Starbucks and Change

Yes, It's true, I frequent Starbucks in Istanbul. But I do have some good excuses. First of all, it seems like there are more 'bucks on Istiklal Cad., then there are mosques. There are at least two NEW ones on the mile long strip, since last year. But of course, that's not reason enough. Sometimes, it's hard to get something "to go" here. Starbucks has that down. You know, those commuting-to-yoga-class lattes? They always have soy milk. The employees always speak a bit of English, at least coffee shop english - soy, tall, extra shot - you know, the important stuff. Also, the food in the Starbuck's here is very a la Turka, and it's good! Sure, they have the muffins big as your head, and the pie in a cup drinks, but you can also get your soy latte with a tasty pogaca, or mini peynirili. A pogaca is a light, savory roll and a mini peynirli is a wonderful LITTLE sandwich made on some sort of whole grain bread with olive paste and white cheese. They also have some yummy looking roasted veggie sandwiches and smoked salmon wraps that I've yet to try. Oh, and you can always use your Visa. Ah, Westernization is not ALL bad.

It's not all good, either. Last year, I was so pleased, that the sizes in the Istanbul Starbucks were reasonable: short 8 ounces, tall 12 ounces, and grande 16 ounces. The oversized 20 ounce venti didn't even exist. That's the way it should be. Eight ounces is MORE than big enough for a latte, especially since they only put in one shot of espresso. And who needs a 20 ounce coffee drink? For God's sake, this isn't Quick Trip! But it is America, and unfortunately now it's Turkey, too. This year, the sizes have been supersized. The smallest order is now the 12 oz. tall, the medium size the 16 oz grande and voila, the big daddy VENTI measuring in at 20 oz. The poor little short, my size of choice(with TWO shots), is a thing of the past.

But you know what they say about change. I'll roll with the flow. In the meantime, I'll continue to purchase my little 6 ounce hand pressed juices from the Bufe, and be reassured by some of the familiar people, places and things that remain.

The Painter, affectionately known as Teddy Bear Man, continues to wander Sofyali Sokak. He must have lost his teddy bear, but thankfully he's also lost the syringes with which he used to play. The incense selling clown man is still here, with his cartoonish clothes and oversized prayer beads. The boys still sell midye dolma, or stuffed mussels, from trays carried on their heads. The call to prayer sounds five times a day, and a cool breeze blows naturally up from the Bosphorous. And even though a sizzling plate of fajitas just arrived at the table across the alleyway from where I'm writing, I'm still able to sit here at the House Cafe, all day if I like, sipping my chai.

Purslane Anyone?

Ok, I've got mine. This is from the organic farmers market here. You know I'm serious about something when I'll walk 20 minutes, ride a subway and walk another 20 minutes one way, just to buy local organic purslane! I made the yogurt salad with it tonight (see my comments on Oct. 1's post.) You don't know what your missing! Weeds and fermented dairy. Yum!

Music Street

A few blocks from my apartment is a street informally known as Music Street. It runs from Istiklal Cad., the busy pedistrian mall street (where cars and trams are allowed!) down toward the Bosphorous. It's earned it's name from all the music related shops lining it. You might think of it as the music souk. Here you can find shops selling musical instruments, musical equipment, recording equipment and recording studios, anything to do with music. At any given hour, there are musicians walking up and down Music Street, with their instrument cases. Repairs, lessons, I'm not sure. But if you are a musician in Istanbul, you're here.

There are lots of other wonderful things happening on Music Street, too. It's one of my favorite streets. It runs down past the Galata Tower, and if you keep going down the hill (it's pretty steep!), it will dump you out near the port, where all the big cruise ships dock. It's also very residential. So you have this interesting mix of locals going about their business, musicians, and tourists. There seems to be a bit of a hippie crowd, too. There's a hostel or two on Music Street, and also a funky Spanish place, Venta del Toro where they do pretty decent tapas, a la Turka. The couple who owns the place is there day and night. They appear to have a good time with their crowd-tourists, turks and a fair amount of Spanish speakers. Stan and I like to hang at Venta Del Toro, but not today.

