Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Salad of the Century

The Cevahir Mall in Şışli is the largest mall in Europe. It was a boring Sunday afternoon. We had to go. Malls play a big role in modern Turkish culture... they have an historical precedent in the Covered Bazaar, and families throng the new malls on weekend as a form of entertainment in a way you never saw in the US or western Europe. Absolute shopping madness.This had to be the best salad I ever had... pepper stuffed with dill and pince nuts, all the stuffed grape leaves I could pile on the plate, zucchini latkes, water cress in cream kaymak yoghurt sauce... ruccola, bulgar wheat.. the list goes on... it was fantastic. 6 Liras (Euro 3.) At a Turkish mall, the food courts are what Turkish folk like to eat. No Italian, Asian, Tex-Mex. Turks eat Turkish. On these days , so do I. This is the line to the big hungry man işkender kebab (döner sliced thick with tomato sauce and yoghurt on soft pide bread) fast food outlet. About a hundred tables and a ten minute wait. Must be good işkender kebab!

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