The other day I spent the afternoon in Kızılay, in downtown Ankara. Kızılay is awesome. It has open air bars and cafes, street vendors, live music, and a general pazar like atmosphere. I was super hungry after walking around and shopping all afternoon so I treated myself to a balik ekmek, or a fish sandwich. I resisted the fried fish and instead got grilled mackerel. It was loaded up with onions, lettuce and parsley, with a lemon squeezed on top. It was super! Sitting on a stool, out in Kızılay, sharing a table with absolute strangers. A great day. Later, Bulent met me in Kızılay and we had some dessert.
I chose a pie, which was filled with chestnuts, grated carrots and raisins. It was not too sweet, and the flavor and texture of the chestnuts were just fabulous. I was careful to make sure the dessert did not contain hazelnuts or walnuts, I made sure the vendor knew I was allergic (so that he would take it seriously.) And he did. Bulent ordered cake which contained walnuts. Before it was delivered to the table the waiter rushed over to our table to make sure Bulent did not let me eat any of his.
Bulent chose a chocolate cake, loaded with walnuts and a little ice cream on top. He said it was very tasty, and I took his word on that.
I promise soon I will post about something other than food. Or food and something else.
Posts
