Turkish and pilaf and orzo, oh my!

I’ve been in Turkey for 9 days now. I’ll admit, I’m not putting forth the amount of effort I should in learning Turkish. I should be studying ten to fifteen new phrases every day, make note cards, practice with one of my American colleagues, quiz myself, then get out on the streets and practice with native Turkish speakers.

Instead, I sort of skim half-heartedly for 15 minutes, extracting the phrases I think I’ll need once out in public. But for someone who came to this country able to only say ‘hello,’ I think I’m doing okay. For instance, I can say:

Thank you.

Please.

Good morning.

I’d like…

Yes.

No.

This morning, Carly and I went shopping at a new market that is superior to TW. I had some shopping-specific Turkish phrases written down that I wanted to trot out. Excited, I approached the young man who was behind the olives/meat/cheese/chicken counter and said “Yarım kilo zeytin istiyorum lütfen” which is literally “Half kilo olives I would like please” or “I would like half a kilo of olives please.” I made motions and a facial expression as though I was having trouble deciding between the black olives by my left hand or the ones by my right. Using his metal scoop, he took one out and let me try it. I noticed that there was a small tray on top of the counter where customers can discard the olive pits and subsequently discarded mine. After I made my decision, he rattled off something in Turkish that I didn’t understand. I replied with what I consider to be a universal sound of I-don’t-understand. “Eh?” He smiled and said “English?” Nodding, I smiled back. He then asked “Where you from?” I said “America” to which he responded “Welcome to Turkey.” Awww, so sweet!

One of the purposes of the trip was to get some bottled water. There is a large water cooler on each floor, but ours ran out yesterday and there was none on the two floors below us. Carly and I figured that we wouldn’t get a replacement bottle until Monday when housekeeping returned. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am NEVER without a bottle of water, so the thought of running out was not acceptable. At the market, Carly and I both bought a hulking 5 liter jug of water each. When we returned to the dorms, the cooler had been replaced. Carly swore profusely, which I have to admit was enjoyable. I love that she’s just as crass and profane as I am. She’s nicer, though, and has less of a tendency to speak her mind the way I do. Suffice it to say, we were not “left here to die” as Carly put it; there was water!

The other purpose of the trip was for me to do a massive food shopping trip. I came across a website featuring Turkish recipes. I saw recipes for the pan-fried potato salad and the rice pilaf, two dishes I’d tried and loved at the campus cafeteria. I picked up ingredients for both. I’ll make the potato salad tomorrow, but I made a huge recipe of pilaf tonight so that I can continue to enjoy it for a few days. I learned something new in my search: ‘orzo’ is the Italian word for ‘barley.’ I never knew that; I just thought it was an alternative type of pasta.

When Carly saw the finished product, she noted, “It looks just like the rice at the cafeteria.” That was a proud moment for me. I have to say, though, I put massive amounts of butter in my pilaf so it tasted better than the pilaf the cafeteria serves. Next time, though, I need to be a little more patient and cook the rice slower as it was a bit undercooked.