My Friday starts on Music Street. After coffee, that is. I can't help but patronize the new Gloria Jeans near my apartment. It is just too convenient. Plus, they have a NS section and soy milk. The former is more unheard of than the latter, but the two together? A rare find! Gloria Jeans is sort of at the mouth of Music Street, so I think it's close enough to count. Coffee, then down the hill, to Yogaist, get it? Yoga -IST, like Istanbul? Hee hee. This is the third yoga studio opend by the Yogasala owner, Can Malta. And I think it might be my favorite. It's a no frills place, where all classes are on a drop-in, cash only basis. And at half the drop in rate of the other studios, it's a bargain. Yoga in Istanbul is pretty pricy, mostly for the well-off. For example, at the other Yogasala locations, a drop in class is the equivalent of $25 and at Yogaist, its $13.

The yoga studio is on the third floor of a pink apartment building on Music Street. So as I enjoy my practice, the babooshka'ed ladies working at the cafe on the FOURTH floor of the building next door are enjoying my practice as well! That sums up Istanbul. Here I am, in a beautiful high-ceilinged space with hardwood floors, stainless steel ceiling fans and fixtures, and there is a working class tea shop in the building next door. This city is a study of contrasts everywhere you look. When the tea drinkers, however, start enjoying my practice as well, I am forced to close the blinds!

After practice, I walk to the street for a juice. Pomegranates are in season now, and since Turkey is all about seasonal and local, fresh pomegranate (nar) juice is the drink of the day. I prefer mind mixed with orange (portakal) juice. I pull up a pint sized stool at Yildiz Bufe, order one up, and watch the guy make it with his manual citrus press. Unlike in America, my juice comes in a REAL glass, and measures 6 ounces at the most. No supersizing here. Yet at $2.50 still a bargain, especially considering the view. I sit and watch the world go by. Not a bad way to start a Friday!

Home Sweet Home - Away from Home

Well, yesterday was a big day. I checked out of the hotel (no more room service), taught my first yoga classes, transferred all of my stuff to the apartment I'm renting, rode the dolmuche (shared taxi) reaquainted myself with the old 'hood, and got cursed at and spit on by a taxi driver. Don't be alarmed, it just means I've arrived.

And here I am! Stan and I sublet this same apartment last summer, from Tatjana, a nice German woman who does massage therapy at the yoga studio. She also does massage in Kabak, on the Mediterranean coast. We've been lucky enough to hit town when she's away, so we can stay at her place. It is very near the Galata Tower, which is a pretty cool tourist attraction, built in 1384 by the Genoese (pix above.)
http://www.galatatower.net/eng/index.php

The apartment building sits at the end of a little street, wide enough for one car, at the bottom of a big hill coming down from Istiklal Cad, the busy street I've talked about previously. It is a true residential Turkish neighborhood. There are families and children, and gypsies, and kitties, and corner markets where they don't mind if you are a few coins short, with guys who they will carry your big 5 gallon water bottle up the steps for you. The place has a good feel.

Today, I picked up a few groceries and tonight made a big mess in the kitchen. Shame there's no dishwasher! Where's Stan when you need him? I made a simple turkish inspired veggie stew, rich with spices and some onion and potato stowaways from my mom's organic garden in Pleasantville, Iowa. I'm guessing it's the first time Iowa dirt has been washed off a potato in this apartment.

Simple. I sauteed a diced onion and cubanelle pepper, added a chopped potato and the spices. I learned to add the spices here, from Indian cooking, it really kicks it up a notch. (I would have used some garlic, but I didn't have any.) Add approximately one teaspoon each cumin and paprika - the good smoky kind, 1/2 teaspoon ground corriander, 1/4 tsp turmeric and salt, pepper, and crushed red chilis to taste. Saute until the spices are fragrant. Next add three chopped tomatoes and some water, a tablespoon of tomato paste one teaspoon red pepper paste with the seeds, if you can get it. If not, maybe a roasted red pepper and some extra crushed red chilis. Cover and cook the tomatoes down a bit. Then toss in one small eggplant, chopped, one small marrow (like zucchini) chopped, and a handfull of oil-cured black olives. Cook some more, adding water if needed. When tbe veggies are tender, the stew has thickened a little and you are ready to eat, finish with some chopped parsley and green onions. I ate this with a crusty loaf of fresh whole wheat bread, purchased not an hour before at the foot of the Galata Tower, some fresh arugula and a scoop of yogurt. I know, it's weird, but the Turks eat yogurt as a side dish. Try it. It adds protein to a veggie meal and cools the intensity of the spices and the richness of the tomato and red pepper paste. Yum. Some cooked chickpeas would have been a nice addition, but I was too lazy.
Afiyet olsun!

