Did I mention that I quit my Turkish language class? Well, I did. My classmates and the teacher wanted to get serious about grammar and homework… NO. I want to talk about food!
A Karin sheep intestine in front.
Anyway, although I am no longer taking formal classes, I have not quit learning random Turkish phrases. I learned a punny one the other day.
The four common types of intestine offered here.
Adana is famous for various dishes like the Adana kebab, but the one that is also famously from Adana is the şirdan. But this is not the only part of the sheep’s intestines that gets eaten. I learned the name of this other part when I was discussing Halloween costume plans for this year. I could go as a kebab, or a sirdan. Last year, I planned to go as a glass of ayran, the Turkish yogurt drink, but decided last minute that it was too hot to wear a costume with padding (as I had planned a cascade of cotton padding to mimic the bubbles of freshly shaken ayran). So then what to do this year? It will still be hot at the end of October — probably around 88 F (31 C) so I need something lightweight and cotton… no, not a cotton ball… as that has padding.
Back from my aside… I wanted to go as a sheep’s intestine. But the famous one is too “rude” in the British sense of rude. So maybe I could go as the round sheep intestine. It’s shaped more like a haggis. But, in Turkish it is called a “karin” which is hilarious because “karin” is also “your wife.”
Maybe I will go as a “karin” and hold an inflatable “husband” next to me…
But it also sounds like it would require stuffing. And that would be too hot.
One day, I set out to find a well known “pilaf” eatery in old Adana. I had read that they were often sold out so one should go early. I got there at around ten thirty in the morning. They told me, “Come in, come in” but as there was no food, I said that I would come back after they opened at 11 am.
A quiet street in the inner warrens of Old Adana.
As I needed to find something to do for a half hour, I turned down an alley… in broad daylight, I generally do not feel apprehensive. The old streets of Adana are usually empty, sometimes foul smelling, worn down, and there is always a tea “shop” to be had. Today’s alleys were much the same but in one there was a man putting something in a grinder. It looked like green powder or grass powder. He looked annoyed at me so I did not stop to ask him what he was doing.
Wood stools.
Another thing I find fascinating is the variety of small stools. Today, I saw a saddle style that I had never seen before. In general, even if there is no tea shop or cafe, there will still be some stools and flat surface in or around every place of business. There are an innumerable tea boys and men running around delivering tea. Tea is a social habit, sort of like a handshake, in Adana.
Always tea.
While I was wandering around, I suddenly noticed raw meat on display, from lungs, stomach, testes, feet, and head. The heads were being blowtorched. Not sure how those heads were going to be prepared as one can get head soup, head sandwich, head cold cuts, and roast head. So many ways and apparently the cheek, tongue, and brain are the tasty bits. Am I right? (This makes me think of a “cute” street vendor in Istanbul who has been going viral because of his looks. He isn’t all that cute… anyway, there is a shop selling sheep head here in Adana that has employed that same marketing strategy. They have hired a cute “chef” who preps the sandwiches. Since they started featuring him, the views on their social media have increased exponentially.)
Sheep’s heads. And a woman.
As I walked through the meat market, sellers were calling out, “Welcome,” but I was not interested in buying any meat. I was also trying to make sure that I didn’t slip and fall on the slick tiles. Also, I noticed that there were only men shopping and only men working. I guess everywhere, butchery is a male dominated business. But, I was also in “the Egyptian Mall” and that could also be the reason that there were not many women around.
The meat market.
On the side streets of the meat market, there were lots of shops selling everything for grilling and cooking meat from knife stores to grinding equipment stores and some that sell everything but the meat. Aside from meat, there were the usual cell phone stores, sneaker stalls, cigarette stalls, and oddly, fake money stalls…
A grilling store.
In this warren of alleys, one could easily get lost, but not really because this area is only one city block. Eventually, one pops out on a “modern Adana” street again.
A street in the old town of Adana.
Another time, I’ll talk about the pilaf eatery and the dramatic stories of love, family, and money woes from some of the staff there.
