It became clear when we came back to Sapanca with a bus full of our guests. Only a week away in Istanbul drew a very evident line between the balmy summer nights and the autumnal nocturnal chill. Change that makes me very melancholic every year. As we arrived I put on a hoodie and (much to the satisfaction of my mother-in-law) socks and went ahead serving freshly brewed tea to our guests and family who have immediately filled our restaurant terrace with their sighs of amusement, clicks of cameras and comments on how lucky we are to live in a place blessed with divine serenity and magnificent view. All of a sudden our mundane life turned magic.
Recipes: Beverages
“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.
My mother-in-law is at the hospital in Istanbul. It’s a planned thing and she was on a waiting list for a while. They are making yet another round of the tests to find out what exactly should be done with her thyroid gland which refuses to work properly. Baba and Özge are talking turns in visiting her. And I am back to the countryside to oversee the kitchen after a busy month in Istanbul.
An obsession, an addiction, a daily routine, a ritual, a welcome gesture, a conversation starter, a break from work, a Turkish breakfast companion, a pastime favorite and what not. These are many roles and faces of the Turkish tea. As a visitor to a shop, a public office, a friends’ house in Turkey you are often served a tulip-shaped glass of hot crimson tea with two tiny sugar cubes on a saucer and a little spoon to stir. And the pleasure of hugging that beautiful glass with your fingers and feeling the warmth of the tea on your palm does its magic as it comforts you and lets the conversation flow.
