Changing world - Emails from Istanbul, November 2011

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Mel


There are even some guys in the building accross from the hostel dorm I am staying in, who keep a constant vigil at their window to watch the activities in our room. I didn't notice them, until one of the other women in my dorm pointed them out. She said, the first thing she does when she comes into the room is close the curtains. When one lives in Germany for a while, one tends to forget that watching out for things like this is necessary. I have been very careful with money. So much so, that I feel like I am 19 again, when I was unskilled and low waged. But, I am still having a good time, and the added bonus is there is a good chance we will have enough for your heavy metal ticket, our flights to India and all the Christmas stuff now, which excites me a lot, so well worth the effort, and stinginess has soul as somebody in Germany recently said. But, tomorrow I am going to splash out on some Turkish food in a cafe and a water pipe. I went into one of those traditional type tea houses today, to check out prices etc and maybe score a coffee not laden with sugar. It was carpeted all over, floors, chairs, walls... and nicely over heated. Clouds of apple scented smoke almost made the no smoking signs unreadable. The no smoking inside rule is everywhere, but only applies to cigarettes.





I found a menu for typical Turkish food served in all kabab houses, with translations into English. I am a bit apprehensive about the reputation Turkish restaruants have about vegetarians. They think we are self obsessed, rather than warriors in the fight for a better world. If I know exactly what I want to order, I won't have to bring up the subject of my being a vegetarian, and hopefully they will not notice any reason to harass me.

Speaking of harassment, there were lots of women in the tea house with the water pipes. Thank goodness again for change is what I say. There used to be a time when some conservative git guarded the doors of tea houses in Istanbul, to prevent the invasion by women. I wonder if women tourists are responsible for many of these types of changes. They have money to spend, and those selling want to get it, and having an attitude towards women with money will not open their wallets, or not as wide as being more accepting of them does. It is probably the same with the menus in English in the cafes. Tourists choose places to eat, when they can easily choose what they would like there, instead of just the Russian Roulette style of ordering I have done in many places thoughout my decades of travel. I don't see many women working in the places frequented by tourists though, which is never a good sign in my opinion. There is one now and again only, so maybe Turkish women don't have the access to more financial freedom that tourist women do?

Mel

Damn internet! This is the last chance it is getting.

Dirk Jan
Looks like this wasn't the best of connections ^^

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