Day 3: chop! chop!

Today we continued on with our slicing and dicing. Leek slices, rutabaga brunoise, tomato concassé, chopped parsley and segmented lemons. We chop all morning, then sit down all together for a half hour lunch, and then get up, rinse the dishes, and start chopping again! It's non-stop all day!

(And I thought cutting veg into 6mm x 6mm cubes was hard - today we did 2mm x 2mm!)

Chef I stopped by to give us a pep-talk and introduce himself. He talked about remembering where we are this week, not knowing what the hell is going on, moving about like people in shoes 4 sizes too big. He promised that by the end of the second week it'll be different. I hope so.

He also talked about how he's a chef who has moved into farming, and will ask us to go out in spring and help out on the farm. I am really into doing that, I loved his enthusiasm about growing produce - something I came to appreciate in Turkey. I was reassured by him because most people in the class are focused on working in or opening up restaurants. I'd much rather produce cookbooks or magazines, his pep-talk reminded me that there are more possibilities at the end of this than just restaurant work.

Stayed after school to get a little more practice in with my knife cuts. Getting better, but I'm still paranoid about getting my fingers close to the blade. It's slowly coming though!

Day 2: Big Sexy Knives! Oh my!

Day 2 of the course, today we got to work with our big sexy knives, they're very cool, the kind of knife I may have bought for myself if I'd known anything about knives. We learned how to sharpen them on the steel and then we were off to cutting.....flour. Yep we spent part of the morning cutting flour with a plastic scraper, them we moved on to cutting flour with our knife and finally they gave a a stick of celery to do our worst on!

I'll be honest, I'm terrified I really slice myself, I'm crazy careful and focused on where my fingers are all the time. Besides, there's an 8 day lag on my medical insurance, it's not official till tomorrow! (Shhhh!) There were some nicks here and there, for some reason, the Mexicans were the first to bleed - they had to endure jokes from Chef T all day, ("Their flour looks more like cayenne pepper!"). I made it through day two without a mishap, but i know it's just a manner of time.

We have three instructors, and I must say, (and you know how picky I am about instructors and teachers), they are all excellent. They teach us as a real team, and each one does a demo throughout the day and watches us as we practice. There is lots of correction and explanation which is really impressive.

They are also very good about what we eat and making sure we stay healthy, there's a lot of talk about avoiding refined carbs and going for whole grains, they are not into drinking coffee all day long, just a cup in the morning. Each night they have reminded us to go for a walk or go to the gym to get some exercise and to go to bed early.

So we practised cutting celery, garlic, onions, carrots and potatoes, which all went into a minestrone soup for our lunch. We actually had to get rulers out and cut the veg into 6mm x 6mm cubes. I really need more practice at that.

One funny thing happened near the end of the day. The culinary and pastry classrooms are side by side, and the pastry instructor is a big, funny guy with a huge voice. We hear him all day long, and I'm sure he hears us. We had a demo on how to chiffonade spinach leaves. All of us were at our stations focusing hard on rolling and cutting our spinach into perfect strips of confetti, when we heard the chef yell in an almost kid-like squeal, "OK everybody! Let's make peanut butter cookies!!!" Everyone from our side moaned, and one guy yelled, "Peanut butter cookies? Sure beats my spinach chiffonade!"

Chicken and veal stock tomorrow, and probably veg for the vegetarians. There is even a girl who can't have any flour products, she has celiac disease, so my chicken intolerance is pansy compared to her.

Day 1: A New Beginning

Day one of culinary school. Today was a lot of sitting and listening as heaps of info was unloaded onto us. How the school works, policies, emergencies- usual first day rigamarole.

My class of 25 is made up of all nationalities, we have Mexicans, a Brit, a Russian, two Chinese girls and guy from Hong Kong. We come from all walks of life, and many of us already have degrees in another unrelated discipline.

Our instructors are professional, yet approachable. They warn us they'll work us hard and have high expectations. We should be prepared to have little to no social life over the next month.

