December 22, 2009
As if a fantastic day of shopping and meeting up with an old friend wasn’t enough, today I also tried Raki for the first time. Raki is the traditional Turkish liquor. Brittany and Tyler have told me about it multiple times since I arrived. I was really excited to finally taste it. Anıl, the super league’s former president, picked us up around seven. We went to the Shoppe on the Ankara University campus. It was a really nice restaurant!
The three of us couldn’t read the menu, so Anıl ordered for us. We had a few delicious appetizers, and we all split two main dishes, chicken and hamsi (fish from the Black Sea). And of course we had Raki. Raki is the only liquor that is made locally in Turkey and the Turks love it. It is a clear liquid, and its taste is reminiscent of Sambuka. But you don’t drink it like Sambuka. You fill a Raki glass, like a POM glass but thinner and shorter, half with Raki, half with water, and then, if you like, a cube of ice. There is also a specific manner in which you drink Raki. You have a bite of food, drink of Raki, then a drink of water. Raki is always served with a glass of water, to drink after each sip. Although I thought it was disgusting, it was a nice formal welcome to Turkey.
Cheers, or as they say here şerefe!
Could I have asked for a better welcome to Turkey?
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