Christmas Cheer

The parental deTars have arrived, and with them they brought lots of Christmas cheer. Like these ice skate stockings and Christmas tree quilt (with ornaments!).

And this Pickle ornament below from my parents. LOVE it (obviously).

And this miniature nativity scene in a matchbook. Perfect for meeting all your nativity scene needs in a very small space.

Capped off with this $3 plastic tree we bought at the "new years" market, we're set to go for xmas09. BRING IT, holidays.

Fake (and Real) Mustaches get their Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Remember when Matt did that post telling you all about how we saw the Ottoman Military Band? Well, we are totally trend setters because the New York Times went to go see them after us and wrote a whole article about it.

Apparently they are part of "Ottomania." (Do you not know what that is? It's "a form of Islamic empowerment for a new Muslim religious bourgeoisie who are reacting against Ataturk’s attempt to relegate religion and Islam to the sidelines." Duh).

If you don't want to read the whole article, the gist is that Matt and I obviously need to find some of those "Empire Strikes Back" T-Shirts ASAP.

(Photo and Article found HERE.)

Fat Cat

I know that some people think cats get to much play on this blog that is purportedly about Turkey, but it's hard to restrain because a) I was already kind of a crazy cat person before I got here and b) they are everywhere here and just asking to be photographed.
Like this obese cat.

Tell me that this obese cat shouldn't be shared with the world (or, at least with the 5-8 people that read this blog).

Would you prefer your large amount of carved butter...

in chicken form?

or in cat form?

Definitely a tough call.

Kittens and Piles of Used Books

I definitely see a best selling successory stemming from this dynamic pairing.

How to Eat a Baked Potato in Istanbul

First, you go to the place called "Kumpir Sokak" (Baked Potato Street) in Ortakoy. This street has a bunch of identical stands (15?) that all have identical baked potato ingredients.

You approach the stand of your choosing and ask for a baked potato (in bad Turkish) and point to ingredients. I picked yogurt, cabbage, green olives, corn, cheese, pickles, couscous, and hot sauce.

Then you enjoy your baked potato while watching the president drive by in a motorcade.

And then (if you are Matt) you finish your whole potato. Success!*

*I made a valiant effort but had to throw in the towel near the end. Those things were HUGE.

Home Sweet Home

The mosque next to our house leaves out cardboard boxes for the cats to sleep in. They don't even discriminate against the cross eyed ones.

Italian for Dinner

OMG! You caught me in the middle of my delicous pasta dinner!

Bulk Section

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. That's what happens when I forget to bring my camera places. No one likes a blogpost with no pictures. But I'm back! With good news: they sell pickles in bulk here!

Mmmmm.....

Nothing like a kilo of pickles...