Aug

Rendezvous à la Turk

by Joyce McGreevy on August 27, 2018

A young Turkish American girl celebrates her heritage at the Turkish Arts and Culture Festival in Monterey, California. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Derya Bolgün, age 10, welcomes you to the Turkish Arts and Culture Festival
in Monterey, California.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Cultural Festival Calls Forth Memories

You won’t need sugar in your fincan kahve (cup of coffee) this morning. Şekerpare, a delicate cookie made with semolina, almonds, and love, delivers the sweetness. So, inhale the rich aroma and galvanize your senses with robust brew. If you closed your eyes, you could be in Istanbul.

But you’re at a Turkish cultural festival in Monterey, California.

Pastries like Sekerpare and irmik helvasa connect Turkish Arts and Culture Festival in Monterey, California to the author’s memories of Istanbul. (Images © Joyce McGreevy/ Ceren Abi)

Is baklava Turkish or Greek? Depends on whom you ask. Şekerpare (center) and irmik helvasa (right)
reflect culinary traditions of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire.
© Joyce McGreevy (L)/ Ceren Abi (R)

Re(sound)

Oh, I see: At cultural festivals, details evoke worlds. At Monterey’s Custom House Plaza, the percussive rhythm of the davul and the string-song of a bağalama become a soundtrack for Turkish memories.

Young women at the Turkish Arts and Culture Festival in Monterey, California reflect the exuberance of Turkish line dancing and inspire memories of Istanbul. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Young women in Monterey, California reflect the exuberance of Turkish line dancing.
© Joyce McGreevy

Every note I hear is layered with sounds remembered:

The singsong pitch of street vendors and the sonorous calls-to-prayer of the muezzin; the miyav (meow) of sociable kediler (cats); the sparkling humor and plaintive beseeching of TV soap operas; the clatter of plates and clink of glasses at a meyhane; the buzz and bump of motorbikes on cobbled alleys; the banter of fishermen at the Galata Bridge amid the commentary of seagulls.

As if on cue, a colony of seagulls above Monterey Bay choruses raucously, bringing my senses back to California.

Re(scene)

At a cultural festival a single image can reassemble memory’s mosaic. I spot a display of nazar boncuğu, blue glass eye beads. Traditionally, these talismans warded off misfortune’s “evil eye” by staring boldly back, commanding misery to come no closer. In reality, Turks collect them mostly for their beauty and to give as gifts.

A display case of nazar boncuğu, blue glass eye beads, connect a Turkish Arts and Culture Festival in Monterey, California with the author’s memories of Istanbul. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The eyes have it: Shown here in Monterey, nazar boncuğu are everywhere in Turkey.
© Joyce McGreevy

Seen in Monterey, the blue beads trigger a montage of memories: The blue-tiled Rüstem Paşa Mosque, bluer even than Istanbul’s more famous Blue Mosque. The azure blue of summer sky as you ferry across the steel blue Bosporus from Istanbul’s European side to its Asian side. The intense dark blue of lapis lazuli in a jeweler’s window. The shimmering blue of peacocks in a palace garden. Blue-black figs at an open-air market.

Re(word)

One 15th-century word encapsulates the entire spectrum of blues that first dazzled travelers in Turkey. The French pronounced it tur-KWAZ.

Yes, turquoise, or literally, “Turkish.” Today, we reserve that word for the bluish-green stone mined in arid regions of Turkey, America’s Southwest, and elsewhere. “Phosphate of copper and aluminum” lacks a certain poetry.

A collage of scenes in Istanbul and Bodrum reflects the prevalence of the color blue in Turkish arts and culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The color blue is prevalent throughout Turkey.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Thirst for Memories

Turkish wines are superb, but it’s too early to sample them. And other beverages offer their own complexities. A glass of gold is made using two stacked kettles, the lower kettle to boil the water, the top to warm the loose-leaf çay, or tea. Tulip-shaped glasses are essential.

