For the first time our music group Gülay & The Ensemble Aras will come to the UK for concerts in London and Edinburgh. We would like to invite and welcome you to our concerts.
SMART St Mary’s Arts Centre for the Community,
Thursday, 4th Agust 2011, 8pm
St Mary’s Church
Stoke Newington Church Street
London N16 9ES
The Festival of Spirituality and Peace,
Saturday, 6th August 2011, 6pm
St John’s Church, Princes Street,
Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ
I have been invited some weeks ago to intervene live on two Romanian radio stations and talk about elections in Turkey. The subject seemed to raise some interest and I gladly accepted. However, the elections were not the only matter of concern. One of the interviewers asked at a given moment about when I would publish something in Romanian about the Turkish political history in general and the developments of the last decade in particular. The question honoured and somehow puzzled me at the same time. I have written a few pieces on both Romanian and Turkish politics with a special focus on state nationalism, citizenship, and language and minority politics. Encouraged by some people from Romania and Britain, and by questions such as the one above, I may even take up the more difficult task of writing a book on the suggested topic.
However, I have recently started reading a volume written by a person I happen to know, namely Kerem Öktem. The title of that piece is TURKEY SINCE 1989: ANGRY NATION. Kerem, whom I met in 2005 during a conference at London School of Economics and Political Science, managed to produce such a concise and dense text that I feel a bit discouraged in my own project. The book is worth reading for a number of reasons. First, it is sharply but carefully critical of the Turkish Republic. Instead of demolishing irresponsibly traditional myths of the establishment, Kerem prefers to evaluate the ways in which they have been built and the costs they presuppose in this country’s contemporary politics. The book indicates the “deep state” as the main culprit in a sort of grand historical trial that is implicitly demanded in each paragraph. Despite the accusatory tone, it is easy, however, for an initiated reader at least, to see that Kerem Öktem loves his country. He loves it so much that he wants it cleaned of shadows of the past, especially murderous acts against which his judgments may be too harsh and even unfair sometimes. For love of the nation. Overall, the book is guided by a particular dichotomy that Kerem sees throughout the last Turkish century: that between the state’s politics of modernisation and the reality of human life on the ground. At page 39, he also suggests that this “reality of human life” in Turkey has manifested itself historically through an “internal demand for change”.
This is exactly what I think that books like ANGRY NATION should give more attention to. While being obviously busy with the unmasking of the deep, or guardian state as source of all evil, the text does not offer a coherent history, even if brief, of the people’s demand for change in this country. This is a problem that most historians of modernity seem not to have comprehended: there is too much accusative cry about the horrors associated with nation-states in the twentieth century, but little if any “history of resistance” to them.
I would be very happy if I could produce one day a political history of the resistance of non-national, non-state, non-majority, human life in modern Romania, or Turkey. I can already hear those voices lost in the dust of a history preoccupied, as Fernand Braudel warned about more than thirty years ago, too much with heroes and grand discourses of states and too little with lower but infinitely more human talk of life per se. My first contribution to this project has already been made: the dissertation I am close to present abroad contains the pieces making possible a coherent starting point. The year to come will offer me the opportunity to explore and refine the immense material I have managed to gather. So, the answer to the question posed by the radio interviewers indicated above is quite simple: the book is being prepared; however, it may not be eventually about Turkey, or Romania, but about people living in countries called Turkey, or Romania. I would also be the happiest if at least some of our students come to understand the importance of thinking history in terms other than those taught in “national” educational systems. Eugen Weber has opened this “Pandora’s box” decades ago when showing, in PEASANTS INTO FRENCHMEN (1976), how a nation is literally made through public education. We can at least talk then about possibilities of life beyond, if not post, the modern national spaces and time of this world.
Dragos C. Mateescu, 18 July 2011, Izmir
via A NEW BOOK ON TURKEY: “TURKEY SINCE 1989: ANGRY NATION” « IREU IZMIR.
A Turkish air force pilot won the top flying award at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford in the UK.
