Category: shopping

Escape to the Black Sea

M's Adventures
Trabzon has lots of pedestrian streets.

As the temperature started getting too hot for middle of the day outdoor activities (and frankly even too hot in the morning), I decided that I would do what the Turks did in the old days before air conditioning. They went to the Black Sea.

Giant bread larger than your head.

I went to Trabzon. For the respite from the 94-degree heat in Adana. In Trabzon, it was 84 degrees but humid. I still sweated. But Trabzon was an interesting diversion. The airport is seven minutes from downtown which they call Meydan (in Adana, most use the word, “merkez” for the center of town). There are many pedestrian streets in Trabzon, both in an area that feels like Switzerland or Italy, and then in an area that feels a bit more like Amman or Adana with covered cloth criss crossing the narrow alleys and older streets leading to Turkish baths or a mosque. Trabzon is now a tourist destination for middle easterners looking to escape the heat (84 is downright winter compared to 120) and many stores and restaurants have writing in Arabic. At one place I went to, the waiter was from Saudi Arabia and had been hired for his Arabic and English speaking skills.

Lots of metal containers for sale.

As I mentioned, I am done with touristy things unless it is food related. In Trabzon, the food specialties are a cheese cornmeal fondue type dish, gigantic bread larger than your head, a black cabbage soup, and sardines.

The melted cheese dish is called, “kuymak” and is melted cheese mixed with cornmeal. You use bread to dip into it. Very hardy food. It is nice if you can get a really good “pull” on your cheese but I went to a place where the cook apologized because she had not achieved that on my serving.

The gigantic bread is massive with the largest size weighing two kilograms (4.4 lbs). It is sourdough. The bakeries where they sell the bread can be hard to find as they seem to be all in one area. But, they sell the bread at the airport so no fear, one can take one with you last minute.

Black cabbage soup which is really kale pottage.

The soup is actually not a soup. So I was told. Apparently, one is supposed to use the cornbread as an additive and then the soup becomes a pottage or stew. This dish reminded me of the south in the USA.

I did not have any sardines but I did look for black tea as Trabzon is in tea growing country.

Overall, I felt like Trabzon was built for shopping.

It is a hilly town.

Getting to Know the Goat of the Goat Cheeses

M's Adventures
A “tulum” cheese waiting for purchase.

I like to sit in the front seat of the taxi so I can enjoy the sights out the window. Sometimes I see things that surprise me. One day, I saw a goat torso waving at me… I had to stop and take photos. It’s cheese made inside a goat. It is the goat of goat cheese. Some might even say the G.O.A.T., greatest of all time, of goat’s cheese.

A “tulum” cheese that has been cut into.

This cheese is called “tulum” or “goatskin/sheepskin” cheese. There are local varieties with some being placed in brine after cutting, akin to Greek feta. The cheese is aged for three to six months inside the skin.

The cheese is fairly strong in flavor but not as much as one would think.

The Origins of Swedish Meatballs

M's Adventures
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.

Tourist in Adana

M's Adventures
The large mosque and the 1,700-year-old Roman bridge.

Adana is not a touristy city, but, here are the things one can do as a tourist. But, first things first. It is hot in Adana. From June through October, the temperatures can be above 86F/30C. Not super humid. In July, August, and September the temperatures are above 104F/40C. I recommend late October or April during the Orange Blossom Festival, Adana’s biggest tourist event.

Visit the old town around the clock tower and the old bazaar street.

Walk across the Roman bridge, still usable after 1,700 years.

Get a Turkish bath in a 500 year old bath house. Çarşı Hamami was built in 1529. Yes, you read that right. This bath house is located east of the main tourist street with all the shops. It is near the big clock tower.

A touristy sign in a touristy bit of Adana old town.

Visit the large mosque, Sabancı Central Mosque, the second largest mosque in the country. It is only 30 years old but is built in the style of the Blue Mosque which was built 400 years ago. While visiting the central park, walk along the river and maybe cross the hanging rope bridge.

The big clock tower and the main tourist street.

Buy some Turkish towels. I recommend venturing into the small streets downtown away from the touristy areas if you want better prices. I have seen Turkish towels range in price from $3 to $100.

For souvenirs, I recommend the womens’ cooperative, located near the clock tower.

Visit the Adana Archaeology Museum.

