Be a Better Traveler In Turkey
Plus ice cream sandwiches, the best baklava in the world, a new format, and more.
Hello!
Back in Dubai, back to school (for the first time in a decade, and remotely at that…eek), and back to more regular newsletters. From now on, you’ll get this in your inbox every other Thursday. I’m rethinking the newsletter and trying to make it like a little email magazine. Feel free to respond with feedback or suggestions. I’ve also updated the about page here, so if you’re new you can get a better idea of what ‘be a better traveler’ means to me, and understand why half the time this travel newsletter is actually about food…
Be a Better Traveler–Turkey Edition
First, let’s talk about visiting during a pandemic, which is a touchy topic. I visited from Dubai, where life is pretty much back to normal. Both countries had low covid case numbers and similar restrictions in place, so it didn’t feel crazy to be traveling. Whether to travel or not is up to you and your risk tolerance, but I do think we all have a responsibility to those around us to get tested, wear our masks, wash and sanitize our hands, etc.
Aside from coronavirus, one very easy way to be a better traveler in Turkey is to read the news! There are photos of Ataturk all over the coast, which would be confusing if you didn’t know those photos are basically a symbol for sectarianism, and a sort of ‘screw you’ to current president Erdogan, an Islamist whose administration recently converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, among other efforts to reshape the country and move away from Ataturk’s founding vision. Turkey’s government has a pretty awful human rights record, especially for journalists, so discerning travelers could also choose to spend their money in locally-owned establishments that display distaste for that government. Of course, you can never guarantee your money is going to someone you 100% agree with, but thinking about things like this is a small way to try.
So what should you do in Turkey when you’re there? Take your time in Istanbul,road trip along the coast, hike in Cappadocia and Trabzon, and eat your way through Gaziantep.
Must-Do: Boat trip through the Aegean’s clear turquoise waters
Travel Stories Around the Web
What a Childhood on the Road Taught a Daughter of Migrant Truck Drivers
The Scariest Part of the Great Outdoors? The Brand New Camper
Travel Shaming––Another Trend of 2020
Do Safari Companies Really Want African Travelers?
Travel for the Food
Sure, beaches are great, but have you ever eaten so much delicious food you have to visit the ER? (Click through to see what I mean. It was totally worth it).
Gaziantep, Turkey, birthplace of baklava and home to arguably the best kebab in the world. Known by locals as just Antep, it’s located in the southeastern Anatolian region of Turkey, about 60 miles north of Aleppo. One of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world, Gaziantep is famous above all else for food, specifically the holy trinity of fistik (pistachio), baklava, and kebab.
Nathan lived in Gaziantep for a few years when we first met, and since then I’ve heard him talk longingly about the the ali nazik, a minced meat kebab over smoked eggplant, yogurt, and garlic; the simit kebab, with bulgar, red pepper, and lamb tail fat (obscenely tender); the breakfasts of lahmacun and beyran, the flakiest and most flavorful baklava, and much more. We moved to Iraq shortly after meeting, so it wasn’t until last month I finally got to try it for myself.
The Ali Nazik is, without exaggeration, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
Like Italy or France, Gaziantep is incredibly proud of its culinary heritage, but unlike those two countries it is not well known outside Turkey. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in the gastronomy category of the organization’s Creative Cities Network.
Here’s everything to eat if you go.
Spotlight On…
Source: Bravetart, by Stella Parks. This is my favorite cookbook for dessert with a side of food history. The ice cream sandwiches are one of the simpler recipes. Ice cream sandwiches make anyone else nostalgic?
Food stories around the web
The Convenient Truth of Rotisserie Chicken
Goya Love: From India to Japan, a Bitter Gourd and Taste of Home
Yeast Doesn’t Fly and Your Sourdough Probably Isn’t That Special
Aided by Modern Ingenuity, a Taste of Ancient Judean Dates
On the Origin and Interpretations of Nigeria’s Jellof Rice
Searching for Home In Any Old Bar
Wine of the Week
All about Turkish wine this week.
Random Links
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gives beauty tips and wisdom
Letter from a Birmingham Jail (worth a reread these days)
Attn: Freelancers. 50+ Pitching Guides
Final Thoughts
Click: Through the God of Cookery’s “White Food” stories
Watch: Gather–Like Samin Nosrat said, it’s “an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide.”
On my mind: “...Being aware of the transience of things and the necessity of seizing your chance” - from La sel de la vie, a very short, sweet book I reread every so often.
Posted: this reel of last summer in Michigan/Wisconsin. Multiple people messaged me with, “that’s the Midwest??” Yes! It’s a beautiful and underrated place.
This newsletter is free and fun to make, but does take time. Sharing with friends is very much appreciated.
Stay safe! xx
–Rebecca