Dracula's Gay Brother and the Sultan

Here is a fascinating bit of history I learned while in Istanbul:


RADU THE FAIR:  This story is great and actual history.  It turns out that Vlad III, the historic and bloody Prince (king actually but called Prince) of Wallachia better known by his nickname of Dracula, had three brothers. When his Christian father made a pact with the Ottoman Sultan to gain his throne, Dracula's father sent young Vlad and his handsome young brother Radu to the Sultan's court as hostages. The two brothers were raised with the Sultan's son Mehmet. They studied together. Radu grew up to be very handsome and charismatic. He was nicknamed Radu the Fair, and Mehmet pursued him. They are said to have become lovers.  

The two brothers lives diverged. Vlad hated school at the court and rebelled often. So he was often punished severely. Radu converted to Islam and became a leader of the elite Ottoman Jainassary troops. Vlad eventually became Prince of Wallachia -renowned for torturing prisoners while he ate.  He switched sides and opposed the Ottomans.  When the Sultan sent in troops Vlad and his army slaughtered 20,000 Turkish men, women and children by impaling them and leaving a forest of their bodies to scare off the Turks. It worked in scaring off the Ottoman troops. So the Sultan called in Radu to take care of Dracula.  

The brothers battled and became known in Turkish legend as the Blood Brothers.  Radu drove out Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) who fled to Hungary. Radu became Prince allied with the Ottomans and appears to have had a fairly prosperous reign until his untimely death around age 40.  He also assisted Mehmet in conquering Constantinople.  Thus is the story of Dracula's brother and Mehmet the Conqueror. 

The Children of Lilith

Our friend Javid told us an interesting piece of folklore I thought I would share:

LILITH:  You may have heard of Lilith, Adam's first wife in Jewish and later Christian and Muslim legend. Stories say she wouldn't submit to Adam and left him. Then God made Eve.  What I didn't know was that in Muslim legends Lilith has red hair and redheads are teased sometimes about being Lilith's descendants. 

Street Food in Istanbul

Istanbul is full of delicious street food. Here are some examples:

Vendors sell a variety of seasonal fruits. Besides apples and bananas, this one is selling cherries and fresh, green plums. These plums are tart and crisp. At first I thought they were small, green tomatoes. 

My favorite street food, however, comes from the food carts that sell freshly squeezed juices. Orange ("portakal") juice is common. My favorite though is pomegranite ("nar"). Typical prices are 1-5 Turkish lira (TL).  2 TL = $1. 

"Simit" is similar to a sesame bagel except it is thinner, drier, and less chewy. 

Food carts also sell roasted corn on the cob and roasted chestnuts. 

I don't have a photo of a guy selling "midye dolmas", but they are another common street food. These "mussel dolmas" are a cooked mixture of fresh mussels, rice, and spices served on a mussel shell. The other half of the shell is put on top. For days I thought these food carts were selling whole mussels in the shell until I had midye dolmas in a restaurant.  The midye dolmas are delicious and are normally eaten with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. So you'll see a stand of mussel shells and lemons. That will be the midye dolma stand. 

You may have noticed I referred to all the vendors as he. That is because I never saw a female food vendor and rarely any female shopkeepers. 

Dining Etiquette in Turkey

One of the most challenging things about travel is figuring out the cultural rules around basic transactions.  For example, when and how much do you tip?

Living in a particular country it is easy to take for granted that your local custom is the norm everywhere.  So today's post is about navigating Turkish and American cultural differences and expectations around service in a restaurant. 

First, let's review the American version.  Customers walk by a restaurant and decide whether they wish to enter or not. Beyond a menu and welcome sign, rarely will a restaurant employee be outside hawking the cafe to passing potential patrons.  

When you enter a smiling host sits you. A smiling server takes your order and then delivers your food.  Refills on drinks are usually free, and your server regularly checks to see if you need anything.  The server usually asks if you are finished before taking your plate or glass. Finally the server will usually ask if you want a dessert and if you are ready for your bill. You pay, and the server thanks you for eating at this restaurant. The guest is expected to leave 10-20% of the bill's total additionally as a tip.  Also, because servers' minimum wage is just over $2 an hour, the server expects you to not keep a table for more than an hour or so...or to at least tip more or buy more food/drinks. 

At least, this is the general American format when you have good service. 

Our friend Javid was able to explain for us several Turkish customs that we have encountered. For example, in restaurants here a man stands out front badgering passing tourists and often Turks with menus and exhortations to try his restaurant. For us it seemed pushy and intimidating.  If you do sit down for a meal, a waiter will appear who takes you order and then brings your food. Then he disappears.  He never checks on your table and never returns with your check until you manage to flag him down.  The server rarely if ever smiles but keeps a somber, professional facial expression. It contrasts such much with the American service experience that it is easy to take this service as rudeness.  This pattern has been so consistent, however, that we felt it must be a cultural standard here.  In talking with Javid, it is indeed standard.  Turks he said would find it rude for a server to interrupt a meal by checking on them or asking if guests were ready for their check.  He has never experienced receiving a bill in a restaurant without first asking for it. 

Likewise, tipping ranges from none to 5% of the bill. 

Learning these customs can make all the difference between feeling welcomed or a feeling of being treated rudely. 

Pegasus Airlines

Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish discount airline.  The planes appear cleaner and newer than most American carriers. 

Be aware, however, that food and drink must be bought on the plane. They do not accept American Express or Visa cards without a chip (almost impossible to get a Visa with a chip in the US).  Furthermore, we paid extra for a sandwich and drink when we booked, but the flight attendant did not bring it until we were landing. She apologized. So I think ordering food with your ticket is uncommon. 

I do not mind that the airline sells food, plasters the inside of the plane with ads and runs constant shampoo commercials on the video monitors. I do find it odd being on an international flight that won't accept American credit cards. 

Pegasus, however, often has the cheapest fares and 1 checked bag up to 20kg is included in the fare. 

Tips:  carry cash and do not book a fare with a meal included. Buy additional food on the plane. Or better, pack your own food and drink. 

Pegasus Airlines

Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish discount airline.  The planes appear cleaner and newer than most American carriers. 

Be aware, however, that food and drink must be bought on the plane. They do not accept American Express or Visa cards without a chip (almost impossible to get a Visa with a chip in the US).  Furthermore, we paid extra for a sandwich and drink when we booked, but the flight attendant did not bring it until we were landing. She apologized. So I think ordering food with your ticket is uncommon. 

I do not mind that the airline sells food, plasters the inside of the plane with ads and runs constant shampoo commercials on the video monitors. I do find it odd being on an international flight that won't accept American credit cards. 

Pegasus, however, often has the cheapest fares and 1 checked bag up to 20kg is included in the fare. 

Tips:  carry cash and do not book a fare with a meal included. Buy additional food on the plane. Or better, pack your own food and drink. 

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is Turkey's award-winning national airline.  The airline has even rapidly expanding with catchy jingles and commercials featuring basketball star Kobe Bryant. 

Nathan and I flew from Amsterdam to Istanbul via Turkish Airlines. The plane was clean, new, and had luxurious legroom by American standards. They also served a hot meal. Even flying European discount airlines is eye-opening to the crappy service, lack of space and old, dirty planes foisted onto American flyers.  

Lira Mania

Today we walked into a local neighborhood grocery where the shopkeeper wanted to change us 55 Turkish lira for a liter of Coke and a box of sugar cubes. That's about $27!  So we asked how much the Coke was. It was 2 TL. And the sugar was 35 TL. 35 is still outrageous plus 35+2 does not equal 55 when I last checked. So we bought the Coke and left.