Visit the museum of cinema.

Visit Tarsus, birthplace of St. Paul. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Adana.

Visit and hike at the Varda bridge (film location of one of the scenes from a James Bond movie).

Go to the serpents castle east of the city.


Eat Adana kebab. Make your own food tour. Or follow my suggestions of what to try. Try salgam, sirdan, liver, and simit.

Have I done any of this? Guess. More on this later.

Simit, Simit, Simit, Simit, and Simit

M's Adventures

Simit is the “Turkish bagel” or so they say. I did not think so until I had the kind that sort of reminded me of a bagel. There are subtleties to simit that I have not yet fully comprehended. Some are coated in butter, some are coated in sesame seeds, some are baked harder, and some are coated in molasses. These are the five types that I have discovered in Adana. Apparently the molasses one is special to Adana. (Scroll down to see it)

Fluffy sesame simit
Twisted slightly chewy simit
Baked like pizza simit – also chewy — pizza bottom crust.
Dipped in molasses simit – crunchy and sweet.
Kazan, I think. These are twisted, chewy, and basted in molasses.

There is an old simit shop that has been around for more than 100 years, supposedly. They do one kind of simit. The kazan. Each simit costs around 10 lira. Bread prices are controlled by the government.

Generally, simit is a breakfast item, or a tea item. There are simit vendors who roam the streets and usually the simit they sell is the kazan simit. Simit is often paired with a processed cheese product sort of like the pie shaped Laughing Cow. The Turkish variety is funkier and takes getting used to. I am now digging it.

I have my favorite places and those usually bake fresh simit all the time. It is wonderful to smell fresh baked simit and even better to chew into it.

The Hammam

M's Adventures
The sink from inside fancy hammam in Istanbul.

Many years ago, I went to a fabulous hammam (the idea of it being a “Turkish bath” was introduced in 1644 even though the tradition is more than 2,000 years old and started as “thermae” in Rome) in Istanbul. Now that I live in Adana, I wanted to find the experience again.

I asked some colleagues if they went to the hammam. As one man said to me, “No, I do not like strange men touching me… and especially when I have no clothes on.” Fair comment, fair comment. I asked others who told me that they did not go the hammam. No tradition of it now that everyone has a bathroom in their own home. In the old days, people had no running hot water in the home so they went to the bathhouse.

The hamman tradition is a remnant of the Romans (again, it’s all about those roads leading to Rome). The Romans also had no baths at home. The bath houses were a place to do more than bath. One went there to exercise, eat, and socialize. Everywhere the Romans went, they built baths (and roads). Even after the “fall of Rome” the Roman empire continued as the Byzantine Empire, then as the Ottoman Empire. Fast forward a century, and the hammam still exists.

Recently I learned that in olden times (I assume Ottoman times), mothers would go to the hammam to find a wife for their sons… well, I guess that is a sure way to do a visual inspection. I cannot speak to the visual inspection thing, but what I do know is that most young people and many others do not use the public hammams anymore. On top of which at many of the hammams, they have private rooms.

A hammam in Adana which is easy to identify by the skylights.

Despite what the modern Turks prefer, I was looking forward to getting regular Turkish baths. So I went searching. Most of the hotels have Turkish bathhouses. So far, I can see that they are staffed with Balinese women. One hotel had Balinese women for the English speakers and Turkmen women for the Turkish speakers. Generally the price is around 2,000 to 2,500 for a Turkish bath at a hotel. You do not need to be staying at the hotel to use the hammam.

It may seem a mystery for many so I will explain the basics of the Turkish bath. The men and women are separated either by location or time (some days or parts of the days for women and others for men). You can make an appointment or walk in and see if they have someone available.

This is one of the hammams in Adana. They have a plunge pool. Note the Turkish towels on the shelves.

Some places will have blue “shower caps” for your shoes for you to put on before you enter the spa area.

Some of the shoe cover machines do not use blue shower caps.

Once you enter, you will be taken to a locker room where you put your belongings in a locker (including your underwear although I’m told that some people keep it on). Then put on the robe or cotton wrap and paper slippers. Some places will make you shower before, but some do not have showers at the beginning. Then someone will guide you to the sauna, then the steam room (the sauna and steam room are optional), and then to the room with the golden taps and golden dish to rinse yourself. The person bathing you will be wearing a Turkish towel as well or maybe that and a top (if a woman). After you, and they, have rinsed you enough, they will indicate that you lie down on the warm marble slab (which is usually octagonal and in the center of the room) where they have placed a Turkish cotton towel.

