mmm, food

Before leaving on my trip, my friends talked me into hosting a dinner of Turkish food when I get back. I doubt I'll be able to pull off meals as good as what I've had here, but so far this is what I'm thinking.

To start:

• Bread. Lots and lots of white bread.
• Yogurt and spinach to dip it in (or, possible, cucumber and yogurt)
• Some sort of eggplant and tomato cold salad
  
• If I'm feeling ambitious (or can find them in the store...), some stuffed grape leaves
• Turkish tea

Main meal:

• Salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and olives with olive oil and lemon juice for dressing
  
• Kebabs cooked over coal, probably chicken because I have no idea how to make lamb
  
• Fries (no skins!) with ketchup and mayo
  
• Raki for the drinkers, ayran for the rest. If they don't want either of those, I'll charge them for water.
  

Dessert:

• Turkish coffee and I will pretend to I know how to read their fortunes from the grounds
• The most delicious watermelon, strawberries and honeydew I can find

If that all gets too complicated, I'll just give up and make potatoes -




The key to recreating a Turkish meal is not so much copying the individual flavors, but the ambiance. Everyone who comes over will be signing up for at least 3 or 4 hours of dwindling over plates of food and raki. Perhaps we'll eat on the patio, but getting eaten alive by bugs in Kansas isn't quite the same as the wonderful cafes where shade and a gentle breeze bring the temperature from unbearably hot to perfect.

One thing that I won't be able to show them is the fun of dancing and shaking a tambourine to traditional Turkish music like we did here in Istanbul, but I think we'll have a good time.