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Archive for May, 2012

May 24
Thursday

Istanbul Eats on the Road: Rotterdam’s Multiculti “Kapsalon”

Filed under Features, Out of Istanbul, Reviews (Eats)


In Rotterdam, one of Europe’s most culturally mixed cities, you’d expect a more diverse street food scene. The Rotterdam diet does embrace shwarma, Vietnamese spring rolls and Turkish lahmacun, but then Dutchifies the food by dousing it with liberal squirts of mayo. Due to cultural assimilation or by catering to local tastes, we found little to eat during a recent visit to this Dutch city that had a strong expression of identity, foreign or local.

Probing the local snack culture and its origins with a group of Rotterdam chefs proved vexing. It seemed the group had little they felt comfortable calling their own until one said, “There’s something called the ‘Hairdresser,’” shaking her head with disappointment. “It’s really awful but it is from Rotterdam,” she added.

The “Hairdresser?” Continue…

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All entries filed under this archive


Fazıl Bey Kahvesi: Fad Proof
8 responses - Posted 05.18.12
Two young men stood about 15 feet apart on a sunny narrow street in the Kadıköy market, chafing in their brown lab coats. The one tending to a handful of white marble tables barked “buyrun!” (roughly, “come and get it!”) at passersby; the other quietly wiped down seven or eight ...continue
Döner on the Side of Caution
2 responses - Posted 05.17.12
We've previously sung the praises of Kasap Osman, a standby döner spot in the increasingly touristed Sirkeci neighborhood, but we've been getting unsettling reports from reliable sources that things might be slipping over there. We'll go to Osman's to check things out ourselves, but for now we suggest diners approach ...continue
Five Favorite Old-School Meyhanes
1 response - Posted 05.11.12
A recent article in one of Turkey’s English-language newspapers, describing plans by Mey İçki, Turkey’s largest producer of rakı, to introduce the anise-flavored liquor to Europe, left us both steamed and amused. As part of its efforts to promote the consumption of rakı, it appears the company – along with ...continue
And the Winner Is….
4 responses - Posted 05.03.12
We are very proud to announce that we have been voted "Best Culinary Travel Blog" in Saveur Magazine's third annual Best Food Blog Awards competition. The competition was stiff and we were honored just to be included among that group of six finalists. A victory by any one of us ...continue
Vahap Usta: The Man Who Would Be (Kokoreç) King, Pt. I
1 response - Posted 05.01.12
Vahap Usta pulled a pair of reading glasses from the inside pocket of a snug dinner jacket and sifted through a stack of newspaper clippings. Here was a full spread from a major daily paper proclaiming him the “King of Kokoreç” and another with him in his signature tuxedo and ...continue

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