. Then the smaller bus. Then the walk in to the jungle. I guess it’s pro if you like excursions. It’s a con if you would like a pleasant air conditioned minivan.
To wipe some of the salt rime off your face.
I’m sorry Tikal, but I’m not coming back. You are just too hot, hot, hot for me.
Tamarind juice, water, and hibiscus (flor de jamaica) juice to replenish the five liters I lost in sweat.
The freshest chicken breast tenders, delicious fries, and giant stuffed chile peppers.
The pilot let us know that the airplane was packed so Pollo Campero (an international fried chicken chain) needed to be placed under the seat in front of us. I did not know anything about Guatemalan food when I went to visit.
Fresh chicken breast tenders and the best fries…
What I learned was that fried chicken tenders are excellent almost everywhere. This was so evident, quickly, that I ordered chicken fingers/tenders at every meal (not at breakfast). The Guatemalans also make excellent fried potatoes. I was loving it!
Pepian with rice and avocado.
Sure, the national dish is called “pepian” — a stew of vegetables served with rice and avocado — but it’s easier to order fried chicken.
Garnachas are fried tortillas topped with shredded beef.
To make sure that we tried some of the traditional dishes, we went to El Adobe, a chain of restaurants that serves traditional food. We had stew, tortillas with things on top, tamale-like things, and excellent tamarind juice.
Fried tostadas with tomato, beans, and avocado.Chuchitos are thicker than tamales.
For breakfast, eggs with “sofrito” which was a blend of vegetables, not always cooked. The best part about the beans is that they are black beans which are pureed and strained so that they become like a hummus but smoother. Fresh cheese and plantains are also standard with breakfast.
With a name like New World Mall, I had high(ish) hopes. Not sure why. I had read that one could get the famous Sichuan breakfast crepe/roll and the famous Xian “burger” all in one place.
Flaky Xian “burger”.
So I went.
Well, it is a huge mall with a grocery store. That’s a plus. The food court is in the basement. There are toilets. That’s a plus. Some of the food stands are extremely busy.
Breakfast wrap.
I had the breakfast wrap. Maybe I don’t get the hype. Maybe it’s me. I tried the Xian “burger” and it was good but not something I’d walk over ice (again) to get to.
Noodles and dumplings (those took 20 minutes or longer — seemed like foreva).
We sat at a table that was mysteriously available. Next to a woman who insulted us. It was awkward. Sort of. Mostly, I wished that she had not been so insulting. But there has to be room for all of us in this world.
So all in all, the hype is good advertisement. They got my money. So it worked.
For $95 per person, you get a whole lot of history and trivia about Chinatown Manhattan and New York City (what Chinese dish was invented in Manhattan? That sort of thing). Oh, and you get to eat at five different places.
Chinatown Manhattan
I won’t give away all the places on the food tour, but it was definitely worth it. We went with Ultimate Food Tours.
Steamed buns.
Our group had ten people and the tour took three hours. Along the way, our guide shared lore, etiquette (how to eat a soup dumpling properly!), and stories about the Chinese in America.
Soup dumplings.
The guide was awesome and he left without waiting for a tip!
