Do you like bread?  I do too.  When I travel internationally, I always check out the bread.  One of the breads that I discovered on my recent visit to Turkey is called Gevrekci.  It is basically a ring of bread covered in sesame seeds.  One of the unique things about this particular bread is that it is sold by street vendors all over Izmir and typically enjoyed in the morning.

On my last day in Turkey, I decided to explore Izmir’s Kemeralti Bazaar.  Kemeralti is Izmir’s tiny version of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.  Although tiny in relation to The Grand Bazaar, this maze of shops and wandering vendors can become a labrynth in which you lose your bearings.  On a mission to find a scarf for my sister, I decided to explore the bazaar.  Since I would be flying back to the States via Istanbul early the following morning I decided to leave all important documents and valuables in the hotel safe and headed out armed with just my camera and a pair of sunglasses.

Along the 15-minute route from my hotel to the bazaar, I snapped photos of some of the city’s landmark’s:  The Konak Yali Mosque, The landmark clock tower of Izmir, and a Gevrekci stand.  I had been capturing shots of the various street vendors throughout the city whenever I had an opportunity and found the perfect shot of one of the omnipresent bread stands.  I snapped the photo, put my camera back into my pocket, took a few steps, and was abruptly flanked by two men who started asking me where I was from in Turkish-accented English.  Having been primed by my Turkish colleagues the night before, I replied that I was from France, complete with French accent.  My friends in Izmir suggested that I may have a more enjoyable time at the bazaar if I were to pass as a European, partly since few Turks speak French so it would be easy to extricate myself from a conversation in which a pushy vendor might be trying to unload unwanted wares on me.  It became quickly evident that this was a bad time to be pretending anything…the two men immediately produced police badges and began asking for my passport.  Of course, my passport was (foolishly) safely tucked in the hotel room safe.  After a few more minutes of questioning I was quickly ushered into a police car that had quietly appeared behind me.  Now I was scared.  Not understanding WHY I was being asked to get into the car, I was reluctant to do so.  The alternative of dodging the two armed men in the midst of the bazaar was no more appealing, so in I went. 

The two men (different from the two original ones who stopped me on the street) asked me where I was from.  I decided this was no time for stories, so I said “The United States”.  They also asked for my passport, which I couldn’t produce.  They then wanted to know what my problem was.  I explained that I had been taking pictures when I was stopped by the other two guys.  Then the car started to move.  We were now driving into the bazaar.  The car was moving at a snail’s pace surrounded by throngs of people.  We had driven too far, but had made several turns, before the car came to a stop and I was invited to exit the vehicle.  I was greeted by the two original guys who were then joined by the two drivers and a fifth man who formed a circle around me.  As they all spoke in rapid Turkish to one another I discerned that we were at least standing in front of a police station and not some unmarked hole-in-the-wall building in which I would disappear forever.  This did little to calm my nerves though since I still didn’t understand why I was suddenly the subject of a police interrogation.

Now it became clear that they were all interested in the photos that I had been taking.  So I produced the camera and began scrolling through the images.  They kept going back to the shot of the bread guy.  I found it so strange.  Then they started asking me questions about whether I’d heard about the most recent bombing in Istanbul.  Of course I had; I was just in Istanbul a few days prior to judge a cake contest.  This did not help my case.  Now the questions about why I had photographed this particular bread stand became more insistent.  They pointed out a man in the background who turned out to be an Interpol agent.  They mistakenly believed that he was the subject of my photo and that I was making him (and the landmarks I had photographed) the target of another bomb attack!  Me!  A cake designer from Chicago.  I think by this time I looked so panicked that they realized that there was no way I could be involved in something like this.  So, after 20 minutes of questioning, I was released.  With the instruction to be careful of whom I photographed while in Turkey.  Suffice it to say that the gevrekci photo you are looking at now represents the last photo I shot on this trip.

On this visit to the bazaar I was reminded of an important travel tip: always carry your passport.  Had I had it, this entire episode may have been cut short.  My visit to Kemeralti will be burned in my mind…forever.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Turkey for a product development project for Turkey’s largest bakery franchise company, Ozsut.  While Turkey has never been at the very top of my “places to go” list, I found myself excited at the prospect when the opportunity arose.  The journey itself was the longest I have made in a single flight to get to a work destination–15 hours door to door.  I flew from Chicago directly to Istanbul then switched flights to continue on to Izmir, where I would spend the bulk of the next two weeks. 

The team with whom I worked most directly comprised 4 people, 3 Turkish-speaking chefs and one English-speaking production manager, Sena.  Sena was able to help facilitate communication among us most of the time.  During the brief periods where she would be called away to tend to other matters, communication became a game of charades mixed with the few Turkish words and phrases that I had picked up.  I can now at least list off 90% of the ingredients required for most cakes and icings without thinking.  Now if I can just learn how to order food in a restaurant, I will be all set!

The purpose of my work was to help develop some new flavor profiles and products for Ozsut’s cake line, which will be launched this Fall.  The first challenge was taking American-style products and modifying them to fit the Turkish palate; then we had to tweak the formulas to allow for differences in ingredients available in Turkey.    All in all the project was a great success and I am looking forward to many more visits to Turkey where I will continue to work with Ozsut on future projects.

While I was in Turkey, the “Cows on Parade” project came to Izmir.  Imagine my surprise to see something so Chicago on the streets of Izmir.  Ozsut even sponsored two cows, one of which is pictured here.

As you might imagine, some of the foods that I encountered were a bit different from what we consider staples in the States.  One that I enjoyed immensely is called “kokorec” (pronounced coco-wretch).  Kokorec is a plate of barbequed sheep intestines served with hot peppers and tomatoes.  I admit that I was a bit reluctant to try the kokorec as the description conjured up visions of a squishy mass with an unpleasant texture.  I couldn’t be more wrong.  The kokorec was served as a sandwich and was bursting with amazing flavor.  Adnan, the technical director at Ozsut and my primary contact there, took me to what he considered to be the place for the best (and cleanest) kokorec.  Adnan was always extremely conscientious in ensuring that I ate nothing that would make me sick during my visit to Turkey.  So, on that note, for every street food that intrigued me, he took it upon himself to find a reputable restauranteur who offered that food where I could sample it without fear.

One of the most memorable meals that I enjoyed in Izmir was at the fish market.  Adnan took me to an open-air market where we selected our fish of choice, sea bass and shrimp.  The fish were no more than 3 hours old, on ice, and sent directly to one of the restaurants behind the market where the chef prepared the fish to our liking.  I enjoyed lots of fresh fish during my stay in Turkey, but eating such a fresh catch sitting on the edge of the Aegean was nirvana.

Enjoy these photos from my recent visit…and tune in next time for stories about the cake show I judged in Istanbul and my visit to the bazaar!