random turkish delights

(i)

been getting very stormy, rainy weather for the past few days. i never cease to find funny how the rain changes the city dramatically... every time you get heavy rain here - all the streets turn immediately into war zone... with exploding sewage systems, mud everywhere, insane traffic and flooded ground floors, shops, cafes and streets - making it impossible to walk anywhere if not armed with sturdy wellies.

i reckon there are very few places where the streets and sidewalks are worse than here...where it seems normal to see holes in the concrete and walk on bumpy tiles and shaky pedestrian areas. and when it rains - all these bumps and cracks easily turn your way into a bizarre, wobbly, squashy survival boot camp. great fun if you are under the age of eight... big mess if you are wearing normal clothes... disaster if you are actually treading about in a skirt and heels.

(ii)

with the weather being this fowl and unpredictable - and with my schedule depending on feeding times and nappy changing - have gone back to doing a lot of baking and cooking. i always find the kitchen a de-stressing area and i do love to try new recipes. plus, the local cuisine offers plenty of inspiration and the products you buy here are just the best. it is indeed a pity that turkish food is internationally celebrated only for kebabs... as it is indeed one of the best i have ever tried, bringing together arab, mediterranean and balkan traditions.

have also recently discovered how delicious the real turkish delight actually is. the first time i had it was in england - and i found its taste ghastly... but when you actually try the one they make here locally... wow, it is actually something lovely.

(iii)
this morning, dashing through the aisles of a rather empty supermarket -- found another couple of amusing local brand names. i was already familiar with the unfortunately named CANDIDA toothpaste. and today i saw on a shelf another interesting example: the "DEPEND" adult nappies. come to think of it... our washing machine is from the prominent turkish brand ARCELIK (try to read that aloud)... and as you walk around town, you can easily see many signs that are meant to sound funky and all-american...but only manage to be humorous.

(iv)

the rain usually gives us a break when it gets dark. i try to go out then - for a quick jog by the sea and find an immense pleasure in looking at the many ferries sliding away on the water. their lights are so bright and clear and they pass by quietly. there is something so peacefully beautiful in living so close to the sea - its boats; its colours in the sun during daytime...its lights at night, its wind.

(v)

realised my mind seems to work in typical izmir mode. the other day, caught myself counting the weeks till the sunny season starts again. may, that will be -- even beginning of may. a crucial turning point for people here... for their trips to their "summer houses", for any business to slow down, for the end of all schools' terms, for the weather to be "too hot to bother". am really looking forward to all of that... and i smile just thinking of it!

(vi)

watched "the kids are alright" yesterday night - the story of two teenagers (joni, 18 and lazer, 15) who finally meet their biological father, a sperm donor their two lesbian mothers used to conceive them. on paper the plot sounds difficult and complicated, but the movie deals with it in a very happy, uncompromising and intelligent way. as i was watching it (the acting is fantastic)...i kept on wondering in the back of my head whether a movie of this kind will ever be released in turkish cinemas. i expect not - since the whole gay theme is a major tabu over here. a pity, really - even if, in truth, i guess the public here is in no way interested in stories of this intensity and scope. it would be fascinating to see when (and if) that changes. here and in other countries too.