Monday, October 31, 2011

America Is Missing Out

Ok today I will share with you the greatest thing in Bebek, my neighborhood in Istanbul. Do you see this line?


It is from Sunday night, around 9pm. It extends all the way to the street. It's for waffles. Yep. You get a waffle for 9 lira ($5). It's a pretty expensive dessert for this part of the world but it's amazing. And so worth it. First, you get a thinner waffle than you would get at IHOP or would make at home. But it's cooked in a waffle iron right before your eyes. Then you pick what spread thing you want. You can pick one for each side or get the same for both sides. Options include milk, dark, and white chocolate, Nutella, strawberry, or hazlenut spread. I like milk chocolate and Nutella. 


Then you pick your toppings. I personally prefer banana, strawberry, and kiwi. But you can also choose cherries, pineapples, chestnuts, pistachios, sprinkles, and powdered sugar. Any and all toppings. Remember you pay a flat price no matter how much you have them put on there. So pile it on. I do.


Then you fold it in half, taco-style, as best you can. And you keep a tight hold on it, burrito-style, lest any yummy (still warm) goodness spill out. Mine exploded on me the first time I had one but I've gotten much better at managing the amazingness. Now you want one don't you? 

The place is Ab'bas on the main road through Bebek but it's a chain so they can be found elsewhere in Istanbul. Their website: http://www.abbaswaffle.com. Check it out!

Does anyone know of a place in America that has waffles like this? Someone needs to get on it. 

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Round Two

So I am apparently really bad at blogging. I feel like I have to carefully craft and compose posts, and I feel like they have to be long and funny and the most entertaining thing EVER. Well, I refuse to let myself be overwhelmed by a project that I don't have to do. But I want to do it so I'm making it easier for myself. Instead, I will post the iPhone (read: blurry) pictures of things that I find generally curious/amusing and then ramble about why I find them generally curious/amusing. The first:


So this is a picture of the Marmara Hotel in Taksim Square, the busiest square in all of Istanbul, their Piccadilly Times Circus Square. And this hotel is a nice, expensive hotel that has a huge gym that overlooks the hustle and bustle of the area. The people who stay here are probably business-types. They come to Istanbul for work, and instead of exploring the city (or even Taksim, a small but very important area), they spend their evenings in the gym. They go to work and then go to the gym, just like they would if they were at home. Except they're not at home. They're in Istanbul. And they are spending their time in this super artificial environment. I don't want this to ever be me.

If you're one of these business-types, please let me know. Am I judging too harshly?