We had a very good dinner with attentive service and breathtaking view at Doğa Balık the other day. I was very happy with the meal only that it has been my most expensive fish meal in Istanbul to date. 80 US dollars per person, excluding tip. This is what an appetizer and a main accompanied by a glass of good wine at a fine-dining restaurant such as Mikla would set you back to. Or for the half of that you will feast at our favorite Set Balık which is (I admit) located God knows where with no view but then has the most interesting fish menu in Istanbul at the unbeatable price. The experience made me reflect on how to dine expensively in Istanbul and not get disappointed. So here is my advice.
August 2012
The other day I re-took Myers Briggs test to find out my personality type has changed over the past ten years. From ENFJ I have gone to INFP. I wonder if this shift reflects the fundamental change in my character or just describes the current moment. From extravert I have gone introvert: who could tell?! But then I have never been spending so much time with other people - my extended family, my clients, my market vendors and Istanbul crowds. After time with them I happily crawl into my own shell and love staying there for a while undisturbed. From judgmental I went to more reliant on intuition: I guess being in the new culture I can’t always rely on the logical clues to explain the behavior of people around me. So I develop sensing rather than judging.
My new resulting personality type is INFP, “The Idealist” which describes the current me so well. I am looking for harmony in people, things and relationships of them all. When I don’t find it I get very upset. I start seeing only imperfection around me and feel more and more miserable.
Spending fair amount of time around the Kadıköy market I have inevitably learned a good deal about its inner workings. Way beyond great places to eat and shop for food I discovered not-at-all obvious spots to buy creamiest kaymak, unbranded olive oil that beats most of the upscale brands and cheese leftovers for delicious borek on thr cheap. I have also learned who is sourcing from whom: where Çiya is buying its pickled wine leaves from or who delivers lemons to the makers of the first rate lemonade at Fazıl Bey. And this is how - through a common vendor - I have found my new favorite fish restaurant in Kadıköy.
Now when I am supposed to spread love for Turkish food disguised as recipes and excitement about eating it in the form of Istanbul restaurant recommendations I am here admitting the fact that may as well be suicidal for this blog. I AM FED UP WITH TURKISH FOOD. If this is the last post you going to read here before you flee hungry and disappointed - so be it, my Turkish food rant.
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And so we make a soup every day. Ramadan continues and we cook with the stronger sense of purpose - to feed those who have been fasting during the day. And soups are excellent ways to break the fast and start ftar, the evening meal shared at the sunset, and then we keep leftovers for sahur, pre-dawn meal. Turkish soups are nutritious and nourishing and I love watching happy faces of my eaters as they go through their bowls of piping hot deliciousness. But then 30 soups (one for each day of Ramadan) is quite a challenge. But are we so easily scared?
“Do you haven an editorial plan for your blog?” - asked me an internet-savvy friend. Hm.. at any point of time I have a 3-4 ideas on the forthcoming posts and 3-4 more ideas on what I can write about if I stumble. I try to post twice a week but then what can I do if I am escaping Istanbul heat in our countryside house and the nearby construction guys cut the telephone line for the whole area and we go without internet for 5 days? So much for the editorial plan.
