Lisa's Charm

Lisa has a great cafe but it's the slow season which is good for me. I don't want to be around the crowds and the prices quadruple. It still expensive to be eating out every night so Lisa said I could cook dinner at her restaurant. I could cook at my apt. also but it could be fun to cook with Lisa.



In the morning we went down to the fishing docks and I bought a couple of sea breams that were still kicking. I then went to market and bought some mint and fava beans. I love fava beans and my friend Elizabeth had written me that she was going through the long labor of preparing them. Why do I seem to especially like things that are difficult? I love eating crab and preparing labor intensive vegetables like artichokes and fava beans.



I'm giving you this really delicious recipe: First you have to take the beans out of these thick pods. Then you blanc the beans in boiling water for about five seconds, then you have to push the nice soft part out of their tough skins. You start with a pound and a half of these pods and then hopefully end up with a cup.



If you have a food processor the next part is easy but Lisa only had a mortar and pistil, so I had to smash the beans with a clove a garlic, a few mint leaves, some lemons juice and olive oil. at home I mix it with about a quarter cup of parmesan cheese but this time I used goat cheese. It should be a spread but it was a little chunky using this method. You grill some good bread and spread this on top like a crostini. You have to try it!



Lisa is an ex-pat Austrailan but she is of Chinese descent from East Timor. I'm picky about my preparation of rice and hers is perfect. Each grain is an individual. With the fish she cut a couple of onions and layed them on top with lemon juice and olive oil. That's all. The juices from the pan favored the rice.



The the salad as I've said before is lettuce mixed with mint, dill and parsley. This is really the best meal I've had here and I wish I had taken a picture of it.



You're probably wondering why I'm still in Bozcaada. I can't leave.

Waiting for Octopus

I feel like I'm looking for sex, wandering the streets looking and looking. I'm looking for this guy who said he was going to make me a grilled octopus dinner. Well I think that's what he said. He doesn't speak any English. What is it with me? Good teeth are important to me, but you wouldn't know it from my crushes: Anthony Bourdain, the sauve Vietnamese guy who made a bundle by sending me off on a refuge boat and now another guy with bad teeth who gave me a tour around the island for free and is supposedly making me dinner.

I see him today, earlier than I expected. I see him today limping. Did you crash your scooter? Knowing he doesn't speak English of course he answered. Well he looks distressed. I think he's looking for another scooter and a place for us to have our little affair. I have no idea but he wants me to wait. To wait - to wait where? He points at various places. But I'm impatient. I run into the young student. I met earlier in the week. and his mother- intellectuals I wouldn't mind spending time with, but not today because I'm wandering the streets.

Finally I've had enough and I eat another delicious meal at Cenk's then I go to my confidant, Lisa the ex-pat Australian and she tell me the scooter guy walked back and forth in front of her restaurant looking for me. Too bad but at Cenk's, whose place is really called Batti Balik, I had a stuffed artichoke, a fabulous fish soup and grilled mackerel and clams. Food is my pacifier.

boy scout

Being the prepared hiker/walker that I am I didn't bring any water when I went on an exceptionally long walk to the south of the island then headed north. I met a female hound dog who started to follow me. I told her she didn't know what she was getting into and I didn't want to be responsible. She didn't listen and insisted on joining me, something I'm sure she regretted later. She did manage to find a couple puddles of water to drink.



Four hours and nothing but wind swept country uninhabited of homes or cafes. The rocky winding coastline reminds me of parts of the west coast. Again when I head back east I get a ride with a tracker pulling a wagon. The wagon is too high for me to get this more than medium sized dog in. She just looked at me with sad eyes.



This area also has wild asparagus and artichokes making it the closest to heaven I'll ever get. At the market there were the prettiest long stemed artichokes. I could have put them in a vase if I didn't want to eat them so badly. The stems are an extension of the heart that some foolish people cut off and discard. I don't understand people who throw the good parts of vegetables away. No Entiendo!



I have dinner at my new friend's cafe. Cenk serves me sauteed porcini mushrooms and a green olive and feta salad. Of course again I have grilled octopus. I can't help myself. Next time I promise to get something else.



I took a picture of some young Turkish people enjoying their meal at Cenk's. You can see they are good Moslems by their covered heads and the untouched raki and wine in their glasses!