A glass of Turkish tea at a cultural festival in Monterey, California inspires memories of Istanbul, Turkey. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Serve Turkish tea in glasses to assess its strength and admire its color.
© Joyce McGreevy

Now let’s order lunch and ayran (EYE-rahn), a salty, ice-cold yogurt drink. It’s an acquired taste, but a refreshing one, too. The savory, restorative counterpart to the American milkshake.

Two men cook Turkish food, one at a cultural festival in Monterey, California and one in Istanbul. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

In tiny pop-up kitchens, two chefs—one in Monterey, one in Istanbul—satisfy hungry crowds.
© Joyce McGreevy

Ne yemek istersin? “What would you like to eat?” Turkish cuisine goes way beyond doner kebap. It reflects two continents, a host of regional, seasonal variations, and the experiences of 2,000 centuries. From palatial restoranları to rickety stands on street corners, Turkish kitchens produce some of the world’s most splendid fare.

uyers, sellers, and Turkish ceramics at at a cultural festival in Monterey, California form a colorful collage of Istanbul street scenes. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Colorful Turkish ceramics in Monterey (upper left) recall a feast of colors in Istanbul.
© Joyce McGreevy

The Taste of Memories

Turkish breakfast is a lavish affair, a beautifully constructed spread of the finest regional cheeses, cured olives, egg dishes, rose jam, and more. But nothing inspires morning rapture quite like simit. It is to Turkey what the croissant is to Paris—deceptively simple and simply superb.

To find simit in Turkey, just look for the man wheeling a red trolley or balancing a tray stacked ten tiers high. In the U.S., simit is increasingly available at Mediterranean delis and bakeries, including Monterey’s International Market.

Served fresh and warm, simit are downright inspiring. They have even inspired the noun can simidi (jahn SIH-mihd-ee)—the name for the ring-shaped life preservers on Turkish ferries.

Simit at a cultural festival in Monterey, California inspires memories of Istanbul, Turkey. (Image © Ceren Abi)

The perfect Turkish breakfast begins with simit, a circular bread encrusted with sesame seeds.
© Ceren Abi

Turkish Memory Lane

By now even a passing California car inspires Turkish reverie: While driving from Istanbul to Bodrum, my Turkish relatives and I stop at the town of Ortaklar. Ortaklar’s main street is lined with carwashes, but each represents only half of a family-owned business. I discover the other half when we pull into Necati’nin Yeri.

While the car is seen to, we join festive diners at long tables under shade trees and canopies. Dish after exquisite dish arrives, and a young man slides flat rounds of dough into an outdoor oven, where they puff up like balloons. This is lavas (lah-VAHSH), so irresistible it’s a wonder the customers don’t puff up like balloons, too.

Recalling this feast, I momentarily conflate thoroughly Turkish fare and American thoroughfares. Oh right, I’m in Monterey, California, not Ortaklar. But everything is redolent with the sweet confusion of memories.

Two street scenes, one during a cultural festival in Monterey, one in Istanbul, celebrate Turkish culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

On a day in August, families stroll in Monterey and Istanbul. Can you tell which is which?
© Joyce McGreevy

The Taste of Turkish Words

I savor, too, the taste of Turkish words. A cultural festival offers the chance to practice. The Turkish language is considered fiendishly difficult to learn, but I disagree. Difficult to master, sure, but that’s true of any language. The spelling of modern Turkish is largely phonetic, so once you recognize differences in the alphabet and get the hang of certain sounds, you might be surprised at how quickly you catch on.

It begins with Merhaba (MEHR-hah-bah). Hello!

Fisherman’s Wharf Monterey inspires a visitor to a nearby Turkish cultural festival ito recall a similar scene at the Bosporus in Istanbul. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Left to right: On Monterey Bay and Istanbul’s Bosporus, friendly people go with the flow.
© Joyce McGreevy

Learning to say hello, surely that’s the takeaway of cultural festivals. Hello to the connections between here and there, past and present, you and me. Merhaba to families strolling along the Bosporus and families strolling along Monterey Bay. Hello, Merhaba, and Welcome to whatever connects us all.