It's daunting. A little scary. One girl in pastry told me not to take myself out of this program, even if I feel overwhelmed. One old grad came back to visit, he said the same thing.

But I'm keeping a positive outlook, challenge is good. We'll see how I feel 3 weeks from now.

Day Trip From Istanbul: Iznik

As the deadline for our departure back to Canada loomed, we knew we had to get organised. Too many little things needed to be done, and time was slipping away. Mel and I sat down a drafted a list. Most of the items were mundane like "repair jewelry" and "get quotes on shipping", but number 11 sat in amongst these tasks like a jewel.

11. Go to Iznik.

Iznik had long occupied a place on my "to do" list. Always put off in favor of other trips and excursions, her number was up. Mel and I were determined not to leave Turkey without a visit.

We set a day.

I got the flu and postponed the trip.

We set another day.

The day before we were to leave, we learned there was going to be a public transport strike and all busses and ferries were going to be cancelled for the day. The information was incomplete and unclear, but on Thursday morning bright and early we made our way to Yenikapi ferry terminal and (thankfully) boarded the ferry for Yalova.

We stood on the ferry and watched the sun rise over the Marmara sea and thousands of seagulls swarm the fishing boats as they steamed into the Kumkapi market with their catches destined for the tables of the classy Balik Sokak (Fish Street) restaurants.

The Blue Mosque, along with our little apartment in the background, fade off in the distance. This was in late November, when morning fog is a normal occurrence.

Off the boat in Yalova, we hopped a

local minibus, an hour later we arrived in Iznik.

I was pleasantly surprised by Iznik, and immediately wished I'd made the trip sooner. The small cobbled streets were lined with huge maple trees, displaying bright fall colours. Mosques, museums and ruined Byzantine churches lined the quaint narrow streets, and of course local shops sold Iznik-style ceramics. (Back in the 17th century, Iznik was an important centre producing ceramic tiles for all of the Ottoman mosques and palaces. Although little is produced here these days, the design of tile still holds the name "Iznik".) One man beckoned us to take pictures of his antique hamam.

"That's the men's section!" I feigned shock.

"Haha! No problem! I'll kick the men out!" he joked.

Transportation of choice in this agricultural town in definitely the tractor. Brightly painted and parked outside of houses, these vehicles hauled the towns produce from field to market. I asked one man what he was hauling, it turned out to be olives, on the way to the mill to be pressed for oil. Other tractor's wagons were full of walnuts, sheep, massive cabbages and bright persimmons.

The green Mosque, with it's original

Iznik tile decoration around the minaret.

We wandered the streets with a little map from the information centre, stumbling upon buildings and sites. We visited the city wall and gates and stumbled upon the Green Mosque, among the top sites in Iznik. Mel and I adored this building, its proportion, decoration and design had our cameras busily working away from every angle.

Front door of the Green Mosque.

Iznik is located on the shores of Iznik Lake. We quickly fount that walking from one of end of the town to the other took about 20 minutes at a leisurely pace, within minutes we found ourselves slipping through a little doorway in the city wall and standing on a very nicely kept beach. Here we met Mehmet and his little dog - Raki. (Best name ever for this little white dog with attitude!)

Mehmet and Raki

Glass-like waters of Iznik Lake.

The next day would be Kurban Bayram, or the "Sacrifice Holiday". Traditionally, families sacrifice a sheep or cow and distribute a portion of the meat to poor families. All over Iznik we saw sheep being taken home in preparation for the next day's activities. They were carted around in trucks, on tractors and even walked home on leashes like the family dog. Poor sheep.

Unwilling. Do they know?

We loved Iznik for many obvious reasons - its interesting buildings, friendly locals and small town vibe, but what makes this place stands out from other day trips from Istanbul is its lack of tourism in a place that would be IDEAL for summer vacations. A large lake for swimming and boating, flat terrain for cycling, and gorgeous fresh produce!

We left Iznik for Yalova in the evening, as the sun set on this precious little town, and I finally crossed number 11 of my list.