Turkish translation

It's so hard for me write or rearrange my pictures or anything because most of time my computer screen is in Turkish. The alphabet on the key board is in Turkish. Change it to English. you say. Well what do you think I've been trying to do. I can't even put in a question mark. I don't have spell check. I hope you can decipher.

I said that Bozcaada grew two of my favorite foods, wine and olives. How could I forget the seafood here. Even when I was a vegetarian I included fish. Most of you know how much I love octopus salad but I also love it and squid grilled. If either one is on the menu I will most likely order it. The Turkish salads are some of the best. Here they mix mint, dill, parsley with baby greens and the olive and vinegar dressing is so light it's practically not there. It's perfect. What can be better than eating all this while looking at the sea with the fishing boats in the foreground.

The island is so small I'm beginning to feel like a local. I tried to rent a bike but the only guy in town wanted too much. When I told someone else about the price they were also shocked and they lent me their bike for free. I will use it tomorrow

Before getting the bike I just walked to the other side of the island 6km away where I swam and hung out at this little cafe where I ate delicious abergine salad. I was joined by a student who is majoring in agricultural engineering. I thought this sounded like GMO's but no it's organic. You know what I also love about Turkey seeing chickens running around wherever they want, goats, sheep and cows eating grass - not seeing corn except for small plots. The U.S. midwest looks scary to me now because all you see in ineatable corn. Corn that has to be treated with ammonia before it can be broken down into corn syrup.

Opps off track. Anyway on the way back from this walk I was given a ride although I was happy walking. Yesterday I walked to a further point on the other side. Twice on the way there I was offered a ride and turned them down, but on the return I accepted a ride from a farmer on a tractor. His picture is here. I guess what I am saying is that the Turkish people are incredible friendly and hospitable.

Bozcaada

It was a beautiful winding green drive from Canakkale to Geyikli where I caught a ferry boat to Bozcaada. Bozcaada grows two of my favorite foods: wine and olives, which is why I came here. It's off season though warm - I swam today. My two room apartment that sleeps five cost me about $15. The locals are super friendly. I'm staying a week.

whırlıng dervıshes

I wanted to see a more authentıc performance so went wıth a few other travelers on a long van rıde on the other sıde of Istanbul. Except for the ten of us they were all local. I will not say Turkish. Some were from other countries but they were all of this particular sect. The 89 yr old disciple of the founder of this sect was there. He spoke at length, so long that I was nodding off.

Of course when the dervishes came in I perked up. There were five men and five women. The women wore colored bands. This was really something to see. I think religious christians should read about them. I am not religious what so ever, but these guys have it way over the bible thumpers. They are respectful and accepting of other religions for one.

Yesterday I took a ferry to Yalova. On the ferry I met a well to do man (or he met me). I didn't know what to believe about him but he definitely had a lot of men following his every move. He had his driver when we arrived in Yalova take my bag. His driver drove us in a four wheel drive SUV to a bus company where this man bought my ticket to Canakkule. He also gave me several numbers to call in case I needed help.

So I'm Canakkale where all the Aussies come on Anzac Day. The Americans weren't involved in this battle but the Australians, the French and the English were. They lost although they heavily out-numbered the Turkish. There were so many bullets that the museam has two bullets that shot each other in mid air. They are stuck together. The Turkish general ordered his troops not to fight but to die. Isn't war great

I like Canakkale but I want to leave before the masses come for this day. I am off the Bazcaada Island

I have finally started my trip. I arrived in Istanbul yesterday evening but without my backpack. I was still in good spirit because the Turkish people are so friendly and helpful. It was easy to take public transportation to the Sultanahet district where I am staying in a youth hostel. I went to bed immediately having traveled with connections for about 20 hours.

Dagistan, the hostel manager, makes excellent breakfast and it was pleasant to talk to the other travellers but I wasn't happy when Dagistan told me the airport baggage people told him my pack was still in London. After many more phone calls I was told they had my bag and would send it to the hostel after 1 pm.
I didn't know if I believe that but I went on to the bazaar. the spice market, and across the bay and up the hill to a more upscale area called Beyogla. There you can find Dolce and Gabanna, Gucci and women in short skirts and high heels. Anyway totally exhausting myself I got to the hostel by about 4 pm and my pack with everything in it was there.

Relief I cleaned up and now I'm off to enjoy a delicious Turkish dinner that will most likely involve lamb.