Thank you to Ceren Abi for contributing to this article. Seni seviyorum, Ceren!

See more of the Monterey Turkish Arts and Culture Festival here.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Crossing Cultures/Language & Culture/Turkey/USA

Aug

Memorable Moments: Let’s Have a Word

by Your friends at OIC on August 20, 2018

Let the wordplay begin!
© ThinkStock

It’s no secret that here at OIC Moments, we love language! And with a name like “OIC,” our passion for language includes the love of using letters and words in amusing ways. While we give our bloggers a well-deserved break from putting words together (as they so adeptly do), we hope you’ll have f-u-n with our favorite wordplay posts from the past.

Wordplay: The Power of One Little Letter

Word lovers—find an “Oh, I see” moment when a change of just one little letter turns a word into a surprising new word. This post also includes a free download word game! Go to the post.

A Game of French Wordplay: Les Bons Mots

French language wordplay inspired five new French phrases that will test your language skills and your knowledge of French culture. Go to the post.

Wordplay: Wit and Wisdom in Public Spaces

Signage in the world’s public spaces reveals gems of wordplay, wit, and wisdom. Go to the post.

For more fun takes on language, try entering “wordplay” in the search bar to the left!. And to find a new “Oh, I see!” moment every week in your inbox, take this opportunity to subscribe.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Your friends at OIC Comments

Wordplay

Aug

Nature Watch: California Sea Otter Savvy

by Meredith Mullins on August 13, 2018

A California sea otter, reminding us to be on nature watch to protect them. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Too cute to be a threatened species
© Meredith Mullins

Protecting the Southern Sea Otter

Who wins the coveted “Most Adorable” award in the marine mammal yearbook year after year?

The California Sea Otter—hands down (or paws up, depending on your perspective).

If you travel to the California Central Coast and look to the Pacific Ocean or its estuaries (or visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium), chances are good that you will see some playful Southern Sea Otters. And you’ll fall in love.

Paws up
© Meredith Mullins

This threatened species is an ocean treasure of form and function . . . with a large dose of cute.

As you learn more about these intelligent creatures, the “Oh, I see” moments about their life and challenges will make them favorites for a long time.

A raft of California sea otters at Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, California, reminding us of our responsibilities on nature watch to protect them. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A raft of sea otters, resting together
© Meredith Mullins

The Charismatic Sea Otter

What makes the California Sea Otter so special?

Their koala-like face sprinkled with long cat whiskers provides an intriguing mix of playfulness and inherent wisdom.
They sport a fur coat to die for (and they did—back in the fur trade days). We are fortunate that they have rallied from being almost extinct to a community of about 3200 on the California Central Coast (with the help of protection laws, of course).
Diving for food
© Meredith Mullins
The luxurious coat comes complete with pockets where they stuff their sea treasures. They’ve been seen to dive for food, and, if their paws are also going to be full, they stuff a few more shrimp or sand dollars in their pockets before they surface. Jackpot!
Munching on restaurant-quality shellfish
© Meredith Mullins
They are an eclectic blend of paws and flippers—with arms almost comically too short for their long streamlined bodies. But all parts work together so they are experts at diving for food, foraging for invertebrates (using their whiskers and paws), and finding tools to crack open the stubborn shells that house most of their food.
They are one of the few mammals to use tools and will make you smile with anthropomorphic appreciation as they attack a clam or abalone shell with a rock or whatever is handy (an abandoned sea-floating flip flop?)
Whatever tool is handy
© Sea Otter Savvy
They enjoy food with a crunch—restaurant-quality shellfish such as sea urchins, clams, mussels, crabs, snails, and abalone. (Note: The Monterey Bay Aquarium spends $15,000 a year to feed each of their rescued otters.)
When on land, sea otters look like their family cousins—weasels, ferrets, and badgers.
© Meredith Mullins
They have no blubber. Although this might seem like a weight watcher’s dream, they have to keep their metabolism high to stay warm—usually by eating about 25% of their body weight every day. (Think about it: If you’re a 180-pound person, you’d have to eat 20 pizzas a day. Too much?)
They also must groom their fur for 3–6 hours a day (perhaps a little longer on date night). They are trapping air between their outer hairs and underfur to make sure they stay warm. They are proud to have the densest fur on Earth, with up to one million hairs per square inch.
A stomach that doubles as a kitchen counter and dining room table
© Meredith Mullins
They have a streamlined body, with a stomach as flat as an aircraft carrier—perfect for preparing a feast and dining in style.
The sea otter also serves as an ecologic helper. Their favorite food is the sea urchin, which loves to feast on underwater forests. So, as they eat the sea urchins, they help to protect kelp forests for other creatures.