Then, the person will take a special scrubbing brush and scrub a few layers of skin off you. This will be all over you, except for the genitalia. But very close. They will indicate when you need to roll over, when you need to sit up, and so on. They will scrub your face and wash your hair as well. They will massage you a bit. Then you will be rinsed off again.

Then you lie down on the warm wet towel again. And the best part happens… they take a cotton “pillow case” and suds it up in a cauldron. From there, they squeeze the suds and bubbles over you. It is marvelous. The warm bubbles effervesce on you like giddy bubble bath champagne. It is bliss.

A view showing the marble bench where you would sit and rinse yourself (also from the fancy place in Istanbul).

After the hammam is over, you may be covered in more towels and taken out to a rest area. There you may be offered tea or other restoratives.

Typical rest area in a hotel spa.

And then you pay. You can tip if you want to. Some places want cash payment which I find a bit…

All Roads Lead to Ham?

M's Adventures

It is hard to escape the pull of Italy. All roads lead to Rome and sometimes, one just has to accept it.

After living in Italy, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, I am continually asked if I miss it. No. But I do miss the cooked ham. The cured ham. The thinly sliced ham. So I went back. Not just for the ham.

In a small commuter town south of Florence, I went to a fantastically wonderful deli called Prelibum. Prelibum is Latin for “before the cake” so this is a place to buy delicious savory dishes before one eats cake. The deli has proscuitto, cheeses, wine, prepared dishes, and my favorite, Norwegian salmon. If you have never had Norwegian salmon, then I recommend it. If you think salmon is too oily or fishy, then try Norwegian salmon. (I don’t work for Norwegian salmon). Prelibum is also located in a small town in Belgium as the owners are Belgium and Italian.

In this little town in Tuscany, I also had other good food. But I must admit that I was bit focussed on the ham. The one I liked was called “Prague ham” — call me weird, but I liked that it looked like ham. Not a mishmosh of pieces stuck together with meat glue. (I prefer that as spam or a hotdog — what did you think it was made of?)

Sure, I walked along the Arno, drank prosecco, and walked the passegiata, and all those other “dolce vita” things that one does when in Italy.

On the train to Rome, I ate ham. On the flight back, I ate ham.

I love living in Adana, but maybe I need to take some ham breaks…

Hidden Chinese Reflexology from AW

M's Adventures

One day when in Flushing, Queens, I felt the need to find a foot rub. Maybe Chinese reflexology. After all, I was in one of the largest Chinatowns in the world.

I looked at the map and there was a place nearby with a 5-star rating. I eventually found it in a high rise behind a bakery (to the left of the green awning in the photo).

The reflexologist was a gentle soul who bathed my feet first before working on my meridian lines. Luckily my Mandarin-speaking friend showed up so she could do some translating. Not that I remember very much as I was too busy feeling relaxed.

Ms. Annie Wong was a treasure. I wish I lived nearby. Because I was the first customer of the day, I got my 90-minute foot massage for around 50 bucks.

I highly recommend finding places like AW Spa when in Chinatown Flushing.

Ramadan Food

M's Adventures

This is my first Ramazan (Ramadan) in Adana. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I recalled from Dhaka, that during Ramadan month, those observing Ramadan did not eat or drink during daylight hours. Every evening, the breaking of the fast, iftar, was a celebration. There were celebrations with family and gifts given. It was a festive time.

Ramadan follows the moon so this year is in the winter (February 18 to March 19). This year is the year 1447 in the muslim calendar.

So what is different her in Adana? Adana is a fairly open minded place. When I got to Adana, the locals told me that I should expect to see restaurants open during Ramazan and that people would also be drinking alcohol. This is so. Also, many restaurants closed for the first week of Ramadan but then opened up again.

Mini pide with mozzarella, potato, white cheese, sausage, and kale.

What was great interest to me was the food. Apparently eating “pide” is a Ramadan thing. It’s also an every day thing, but more so at this time. I noticed a different kind of mini pide and I have a feeling that these are only available during Ramadan. Today, March 14, is international pi/pie day (3.14) and pide is a kind of pie so quite appropriate.

