Fish on the Bosphorous

 On our way to the Islamic science museum I was lured by the smell of roasting chestnuts. The guy was standing behind a little cart which was just a big hotplate one one sideand a rack of nuts on the other. I had these in Malaysia, and they were good, but here in Istanbul the goodness was even gooder. Deep earth and char, a heady smell like that tasted like old nature. Cream white felsh that resisted the tooth and filled your mouth and your stomach. A great buy for a few lira. Real street food.

 Off to the Galata bridge and we were taken back by the masses of people streaming in and out of these gaudy restaurants by the water. As you apporached you were hearded in amongst the swarthy masses to take your seat at a table the size of a large dinner plate on little stools no higher than my shins. you were given a ticket and pointed towards the edge of the water where a boat was rocking viloently on the waves. Upon the boat was an incredible series of cook plates searing fresh fish and heating onions. All of which they served on a delicious fresh roll. Crispy and flaky on the outside and fluff and air in the middle but perfectly dense to hold in the flesh lettuce and onions. An incredible experience was had by the group. I really felt at this point that i was eating food like the locals. There was noone around us that looked like tourists. The meal cost us all of a few dollars  and filled the belly to overflowing. I imagined the workers down at the docks of this busy city eating food like this for generations

Thanks to Halim for this one. He and I took a night walk through the spice markets. It was bitter cold, and the wind off the bosphorous chilled to the bone. At one end of the market perched a big copper urn out of which emanated an amazing smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. Halim said we had to try this stuff. Salep, is a delicious milky drink made from a ground root and mixed with water and then infused with incredible blend  warming spices. It comes out creamy and thick with a slight skin. You then top it with as much ground cinnamon as you want. This stuff was delicious and sweet and really staved off the cold on the walk through the cobbled streets.