No Appetite for Travel, but Plenty for Bread and Cheese - Raw Foodism in the land of Doner Kebabs

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Kartepe, Turkey
May 2014

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."
George Bernard Shaw

"When diet is wrong medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no need."
Ayurvedic Proverb

“Never do to excess, but let moderation be your guide”
Marcus Tullius Cicero



I found myself in Turkey. Well, it was planned as a place to go in between India visas and it was a country I had always said I wanted to see. But for one reason or another (and more just one particular reason actually, which I won't go into here) I just had no appetite for traveling around alone and I had done with hanging around Istanbul. On a whim, I took myself off to an organic “raw food” farm 2 hours by bus south west (near Izmit) that I heard about in passing from some young travelers. They had pre-booked to go there months ahead before they left America (via 'work away')….as volunteers. This whim and the decision for me to go all happened in a single morning.... after being told the cheap room my daughter's friend Huseyin had lined up for me was no longer available.

I made it to the little bus stop in rural Kartepe where the farm was supposedly located. One of the young travelers (who had gone a day before) had emailed directions to me but she failed to state the name of the actual farm, the address, or the phone number of the guy (Mehmet) who ran it. In my whimsical haste, I failed to notice this lack of information before embarking on my whim, an oversight which did amuse me, if not made me feel like a complete twat. It was raining and getting late. I did not have a Turkish sim card, and I relied on wi-fi for data. So no way to contact anyone, and I found myself just wandering the streets and seeking shelter from the rain for about an hour, failing to communicate anything to the very occasional 'passer by' due to absolutely no Turkish (and they no English).

Some farm lads waved me over for a cha. The young travelers had at least attached pictures of the farm to that email, and the lads instantly recognised the place ….”Turkish American”, they exclaimed (it turned out Mehmet had spent 20 years as a chef in Chicago running 4 successful Turkish restaurants). They somehow communicated that it was indeed in the vicintiy – about 2 klms up the road. Before I knew it, I was being given a ride up the hill on the back of Mehmet's drunk cousin's motorbike. Who said riding my bike in India was dangerous?

Then began 10 days of mixed feelings and emotions (some of which related to my 'one' reason for coming to this place – personal processing) as I became involved in this 'project' of Mehmet's. He had invested a lot of his money made in America into the farm. He talked a lot about his converstion in 2001 to 'Raw Foodism'.... something I soon began to realise was a movement with religious zeal and a belief system attached.

Raw foodism is the dietary practice of eating only uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic or wild foods. Raw food diets may include a selection of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds (including sprouted whole grains), eggs, fish (e.g. sahimi), meat (e.g. carpaccio), and non-pasteurised/ non-homogenised dairy products (e.g. raw milk, raw milk cheese, and raw milk yoghurt). It may also include unpasteurized fermented foods such as kefir, kombuchaor or sauerkraut. Ref: http://en.wikepedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism. Raw foodists make many claims that this diet is a natural way for the body to rid itself of disease, including cancers, HIV and other viruses.

There are various takes on this diet and mainstream science and nutritionists warn against it as anything other than a temperory experience which may cleans the body (raw foodists call this a process of detoxification), but which long term could put health at risk (specially for women re osteoperosis).

Mehmet's particular version of raw foodism included being vegan (no dairy, no meat) and not having anything from animals apart from honey (so no eggs etc). Rice and flour also no.There was lots and lots of electric blending of things. While cooking was out, heating via de-hydration to no more than 49 degrees celsius was allowed as it is believed that enzymes that aid digestion are destroyed above this temperature. For myself, I thought this to be a kind of cooking... but.....? Really purist raw-foodists don't even do this and only eat 'raw' food and call this sort of stuff 'transitional' raw food (mimicking tastes and appearances of cooked foods).

Mehmet used to weigh over 125 kilos before his transformation (now he is around 80 at a guess). He led a fast lane life which he claims became no life. He has been married three times and has 5 kids back in America. His farm is in a magic place all part of family heritage although he did have to buy this land (and did well re-selling some of it some years back). Surrounding the place is a magically rich and beautiful fruit forest.... a place where his ancestors just planted hundreds of cherry and walnut and chestnut trees.

We (Australian, American, Spanish, French, Lithuanium, and Chinese) worked in the fields as needed (harvesting, planting and weeding) and in the kitchen preparing our own food and food for business (twice a week Mehmet supplied around 10 'boxes' of complete pre-prepared raw food diets to 'customers' around the country and those boxes were prepared with precision and care to be ready for delivery to the courier in town by 4.30 pm on those days. This was an important source of income for the farm).