A California sea otter in the Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, floating on his back, reminding us of nature watch to protect them. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Protecting this Treasure

With all the sea otters’ positive features, it is important to protect the otter community. They survived being hunted for fur. They now have to survive oil spills and being a target of Great White Sharks’ “test bites” (by the time the shark discovers the otter is just a bag of fur, it’s usually too late for the otter).

A kayak at a distance from a group of California sea otters, a reminder of the nature watch to protect them. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Kayakers should keep their distance from otters (five kayak lengths),
to give them space to eat and rest in peace.
© Meredith Mullins

They also have to survive all those folks who are curious about their special life—the parade of kayakers, paddleboarders, and boaters.

Several groups come to the rescue. The Southern Sea Otter is protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

A sign with guidelines about sea otter life, a nature watch responsibility. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Organizations like Sea Otter Savvy and the Monterey Bay Aquarium also provide education to the public to ensure that the otters can eat and rest in peace.

Kayak with two people in the Pacific Ocean after being educated about the California sea otter for nature watch to protect the otters. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Every time a kayaker or boat gets too close to an otter, the otter is disturbed and has to use precious energy to move away.

To remind kayakers and boaters of proper otter etiquette, Sea Otter Savvy works with kayak companies to place decals in every rented kayak or paddleboard. These decals remind visitors to give the otters space and to pass them in parallel. Don’t approach them head on or encircle them.

Two kayaks with decals about otter etiquette, a reminder for nature watch to protect them. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

To add to visitors’ education, Sea Otter Savvy also hosted a nationwide limerick contest and has now posted signs near otter habitats with the winners’ poetry.

Don’t paddle too close while we’re searchin’
For a crab or a tasty sea urchin.
Don’t land on our beach,
and stay well out of reach,
Or you’ll frighten us into submergin’.

—Laura Crowley

A warning sign with a limerick about California sea otter behavior in the Moss Landing harbor, a reminder about nature watch to protect the otters. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

When you’re out enjoying the water
Beware the inquisitive otter.
They might take a bite
Though not out of spite
Some just get more close than they ought’er

—Josh Silberg

A Speeding Kills Otters sign in Moss Landing, California, a reminder of nature watch to protect California sea otters. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Our Responsibilities

Sea Otter Savvy founder and passionate marine biologist Gena Bentall reminds us of our nature watch responsibility. Protection is up to humans—to make sure people around the sea otters are educated and respectful.

It’s too easy to be too curious about these remarkable creatures and get too close to them.

If a sea otter is looking at you, you’re too close, as cute as that interaction may be. Most importantly, remember that you are a guest in an amazing world.

Children watching California sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, reminding us to go on nature watch to protect the otters. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

For more information about California sea otter protection, visit Sea Otter Savvy and The Monterey Bay Aquarium. Otter feedings are at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm every day at the aquarium. Sea Otter Savvy is funded in large part by the California State Coastal Conservancy, funds which state taxpayers contribute through the California Sea Otter Fund.

If you can’t travel to the California Central Coast, check out the Elkhorn Slough otter cam.

Sea Otter Awareness Week is September 23–29. Spread the word.