between soup and tea
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This is a post about some idle time spent between a restaurant and a tea house in Doganyurt. I am a creature of habit.
I ended up spending three days in Doganyurt. And I went to the same restaurant every day. It probably had a name, I don’t know. What I do know is that the owner’s name was Salim.
Salim was very big, and he had a very big voice. He also made great lentil soup. I went to Salim’s restaurant every day because on the first day, as I was walking by with the Caboose, he saw me and told me to come in to eat. And so I did.
the routine
I would walk by, stick my head in the door and ask: “Çorba var?” (is there any soup?)
To which Salim would reply with one very loud word: “Var!” (there is!)
Sometimes I’d order some salad with my soup. Or I’d get beans with rice. Or chickpeas. There are only so many dishes that you can have as a vegetarian in a Turkish small town restaurant. But it was great.
the tea houses
I also hung out in tea houses quite a bit. I usually feel a bit shy to go into these places, as they have a bit of a collective man cave vibe to them. It’s basically always a bunch of older men, all of which know each other, who hang out talking and observing whatever is going on in the street. Inside, hidden from the public eye, they often play cards.
Here in Doganyurt, I would go into different tea houses, have two or three glasses of tea, and hang out a bit.
I liked the place so much, I was sure it had to be overcrowded in summer. But I was told that wasn’t the case.
“We don’t get many tourists here,” they said, “it’s because of the roads.”
The roads that had been so difficult for me and the Caboose were also a bit much for the average tourist.
pictures
Salim’s restaurant:
Salim with his friend Mustafa:
Worker in a tea house in Doganyurt:
Patron of a Doganyurt tea house:
Tea in Doganyurt:
Supermarket in Doganyurt:
Businessman in Doganyurt:
Kevin
That lunch looks great!