Four days into it, I found myself with a continually bloated stomach, and a new toiletting schedule involving around four or five visits to the tuvalet …. emptying my bowels of unbelievable volumes exuding a new (to me) greenish substance.... and before I knew it I had lost 4 kilos. I went from energetic to lethargic and back again which could have been as much about working physically in the fields in the hot sun as anything diet related. It could also have been about the lack of routine and the fact that 'dinner' was often an afterthought not ready before 8 or 9 at night …. meaning my usual 'early to bed' routine was not possible (but still I wake up at 5 am – my body clock conditioning).

It soon became clear that the deal on the farm was 'flexible'! While the website (for those who booked in as was the 'proper' way vs my whim) talked of coming to be part of a community where you would work around 5 hours a day 5 days a week and with a very set daily routine. Mehmet tended to make it up a little in reality and I got the sense that he was finding his way amidst the pressures of trying to make it all work...... “here we work 8 days a week! Between 5 and 7 hours a day......but you are free to not work at any time.... and to take days off”. Well, the group dynamic seemed to demand the volunteers to be part of things and just work the work which did seem to appear at a moments notice and at any hour through any and all days.

But to be fair.... there was 'down time',, just not planned or forewarned. So it was hard to get into a routine and personalities dictated various levels of frustration, distraction, rebellion, and subservience. My young traveler friends lasted just 2 nights before banishing themselves (they had 'committed' to stay 2 weeks so they left as persona non-grata for break of contract). They were replaced as my cabin buddies two days later by another couple of young travelers who lasted 3 days (they had not committed but none-the-less left under a cloud as one started challenging Mehmet's ways in public).

I liked Mehmet despite his eccentricities, his quicksotic behaviour, his tendency to declare he was on a water fast for 24 hours and to only last to the next meal, and his intensity as he seemed to try too hard to establish the place (only been up as a volunteer site for less than a year) as a pure and true community with him as the resident 'guru'. He is highly intelligent, enough to know after whatever happens that he may have overstepped the mark or been inappropriate. In other words he is capable of apology and humility. I appreciate that we all have our dark side and the trick is to be conscious of it. I also found him capable of warmth and concern. Perhaps it is his Turkish upbringing.... but women seemed to struggle more with his approach to them (maybe characterised by him calling them 'honey' … not too endearing to the modern western woman. We guys played with this and decided to call each other 'honey' and 'sweetheart' and to call the women 'buddy').

One Sunday was an absolute magic day.... Mehmet took us (unannounced) the fruit forest to pick delicious and adundant cherries which we just ate on the spot). We then went to the local market for some supplementation of raw veges and fruit (the farm is still being established re growing all of the needs for food preparaion – something Mehmet is working towards in earnest), and returned for a 'special' brunch (which to our surprise included boiled eggs and cheese as an indulgence for those wanting to lash out from the purist regime). Then we had the most amazing 'food class' in the kitchen for about 5 hours... with Mehmet the master raw foodist chef leading us. Raw food at its best..... many delights were made and sampled using all the tricks of mimicking 'real' food (cheeses, enchelatas, breads, brownies, cacoa drinks, sauces......).

Mehmet had learned from the young travelers before I arrived that I was into yoga. I do my personal routine on a daily basis... have done for years..... but I have never been a teacher and nor do I have any credentials to be a teacher. However, I was immediately enticed into being the resident yoga teacher.... taking a session each morning at 6.30 am. Its when I like to do yoga anyway so no problem there.... only Mehmet made it the 'rule' that everyone (there were about 8 others) had to be up and there ready for yoga at 6.30 am. Not everyone's cup of tea..... but most did get into it.

Above all Mehmet is generous. OK... we were working there and supporing the place, but as we were paying nothing, the supply of great foods (albeit sometimes the salad and salad and more salad and green smoothies were a bit too repetitive) was forthcoming in abundance. Specially the raw cacao drinks and sweets (using dates as sweetener), the amazing cheeses made from cashew and almond milk, and the dehydrated 'breads' (for want of another term... using leftover greens and flax seed and spices) and brownies and granolas using all manner of seeds and nuts. He provided good living space with wi-fi and music and a guitar (great for me). And he put a lot of effort into trying to create a learning space so that the people coming to the farm really got into health and wellbeing (albeit within what is a fairly narrowly defined set of principles about food preparation and consumption).

For Mehmet, the farm is a dream and a promise. At his 'conversion' in 2001 he got up in a crowded room and promised that by 2030 the whole world would be into raw foodism and its benefits for good health and wellbeing. Aspirational to be sure (and he realises this).... but quite a thing to take on none-the-less.

In the end, I think my appetite for travel just returned. Certainly my appetite for yoghurt, bread and rice, and the odd Turkish delight never really left me.

But …. gorgeous place physically, good to do some real work for a change, great learning re some creative ways to use food, and interesting psychological trip into group dynamic Certainly a place to observe and think about one's own reactions. And.... a sure way to lose weight!

For info on this farm experience:
http://www.workaway.info/129178879915-en.html

http://www.rawgourmets.com/

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Love your good quotes
What a great trip. Eager to read more.