Many bakeries are open around the clock so that was something to try out during this time. I discovered some lovely bakeries and almost all gave me samples, tried to serve me tea, and gave me freebies. Very hospitable.

Souvenir Shopping in Adana

M's Adventures
Adana’s area code is 01.

Since you can’t take an Adana kebab as a souvenir, one has to (has to) find a magnet or mug as a souvenir. Recently, I was at the women’s cooperative, Adana Kadın kooperatifleri Birliği, for brunch and it turns out that they also have a shop (one is sitting surrounded by things to buy) so that is my recommendation for where to buy souvenirs.

Adana is famous for its clock tower, orange festival, Roman bridge, and the kebab. This shop, located conveniently in old Adana (just down from the clock tower, on the side of a park, Ziyapaşa Parkı), is a nice reprieve from the heat and bustle. Or cold and wet.

The orange festival is the biggest event of the year in Adana.

Aside from souvenirs like magnets, they also have handmade items and food for sale. And as I mentioned, you can eat there. The staff are very nice. It is hard to not buy a basket or hammer pants (which is the baggy style that many people wear here).

The other place I would recommend for souvenirs is Starbucks. Sounds odd? The Adana mug is adorable.

There are also other places to find souvenirs but one has to search. Or stick to the main touristy street.

Four Dollars a Brew

M's Adventures
The leaves when reconstituted.

When a cup of tea costs $20, then you might as well get as many brews out of it as possible. The tea tasting I did in New York seems a world away from Adana, and centuries ago.

One of the pours.

When I went to Chinatown Flushing in New York, I went on a tea tasting at Fang Gourmet Tea. After selecting two teas (at $20 each), the tea connoisseur explained the tea, washed the miniature cups in hot water, and brewed the tea. Five times for each tea. After each brew, we tasted the tea again.

The tea changed color with every brew.

I’ll admit that this may be too subtle for me. After a while, it just tasted like ‘tea’ to me. I could see the change in color, but I started to hallucinate that I was making up flavors and aromas just because I was supposed to be able to detect them… actually, what I found most interesting was the tea person. She had worked there for decades. She was calm and deliberate with all her movements. She really sensed every nuance in each brew… and I think she found our obtuseness a bit amusing.

The skein of a filter.

After the tasting, we could buy the teas. These are not cheap. Nothing below $45. The shop was filled with tea paraphernalia that we could buy.

A selection of the cheaper teas.

And photos were not allowed of the shop…

The outside of the teashop.

In Sri Lanka, I went to a tea shop and did a tea tasting. I’m a simple person and I like my Earl Grey…

Fast forward a few centuries and I live in Adana where tea is offered at every meal. And in between. But here the tea is the color of mahogany. (Turkiye has the highest per capita of tea drinking at three kilos per person, per year.)

Tipping in Turkiye

M's Adventures
The bill at the liver place.

With the tipping percentage near 25 percent in the United States, one might wonder how much to tip in Turkiye. It is definitely not 25 percent. Actually, you do not have to tip at all. If you do, then you can tip up to the round number or ten percent. But if you do not tip, no one will run after you and scold you for not tipping.

Tipping is primarily only done at restaurants that are sit down. Many places will have a tip jar (written in English) to make it clear to foreigners that they appreciate tips. Most places will be happy if you tip, but again, you do not need to. If you are at a restaurant and want to tip, make sure to put the tip (cash only) in the tip box or the folder that held the bill or check. Or hand straight to the person you want to tip. You cannot tip on a credit card.

Other places where one can tip is at other service places such as salons. I leave a small tip under the bottles for the water delivery person (20 Lira for carrying three 19-liter bottles which cost three dollars per bottle = 50 cent tip for carrying three 42-pound bottles). Most people do not tip the water guy. (I use an app to order water and I can use my credit card to pay for it.)

The water delivery guy.

I keep looking for a “service fee” being added to bills but I have not seen it yet, even when there were more than six of us at the table.

Meals in Adana have cost me between 340 to 2,600 Turkish Lira ($8 to $63) for one person. The average monthly salary in Turkiye per month is 35,000 TRY ($909).

While tipping might seem like an extra “thank you” for good service, but for some, it is their entire salary.