Mad Jack the Pirate!

It's one of my favorite cartoons. "Mad Jack the Pirate" (1998)TV-Series 1998-1999.. jack and his side-kick, Snuck (Lapaci) are hell of a characters... It's unbelievably funny. I applause Turkish dubbers, they made a great job on that...

What has changed in Turkey after I left?

1. Now, almost all banks in Turkey has a foreign partner or owner.


2. Children are more spoiled.


3. Almost everyone is smoking, now.


4. Everything is more expensive now, especially in small towns like Mudanya.


5. Women celebrities are dating with, or marrying to younger men, at least 10 year younger.
   
   
6. There are many new traffic regulations, rules, ways and passageways to relieve traffic.
   


7. Yet, traffic is worse in Istanbul now. (Some interpret this as wealthiness of the country. But, not me because there is still no effective resolution for public transportation, so more cars are in the traffic.)


8. Starbucks is on every corner in Istanbul as in New York.


9. You cannot pay with cash at The Bosphorus Bridge anymore; toll booths accept only KGS-special magnetic cards- and OGS -are unmanned and equipped only with a remote payment system-. Cash payments are accepted only at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, about five kilometers to the north.
   
   
10. There are several Raki manufacturers, various brands and tastes for Raki. It used to be only Tekel -literally meaning 'monopoly'- as a company, Yeni Raki and Tekirdag Rakisi as a brand.
    
    

A line, but a beautiful one:

"Look up at the milky way if it is a clear moonlit night, and if it rains,
you know why." - The Night of Sevens -
"Formosa Musings" by Lilian, writing from Japan at
Tarkan Deluxe.

rak•i [RA-kee] - Lion's Milk

I was preparing a paper for one of my classes about Raki and I said why not, just put it in your blog. So, here it is:

When one thinks of Turkey or Turks, one is reminded of Raki. In Turkey, raki is the unofficial 'national drink' and it is traditionally drunk mixed with water; the dilution causes this alcoholic drink to turn a milky-white color, and possibly because of its color, this mixture is popularly called aslan sütü, literally meaning "lion's milk" (aslan also means strong, brave man, hence milk for the brave men).

It is similar to several kinds of alcoholic beverages available in the Mediterranean and parts of the Balkans, including pastis, sambuca and ouzo.

The drink made in Anatolia and known as Turkish raki has a history going back 300 years. The art of distillation which started in the Arab world and spread to the neighboring countries was implemented when people thought of making use of the sugar in the residue of wine processing. With the addition of aniseed, raki took on its Turkish characteristic.

During the first years of the Republic, the grape alcohol (named suma) began to be directly distilled from grapes by the state-owned spirits monopoly, Tekel (literally meaning 'monopoly'). With increasing sugar beet production, Tekel also began to distill the alcohol from molasses. A new brand of raki made from sugar-beet alcohol was called Yeni Raki, means 'New Raki'. Molasses gave Raki a distinctive bitter taste and helped it to become popular.

How and what is it made of?

Raki is a usually anise-flavored brandy that is produced by twice distilling either only suma - It is a superior tonic and can be used topically for regenerative effects.- or suma that has been mixed with ethyl alcohol in traditional copper alembics with aniseed.

Raki is made from different fruits in different regions; but grapes, figs and plums are the main ones. Suma is generally produced from raisins but raki factories around established wine-producing areas may also use fresh grapes for higher quality. Recently, fresh-grape raki has become more popular in Turkey. Raki produced from figs, particularly popular in southern provinces of Turkey, is called fig raki.

Bottom raki is the raki that is remains in the bottom of the tanks during production. Bottom raki is thought to best capture the dense aroma and flavor of raki. It is called special raki and is not generally sold; instead, raki factories reserve it as a prestigious gift.

Brand and Taste Variety

(Pictures are mostly from Mey Alcoholic Beverages Industry and Trade Ltd.)

Raki is produced by many different brands which also result vary the taste of the raki. The best-known brands are Yeni Raki and Tekirdağ Rakisi from the city of Tekirdağ, which is famous for its characteristic flavor. The secret of this flavor is said to be the artesian water from Çorlu –a city in Turkey-, used in its production. Yeni Raki has an alcohol content of 45% and 1.5 grams of anise per liter; Tekirdağ Rakisi has 1.7 grams of anise per liter. There are also two top-quality brands called Kulüp Rakisi and Altinbaş with 50% alcohol. Yeni Raki contains about 20% sugar beet alcohol; the other brands of Tekel are produced only from suma. After the privatization of state-owned spirit industry of Tekel in 2004, different producers and brands emerged. There are currently many brands and types of Raki available, including Efe Raki, Çilingir Raki, Mercan Raki, Fasil Raki, Burgaz Raki, Ata Raki, Anadolu Raki, Mest Raki, and Yekta Raki etc. Sari Zeybek Rakisi, another recent brand, is aged in oak casks, which gives it a distinctive golden color.

So! You feel like getting out of the wrong side of bed? Let's eat, drink, and be merry!

You’ll love it because of the way of drinking. If you like every minute of your happy hours, this is the drink for you and it will make your happy hours top notch. You can enjoy the quality time with your friends and family thanks to raki, because the way of drinking raki is based on gathering with your beloved ones and chat with them during long duration meals. So we say, this is your chance to experience Ottoman glory!

In Turkey, drinking raki has its own traditional rituals. Most important is what it is to be participated with. Raki is consumed with meze (a selection of appetizers or small dishes taken with alcohol); white cheese is the main and unchangeable "meze" of raki.