The top award is the King Hussein Memorial Sword – presented in memory of the late HM King Hussein of Jordan, Patron of the International Air Tattoo (1983-1989) – and is awarded for the best overall flying demonstration. This year it went to Maj Murat Keles, flying the F-16C “Solo Turk” from 141st Sqn, Turkish Air Force.
Major Keles is pictured below receiving his award.
Maj Keles said: “I am very happy. It is wonderful to receive this award in the first year of our display and in the same year as we celebrate 100 years of the Turkish Air Force.”
The sword was presented by Major General Malek Habashnah, Commander Royal Jordanian Air Force , on behalf of HRH Lt Gen Prince Faisal.[…]
Sercan Unsal is drawing solace from serving delicious Turkish dishes to the residents of the city
“I am not the owner. Allah is the sole owner of everything. I am the caretaker. I serve the people,” Sercan Unsal interrupts, on being addressed as the owner of Alaturka, a fast food Turkish restaurant in Delhi. The entrepreneur then harks back to his college days in the late ’90s and talks about his reasons for choosing India for pursuing graduation and higher studies. “I wanted to study commerce, but in an English medium college, which was unfortunately unavailable in our country those days. Though most of the colleges which suited my convenience were located in Europe, I chose India as it was economical. So, I pursued my B.Com from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, University of Delhi. And then, I went ahead with my masters in Commerce.” He has been living here ever since.
The young Turk lived with the dream of opening a restaurant offering traditional Turkish fare in the city and he finally realised it in 2008. Such a desire was triggered off by several incidents one of them being when once in 1996, he asked for doner kabab at a restaurant and was told that it wasn’t available.
Now, Sercan proudly sells this staple Turkish delicacy from his popular restaurant located at Select City Walk in Saket. Doner kebabs are made mainly of lamb meat, cooked on a vertical spit and then sliced off to order. The other authentic dishes available at his joint are falafel and humus rolls which cater to the vegetarians of the Capital. Though most of the dishes carry authentic Turkish flavour, usually hot and spicy, a few like their tomato chilli sauce, have been altered to suit the Indian taste.
Unsal believes in serving bona-fide Turkish food in his restaurant so he uses traditional spices like sumac, tahina (paste), wine leaf, chilli flakes and chilli paste, imported from Turkey. “Sumac has a royal history. It is sour in taste and was used in spicing up the salads prepared for the Sultans as it has a tendency to increase the appetite.”
His start-up is slowly gaining popularity. “On Christmas eve and Christmas day we have our little shop full of customers demanding doner kabab rolls and falafel rolls. On the blessed days, the queue surpasses the door of our restaurant.”
And thanks to the response, Alaturka is now on an expansion spree. There are Alaturks coming up in Pacific Mall, Subhash Nagar, Ambience Mall and Vasant Kunj. In addition to these, around 10 more Alaturka restaurants are being planned for the Capital.
Drawing comparisons between Indian and Turkish cuisine, Unsal explains, “If you talk of taste, it’s pretty similar to Turkish food. Otherwise, Indian food and Turkish food preparation have very few differences like the type of oil used, and the sort of spices used. As a rule, olive oil is used in almost all the Turkish delicacies whereas Indian food prefers going heavy with ghee and butter. As a result, one still feels lighter after stuffing a full-fledged Turkish meal than one feels after having Indian dal makhni and tandoor breads dripping in butter.”
via The Hindu : Life & Style / Metroplus : Turkey welcomes you.
Researchers piece together dishes from historical archives, scrolls and books to recreate taste of 15th century court
It’s an amateur chef’s nightmare: a list of ingredients without instructions on how much to use or how to prepare them.
Ottoman speciality stuffed steamed apple is prepared at the Asitane restaurant in Istanbul. Photograph: Jonathan Lewis
But for Batur Durmay, owner of what’s believed to be the only restaurant in the world that serves Ottoman imperial cuisine, the challenge was inviting.
“Ever since my early childhood, food was the only topic around the family’s dinner table. We never talked about politics, sports, music, movies – but we loved to explore anything connected with food,” said Durmay. His restaurant, Asitane in Istanbul, takes its cue from the sumptuous feasts of the 16th century. Diners have included royalty and cabinet ministers.