Lunch at Last!

Finally, a yoga person interested in more than drinking coffee! Eric and I went to The House Cafe (http://thehousecafe.com.tr/) for lunch, after his Ashtanga basics class, where I was a student. Amongst locals and foreigners feelings are mixed about the House Cafe. It's basically a local chain, here in Istanbul. There are five locations. I've been to two, the one today in my neighborhood, Tunel and the original, in Tesvikiye, near one of the other yoga studios.

The original is actually in a house. As with most of the locations there is a communal table, in what would have been the front room. There is seating in all the other little rooms, and small hallways. Out back there is a beautiful terrace, that makes you think you are on someone's country estate. According to a very nice gentleman I met there drinking coffee on my first yoga teaching trip, in January of 2006, Istanbul's literati, perhaps even Orhan Pamuk, who lives up the street, gathered there when the first one opened in 2002 to talk, drink coffee and tea, smoke cigarettes, and likely carry on as is their nature. In fact I enjoyed a glimpse on that particular visit, as this kind Turkish gentleman introduced me to some of his friends. You see, I was the early crowd, as were they. 9AM. Yep, that's the early crowd. This guy, whose name escapes me, admitted that he goes to Starbucks for coffee upon waking, and then comes to House Cafe when they open at 9 for tea and breakfast. I generally enjoy their cappucinos. Anyway, at that early hour, I was the youngest and only female at the communal table. So they put up with me.

I think that like with all things, some people remember the good ole days(even if that only goes back to 2002) and now House Cafe has gotten too big, etc. But they carry a nice variety of fresh, beautifully prepared food, international with Turkish roots. It is, however, a tad bit expensive. For example, I had the lentil salad, and Eric chowed down on the hamburger with fries(yes the yoga guy.) He also had an iced tea then a latte(coffee again!) and the bill was 48 lira, and that's before tip. That's $40.

But, I must tell you about this salad! I'd pay for it all over again and likely will. It consisted of a scoop of cooked green lentils with a few slivers of roasted red and yellow peppers, in a mustard seed sauce. Mixed in were some generous hunks of goats cheese. Then on top perched a pile of fresh purslane. Purslane is a widely used green here and also in the Middle East. You would recognize it, it grows as a weed in the Midwest. It sort of looks like rose moss. Thick stems with succulent looking oval shaped leaves. I love it. The entire dish was drizzled with pomegranate sauce and then, gasp, TRUFFLE OIL! I could smell it the minute the waiter placed it in front of me. Completely delicious.

After that, I took care of some business, then back to the hotel for another hamam (more on that later) and then to the lobby lounge where I'm enjoying watching all the tourists go out for dinner. My last night at the Pera Rose. Sigh.

Full on!

Day two in this teeming city of anywhere from 10-15 million people! And everything about it surely is full on. My day started with an introduction by Eric (the American yoga teacher on staff at Yogasala) on how to get to one of the newer yoga studios. There are three, and so far I've only taught at the original one. This 2nd one, is in Etiler, which is a bit out from the central city. Since I hate to rack up the cab fares (not to mention I'm SCARED to ride with these crazy cab drivers) I wanted to learn how to get out there using public transportation. See Stan, I'm always trying to save you money! So Eric and I walked up Istiklal, stopping at one of the three Starbucks on the maybe 3/4 of a mile long strip. In general yoga people are caffeine fiends and the Turks drink coffee almost as much as they smoke cigarettes, so you can only imagine.

At Taksim Square, we descended to the Metro station, the Istanbul subway. We rode almost to the last stop, then walked several blocks to get a cab. The walk isn't necessary, there ARE cabs, but if you get a cab at the Metro stop, it is going in the wrong direction and has to circle around to get going in the correct direction. So, by walking several blocks you save a few Lira. There I go again, saving Stan money. So, I have these notes that read like this, "Out of Metro station, turn left. Walk to the big car bill board past the construction then turn left. Walk to the end of that street throught the little square, then turn right." And so on. Get the point? It's real specific.