Raki is generally drunk mixed with cold water. Ice cubes may be added, preferably to diluted raki, since its anise may otherwise crystallize. When the water is added, the mixture turns a whitish color. In addition to mixing raki with water in its own glass, it is customary to drink raki with a separate but complementary beverage. For the casual raki drinker, a glass of cold water is suitable. For the serious connoisseur of raki with kebab, and a glass of salgam-another traditional drink yet non-alcoholic- stands as the best accompaniment to Lion's Milk.

Drink with benefits? Yes, it is possible with raki.

In various sources from ancient times aniseed is defined as an herb that helps breathing and has warming, pain relieving, healing effects. My father used to drink it to get rid of his headache from time to time.

Those who have been drinkers of raki for years and years, point out that this drink affects one according to his/her mood. Sometimes one is tipsy after a glass or two; while sometimes even a huge bottle gives only a feeling of well being and enjoyment.

You are what you eat, you are what you drink, so be ready to try lion’s milk and become a happy lion! :)

Sources in the essay: http://www.allaboutturkey.com/ , http://www.answer.com/, http://www.mey.com.tr/, http://www.wikipedia.com/

Ice Cream And Chocolate - Naah, Not My Favorite!

I have a confession to make: I don’t like ice cream, anything with ice… It is too cold for me… I really feel weird and I am bothered when it touches to my teeth… I eat it from time to time saying to myself, “well P, everyone loves it; there must be something reaaallly good about it; so give it a try.. But then, once again, I am ending up deciding "it is not that good"… I know, I know, millions of people think just the opposite and enjoy eating ice cream… I just don't!

So, you think I am bizarre? Then listen to this: I don’t like chocolate, either… Yep, my bad!..

P.S.: I do like to eat cakes and deserts with chocolate sometimes, though… But I think this is because of this Mazola Bakery in the neighborhood… Everything is delicious in that store… You should definitely try Chocolate Bundt Cake and sour dough baget if you get a chance…

Killing Gorillas? What The Hell People!

I am always disappointed yet still surprised to see that how human beings are the real monsters of the world… We are destroying everything: Nature, each other, animals, everything…

There is an article about Congo’s gorillas and their tragedy in Newsweek’s August 6, 2007 issue… According to the article, last week four gorillas were slaughtered in Congo... They are simply murdered and left... No one can understand why these animals are shot down... Unfortunately this is not the first time… There are some kinds of sick people are killing these poor animals brutally for nothing… I can find no reason to understand this kind of behavior…
Someone really must find out the problem in human genes since no other species kill for pleasure… Shame on us!!!

Turkey is a Great Vacation Place

I am back from my Turkey vacation... It was a spontaneous trip... I was there for four weeks... After over three years it was quite interesting to be in Turkey... I sometimes felt so happy to be there, to be part of it, however there were times that I felt so alienated... It was certainly very good and joyful to see all my close friends and spend time with them... I understood that I missed them and the nature of Turkey... Having drinks in a coffee shop, eating all those delicious food with old, real friends, being served sincerely and respectfully by the waitresses in those restaurants and cafes, beauty of the nature surrounds us were priceless...

However, the traffic and almost everybody is smoking was a very shocking incident for me to witness... Istanbul is a big city as New York and probably has the same number of cars in traffic everyday... Obviously Istanbul has a big public transportation problem and higher exhaust limits... It takes hours to go somewhere it would take normally half an hour... I couldn't breathe because of all that exhaust gases... Another thing is that surprised me was seen that many and that much various luxurious cars in Istanbul... Even in New York I haven't seen some of them...

And the children... I have never realized before that children are this much spoiled in Istanbul... They are crying to get whatever they want and unfortunately families are helpless... It made me so mad at parents that they could not even talk to their children to tell a child what she/he is doing is wrong and annoying... Children are the kings now...

I travelled in the country a bit, went to Sinop and Unye (small cities at Black Sea region)... Last week of my vacation was spent in Assos (Behramkale), Canakkale with my friend, Esra... Even though I had to change plans and go somewhere else than I had planned before, thanks to Esra, my vacation ended perfectly...


Assos which is one of the hidden paradises of Turkey was the holiday place instead of Antalya... The weather was great and that blue sea, oh, that Aegean blue (Ege mavisi) sea... It was worth it every single minute... Assos is an antique little town in Canakkale, across Lesbos (Midilli) Island of Greece, with narrow streets, stone, authentic houses which are used as hotels nowadays, and with the history of being home for Aristotle for several years... Hand woven kilims, bags, and scarves are sold by natives who are still wearing folkloric clothes and talking with local accent... Feels like you live in a fairy tale... However, my pleasure was to be in that amazingly beautiful sea; to be able to swim in it... First, it feels cold but after a few minutes you don't want to get out... Although it is deep, you can see the bottom of the sea and the fish swimming around you...

Evenings were especially nice... Wind which is around often during the day stopped in the evening and we sit on the pier with a glass of wine while it got darker and the moon rose... It is a very romantic place... Esra, and I didn't want to leave the sea... We wanted to swim all day and at least close to the sea in the evenings... We only slept for a few hours and go back to the sea in the morning... Feeling it, was so precious...

"I Left My Heart In The Aegean.
And she will be loved!"

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P.S.: The place we stayed was sooooo cheap and clean, breakfast included, Tekin Pansiyon (+90 286 7217099), I can recommend it to anyone who is going to stay in Assos with no doubt... Owners are kind and sincere... The only con about this guest house is that since it is in the village, you will need a car or you'll have to wait for shuttles to get down to the bay, to the harbor... Other places to stay click here.