hariscruff's Profile
Istanbul during Kurban Bayrami (Eid el Adha)?
I'm sorry I didn't see your reply in time. Most places were open, I think. The restaurants may not serve alcohol until sundown, but that might just be during Ramazan.
GREAT FOOD IN ISTANBUL?
I would stay away from the really touristy restaurants in Sultanahmet and surrounding areas. Taksim isn't too bad. It's a little touristy, but there are a lot of restaurants along Istiklal and maybe of them have decent prices. The food is good too. Just don't let the waiters talk you into the big mixed kebap plates - those are usually really expensive. Konak is a decently-priced chain, and you can explore the side streets and find tasty things like börek and gözeleme ın addıtıon to kebap. There are some cafeteria-style places too, where you can just go in and point at what you want. Everything is individually priced, but the prices are still relatively low. You can get a good meal for 25 TL or less. I think a lot of tourists come to where I live, in Sarıyer, because of the fish restaurants, but it's really far from Sultanahmet and the other tourist destinations.
U.S. Food Festivals
In West Virginia we celebrate ramps. There's a buckwheat festival in Preston County in the fall, the Strawberry Festival in the spring, and the Italian Heritage Festival on Labor Day weekend always has tons of great food.
looking to send care package to friend in uk . . .
Reese's Peanut Butter cups, if your friend likes them and isn't allergic to peanuts. That's what my Sister misses. I like the idea of the Mexican foods too. You can get some products in the UK, but the taco seasoning doesn't taste the same, even if it's the same brand as what is sold in the US. It has a strange flavor. While you're at it, could you send some of those things to Turkey? ;)
What foods say "home at last" to you?
I live overseas (in Istanbul, actually), and when I went home over the summer, the first thing my mom made was a pork roast with the skin. Heaven! I also love a big pot of brown beans and ham with her cornbread, or Mom's homemade pepperoni rolls. My last homecooked meal before I came back here was meatballs. She picked up the recipe from an acquaintance who puts a container of ricotta into the meat mixture. It makes the meatballs super moist and delicious.