After several of these twists and turns we pop in to Eric's 2nd stop en route, a Turkish bakery for three pogacas. They are delightful little bakery delicacies. Savory, not sweet. This guy, who can't weigh 150 lbs has already nailed a Starbuck's big-as-your-head muffin. THEN we hail a cab. When I get in the cab I am supposed to make sure the cab driver knows how to get to Kortel (How am I supposed to do this? Cab drivers do not speak English, and you know what I don't speak.) Or if that fails, we go straight, one right turn, then straight again. Yeah, right.

Once out at the studio, it is lovely. It is high above the Bosphorus, on what used to be an organic farm. It's a nice break from the pace of the city. Then I get my butt kicked.

I hadn't practiced since Andy and I practiced on Thursday, not to mention the plane ride, so I was pretty stiff. And Eric is basically an Ashtanga purest. He is a student of Manju Jois. We did the primary series in a teeny room with probably 20 students, no air, no fans, no open windows, even though all were available. I'm sure he is trying to recreate Mysore. And it was awesome! Luckily for me he cut me some slack, knowing I was coming off jet lag.

After class, I shared a cab with Mina, one of the students I knew from 2006. We rode to Kanyon, a cool new shopping center. Not a boring suburban shopping center, but an open air, neat architechture shopping center swarming with people. We had multiple lattes (more coffee!) and good conversation. Starting to get weary I pushed on home.

Back to the subway, back to Istiklal street(shown above in a NON-busy time), which is a pedistrian walkway, except cars and trams are allowed. I told you it was full on. They beep or honk or whatever, right before they run you over. But it's the people that amaze you. There are THRONGS of people walking up and down this street. You can barely manuver. It's pretty cool.

Once home at the Pera Rose, I watched the sun set over the Golden Horn, relaxed in the hotel's hamam (Turkish bath) then ordered room service with all the money of Stan's I saved. I'm beat.

Return to Istanbul

It's hard to believe it's been over a year(and a busy one at that!) since I've been to Istanbul. I arrived after a ridiculously long day of flights to Houston, Paris then finally here. The flat I am renting is not available until October 2, so I am staying at the pleasant Pera Rose Hotel, nearby, in Beyoglu, a very Turkish neighborhood. It was admittedly nice to have someone help me with my luggage, turn on the a/c and order room service after the trip. I had a nice walk around the 'hood, thru my favorite alleyway or "sokak" sofyali sokak, made sure my favorite coffee shop, Deli-Bakkal was still there, even saw the Teddy Bear Man (Lynn and Stan?) so all was well in the world. Crashed hard and slept pretty much through with only the once familiar call to prayer waking me temporarily before rousing at 10:15AM local time. Much needed.

I slept through breakfast, so I made my way to Deli-Bakkal (that's Lynn and me at DB in 2006) for my soy cappucino and some country bread with organic butter and sour cherry jam. This cute little cafe is so ME! I hung out for awhile worked on the crossword, drank another coffee and wandered a bit up and down Istiklal, the main drag. There is a new Starbucks (now three on the street) and a new Gloria Jeans right at the top of the hill coming up from the flat. Nice for those pre-class coffees on the way to the studio!

In the afternoon I met some yoga friends at the Istanbul Modern, the modern art museum. The museum is in an old warehouse on the Bosphorous waterfront. It's a great setting. They have a neat cafe, where I enjoyed a fresh OJ waiting for my friends. Once they arrived we walked to the warehouse next door, where part of the Istanbul Art Biennal is showing (there are other locations around the city). It was a cool scene. After that we made our way back up the hill to Music Street, in Galata, where I got a first look at the new yoga studio. This is the third Yogasala location and I'll be teaching at all three.

The group was heading to 360, a very trendy spot for dinner, so I passed. Another early night in for me. I've got the window open and am getting street noises, but from 7 flights up it is pleasant. The air today seemed very hazy and polluted to me, but that might just be me coming from the Midwest. I have a great view of the Golden Horn, and many mosque spires, including the Sulemanyie Mosque. Istanbul is truly one of my favorite cities in the world and it feels good to be back!
Iyi aksamlar!
PS: In case you're wondering, I'm 8 hours ahead of CST.