title, what title?

Our search for locating the ultimate Turkish street food , söğüş (read soe -gh -ues) in Istanbul started online after reading this post on Istanbuleats . The address given there is Kalyoncu Kulluk caddesi. Don't start typing it in your GPS software now. Cause the municipalities in Istanbul change names of the streets faster than any software. The name of the street on which Muammer Usta's sogus stand  is located has a new name now. Don't ask me what the new name is, since it's relatively hard to find your way by looking at street names around Taksim. Best way to find it is to look for the entrance of the Balık Pazarı (Fishermans Market) on Istiklal caddesi. Then walk to the end of the end of the street, asking where Asmaaltı cafe is in case you -like us- are not able to follow a straight line. Left of the cafe, there is a very modest stand, which ,according to its owner Muammer Usta, is the mother of all sogus stands. Sogus is served on paper towels. Don't ...

They Might Be Giants has a new album for the kids. This songs about the importance of Science. I love it. Considering the Scientific illiteracy in the USA, this song serves a good purpose: They Might be Giants like stating truisms. Here's a cover they did long time ago:

After experiencing snow in 3 different cities, my conclusion is that snow suits capitals.

Son bir senede depreme hazirlik konusunda siz ne yaptiniz?

I was off to Istanbul for the weekend to meet friends, family, and most importantly to support my team in their important game against Fenerbahce. Before the game we were 2 points behind Fenerbahce with 4 games remaining in the season. All the supporters were delighted to be in the championship chase after an awful season start. I boarded the plane with hope in my heart... I arrived in Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen Airport around 2 AM. It is the second airport in Istanbul, serving mostly cheap flights. I was impressed by the speed with which all the baggage pickup processes took place. Same hold true for my way back to Berlin. This is one of the reasons why I believe in small government, when there are financial incentives -such as those of cheap carriers- everything has to proceed timely... I started my culinary dream vacation on 3:30 AM with various Turkish delicacies prepared by my cousin (Pinar Abla cooks the best Suboreks). The breakfast at my uncle's followed by a visit to the local...

It is common for people living in two of the three major cities in Turkey that are on the cost, Izmir and Istanbul, to mock the other one, Ankara, just because the biggest body of water nearby is a 2km long 200 meter wide lake. From silly comments like "I can't imagine how it would be like to wake up without seeing the sea" to absurd arguments like it is impossible to "fall in love without being next to the sea", I've heard it all... I think they're all bullshit. I compare their situation with that of those people working in fragrance shops. Surrounded by stimulating scents of all sorts, I doubt if they can enjoy those fragrances when they go back home and smell them on their loved ones... Similarly, I can enjoy the mossy smell of the sea to the full extent, because I long for it for a year. It has some drawbacks too. This morning I woke up with this sweet smell in my mind, in another capital far far away from the sea, and I can't do anything about i...