SIMIT

When a Turk says ' ... give us this day our daily bread ...' I think he or she means the Simit. It is seen everywhere, it is a staple and it is consumed around the clock. Simit is just bread, in the shape of a ring, with a crispy sesame seed crust and soft inside. It is not savory but there is a sugar-coated version which I see at breakfast hours. Most people would just eat it plain. I prefer the toasted version, introduced by my hosts at breakfast along with a thick slab of butter, plain Turkish white cheese, and a few herb-marinated olives. Superb! By the way, it may look like a New York pretzel, especially when sold from a push cart on the street but never say that to a local, I am told, as it would be an insult.  This vendor was selling on a morning ferry that shuttles across the Bosphorus to neighboring islands on the Asia side and he was doing well, almost sold out by the time we disembarked.  

MY LAWN

To give you a better picture, literally, this is my private outdoor library cum tanning salon, where I catch up with my email, my IHT, my Kindle books, and of course Vitamin D from the sun for my problematic aging skin. Remember that famous line in the 80's (forgot where it came from though) that goes "I can get used to this very easily" ... exactly my sentiments during my 10-day sojourn here.    

ALMIGHTY BOSPHORUS

This was taken from my room, very early in a late September morning, less than a month ago in Istanbul. You are looking at a wide bend of the mighty Bosphorus, the Istanbul Bogazi or Strait that forms part of the divide between Asia & Europe. The always busy traffic is heading up the Strait towards the Black Sea. Downstream to the right would lead  to the center of the city where the Tokapi Palace, the Ayasofya, the Blue Mosque are, and eventually joining the Mediterranean. The land mass at the top is Asia, looking across to the European side on the right.

I was house guest to a very dear college friend from Tufts. We met 44 years ago as 'Beelzebubs Brothers' the acapella group we both sang in. He became a top echelon global banker, and made Turkey home. We stayed in touch since, which our girls find hard to believe, and the rest is history. The view, not to mention the super home style hospitality, would beat any (I mean any) hotel, anywhere, hands down. It is from this vantage point near Buyukdere neighborhood, that I start my daily pilgrimage to Cookingalaturka for my Turkish meze baptism and I need to blog this, for the record.    

FLY TURKISH!

Multiple disappointments later we finally decided to divorce ourselves from Cathay Pacific.  It was not that hard a decision, even after 20 years of Marco Polo loyalty.  My quest for new flying partners was blessed by the arrival of Turkish Airline on this past trip. Yes, that is a Chef in full regalia on board who actually cooks.  He was there at the door of the plane to greet passengers from all classes, a genius marketing ploy, but it did not stop there. We were in Business Class and after God knows how many miles with how many airlines, including the Concorde, our flight to Istanbul was arguably one of the most memorable.  The 180-degree flat seats were heaven, Dora was not sure she was at home or on the plane when she awoke. Our only complaint, if one can call that, was the in-flight AV service, which needs diversity.

Dinner was glorious ... it started with cold & hot meze, followed by soup, mains, fruits, desserts and the finale was a tray of traditional Turkish Delight with the best Turkish 'kahve' or 'cay' ... what a treat!  For me the ultimate proof is breakfast so I ordered Scrambled Eggs.  Voila ... it was exactly like what Chef Donovan taught me, in classic Michelin style.  I am sold.  Fly Turkish!

As for the damage, a round trip Business Class ticket : Hong Kong-Istanbul-Prague-Budapest-Istanbul-Hong Kong is HK$32,000 which is hard to beat.