It started with two books: the first ever kitchen ledger of the imperial palace in Topkapi dating from 1469 that listed about 45 dishes served at the Ottoman court, and a book describing the royal festivities of 1539 celebrating the circumcision of Suleiman the Magnificent’s sons Cihangir and Beyazit. “That text gave us the names of 100 different dishes served at the circumcision feast, but we still didn’t have any recipes, or any ingredients,” Durmay says.
The team scoured archives underneath Topkapi Palace and at the national library, looking for documents, books and scrolls that would hint at how the sultan’s cooks had managed to tickle imperial palates. A task for culinary detectives: with Istanbul as the final destination of both the silk and the spice routes – where any wares were taxed before being shipped further west – official harbour documents gave approximate details of spices, produce and foodstuffs available in the Ottoman capital.
Registers with the amount, origin and date of purchase of every food item that entered the imperial kitchens helped to narrow the search. And finally, finding the right measures and the right way to prepare a dish was a matter of trial and error.
Asitane has recreated 400 different recipes. Combined with elements of contemporary fine dining, imperial dishes ranging from the 15th to the 19th century are served.
Most diners are foreign tourists. “Many Turks are very conservative when it comes to food,” Durmay said. And the Turks’ relationship with their Ottoman past is problematic. “In school we are taught that the Ottoman sultans were cowards and traitors who sold our country to the British.” The era is perceived as backwards and decadent.
“It is hard to find Turkish experts of the Ottoman language who help us decipher Ottoman texts. I now work with scholars from a university in Berlin,” says Durmay.
But lately the Ottoman era has regained popularity in popular culture. Asitane provides catering for the set of Muhteşem Yüzyil (Magnificent Century), a glossy and successful TV show that depicts the life of Suleiman the Magnificent and caused outrage among conservatives in Turkey for showing the sultan enjoying alcohol and the company of women.
“Many restaurants calling themselves Ottoman actually only serve traditional Turkish food,” Durmay said. “But Ottoman cuisine fuses the tastes of the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and central Anatolia. It goes far beyond the kebab.”
via Ottoman imperial cuisine back on menu in Istanbul | Life and style | The Guardian.
Global youths dance in Istanbul to promote understanding
Source: XINHUA | 2011-7-13 | ONLINE EDITION
ISTANBUL, July 12 (Xinhua) — Istanbul”s iconic Istiklal Avenue is often a microcosm of Turkey but on Tuesday evening it took on an international feel as youth from more than 30 countries paraded down this thoroughfare to promote understanding and share their culture via dance.
“We just want to put a smile on people”s faces,” said Bela, 15, from Ukraine. “I am really enjoying myself. This is so much fun. I have visited a few places in Istanbul and really enjoyed it,” she said.
Wearing their national traditional costumes, some 1,200 young people from all over the world have come to the city to take part in the Istanbul Meeting of World Cultures and Youth festival, which is being organized by Turkey”s Youth and Sports Ministry.
“We are having fun and at the same time we are learning new things and making friends,” said Zeyneb, a young Turkish girl dancing with a group performing a local folk dance.
“We teach our new friends about our country and learn about theirs,” she said. “Our world belongs to everyone and it is great to learn so many new cultures and share a little bit of our own,” said Denitza, 17, from Bulgaria.
“This is my first time in Istanbul and it is so much fun. With fun and dance it is us young people who can make the world a better place,” she said.
“I always want to be part of such good things.” “This is the third year we are organizing this festival given the massive interest from both participants and the public,” said Cengiz Durak, the coordinator of the event.
“Initially we had planned it as a one-off festival in 2009 as a precedent to Istanbul celebrating the title of European Capital of Culture in 2010 but the success led us to make it an annual event, ” he said.
All costs involved with the event including five-star accommodation and sightseeing tours for the young participants from all over the world are being met by the ministry, said Tarik, a member of the organizing staff.
The festival will run through July 17 with special dance performances every evening.
via Global youths dance in Istanbul to promote understanding — Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 — English Window to China New.