Mardin! (as promised)

Can we put our finger on what makes us love Mardin so? Is it the gorgeous setting on the side of a mountain with the dramatic scenery of patchwork plains spread out before us? Is it the local arts and crafts that are still practiced with masterful skill in the shops and bazaars everyday? Or is it the exotic honey-coloured stone buildings, intricately carved into flowers and geometric designs?

Mardin bazaar, where you can buy anything from a wedding dress to live chickens!

Obviously we love Mardin. An ancient, multi-ethnic, busy town that makes you feel you’ve stepped back in time. Donkeys click-clack through the streets, mosques with unique little pomegranate tops and people who still welcome visitors with a heartfelt “Hosgeldiniz!”

Ablutions before prayers.

Mardin minaret and plateau of farmland that stretches all the way to Syria.

Olive oil soap in the bazaar carved in the style of local mosques.

Time spent wandering the streets and bazaars of this town is well spent. Wood and metal workers create unique little pieces in tiny little workshops, inviting you in for tea and showing you their wares.

Mosques with ornate Syrian-style minarets and ribbed domes litter the hillside. In the evening when the temperature cools, everyone comes outdoors to socialize and children fly kites high above the town. It’s rumored the Garden of Eden may have been located near here, and we believe it!

Above: View from (and of) our hotel, a 500-year old caravansary!

Below: More ablutions...

Istanbul Eats: Istanbul's Top Ten Restaurants

"spinach parcels" - seriously cute, seriously yummy!

One of my favorite websites on the Turkish dining experience is Istanbul Eats. Istanbul was in dire need of an English-language site that discussed the cuisine of our fair city in an intelligent and honest way. Istanbul Eats filled that void with gusto and is a guest blogger at the World Foodie Guide this week. Here is their excellent and informed list of Istanbul's Top Ten. Afiyet Olsun!

Commercial Break: Talismania!!

The sisters are working on a new project!

Mel and I recently took a trip to the Topkapi Palace and spent a lot of time looking at the talismanic healing shirts made by holy men and worn by the Sultan. Inscribed with Quranic verse, the “healing shirts” were believed to be able to cure disease and protect the wearer from evil and harm. The Ottoman sultans believed their shirts would protect them like armor, and often wore them into battle. Since there wasn't any blood on them, they may have actually worked!

From Topkapi Palace (A must-see in Istanbul!)

Modern day talismanic scarves made with love in Istanbul: maroon 'peace' in five languages,

purple and red Turkish flower scarves designed and printed in our living room.

After leaving the Topkapi palace, we grabbed a coffee and talked about the shirts, our eyes rested on two women at the next table. One was wearing a Turkish evil eye bracelet, the other, a funky scarf that is the height of fashion in Istanbul these days. The inspirational discussion began, and before we knew it, we were embarking on our mission of creating good luck-infused and fashionable (and practical) lucky charms: The talismanic scarf!

Off to a good start!

Combining all of these good luck symbols and the idea of the inscriptions of the healing shirts, we came up with funky talismanic scarves - block-printed in Turkish inspired designs. Some have Rumi quotes, and all have their own evil eye hand sewn into the corner.

The evil eye army. We feel the power radiating off these little jewels, I swear.

The project has just begun, we are up to our elbows in carving block prints, printing scarves with fabric paint and sewing the evil eyes in a prominent place of protection. We'll post more pictures here as we go, but we wanted to share this special project with you before Christmas, as these work-of art-scarves are perfect for sending in the post.

The block Mel carved reversed in the mirror so you can read it:

"When I am with you we stay up all night. When we are apart I cannot sleep. Praise these two insomnias and the difference between them." `Rumi

"We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust." ~Rumi

The scarves will be sold in Istanbul in our Sultanahmet living room or at your place of convenience until the end of November,(at 25 lira each) and we'll be in Canada after that, at the Naramata Craft Faire on December 6th, and during a side trip to Vancouver and Victoria just before Christmas. (25 CDN including taxes.)

Contact me or Mel for details!

We really hope you enjoy wearing them as much as we enjoy making them!

Rene and Melanie