cumhuriyet bayramı yeni türkü making pekmez travelling

2006
summer - fall
Anatolian Voice
cumhuriyet bayramı
yeni türkü
making pekmez
travelling vancouver
Making Pekmez
12
Cumhuriyet Bayramı 7
Contents
Making Pekmez 12
Travelling Vancouver 18
2006 SUMMER-fall • VOL 8 ISSUE 26
President’s Letter 3
Schedule of Events 4
Open Book 4
İlkim-Serdar Wedding
Pinar-Brett Wedding
Bir Kır Partisi mi, Kina Geçesi mi?
Mi-Hut Café Opening / İftar Dinner
Yeni Türkü
ATAA Convention
Moda Blue / Turkish School
Zafer Bayramı
about Turkish Culture 9
the Turkish Kitchen 22
Editor’s Letter 23
feature
articles
Dear Friends,
I
t is hard to imagine that 7 months passed since we took responsibility of TACAM
for this year. Our organization, TACAM, has been a home for many of us for years.
As the new board of directors, we have worked very hard to bring new faces and
members to TACAM. We certainly believe that we have accomplished many of our
goals. We also realize that we have a lot to do.
We have completed numerous successful events, the Father’s Day Picnic, Traditional
Turkish Breakfast Day and Victory Day celebration, İftar dinner during Ramadan, the
opening of the Turkish school, Republic ball and Yeni Türkü concert. I hope that you
attended at least one of these events to support your local organization if not all of them.
As you think about the events that you attended, I would like you to remind that board of
directors, their families and other volunteers spent hours and days to prepare for these
events. We certainly do not expect anything from anyone but a strong attendance for
TACAM events. We believe attendance was very good and we hope to increase it for the
coming events.
We are listening to our members who are open and make constructive criticism to our
organization events. They ask us to bring more cultural events, more international events to
Michigan. There is no question that this is also our goal. When we
plan on these events we know it is going to take a lot of time and
effort to make it happen. Our board is willing to spend all the time
necessary as long as we have support from our members. Yeni
Türkü event is a primary example for this. We needed a strong
sponsorship in order to take on this event. After we made
personal calls we were able to find enough funds to continue
for this event.
In order for us to bring more events to Michigan, we need to
increase membership to TACAM and have broad sponsorship for
the events. We will organize numerous other projects throughout
the year in an effort to bring many new faces to TACAM and create
strong ties among the all members and non members. There are
many people show up in our events that are not member for various reasons.
We can not force anyone to become a member however, what we can do is to ask and
encourage them to become one.
A newer initiative TACAM has taken up is the “Turkish School.” The goal of this
program is to create a semi-formal setting where students will feel comfortable and be
encouraged to speak Turkish. We plan to have fun activities, games, discussion groups,
and perhaps even a Turkish poem reading night, to make this learning experience more
enjoyable. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this school and bring their kids
and non-Turkish speaking family members. For more information please visit the related
section in our web site.
For those planning ahead, we will be organizing a New Year dinner and entertainment
night for the new year. The New Year dinner will take place at the club house near 12
mile and Telegraph on December 31st. Details will be posted soon. We also plan to have
a Turkish Music and Dance night in February. As you can imagine we will also have a
Spring Ball planned for April 2007. Dates and places for these events will be posted as
soon as they are finalized.
As I finish my message here, I would like to encourage all our non-member readers to
become a member to our organization. We look forward to having you as a member. We
also thank our current members for their continuous support.
President’s Letter
Mehtap Aksoy
2006-2007 TACAM PRESIDENT
Anatolian
2006 - 2007
Schedule of events
Recurring Events
Turkish Language Classes
Anatolian Voice Newsletter
TBA
Educational / Cultural Events
Children activities (play and learn) & Career Fair for Kids
Family Financial Planning
Historic Presentation “Istanbul’un Fethi”
check TACAM.org for the latest information and times.
Please join us for our monthly events.
December
31 SUNDAY . New Year’s Party and Kurban Bayrami Celebration
January
ALL Month & TBA . Membership Drive and Fundraising Night for 2007 Calender Year
February
TBA . Presentation on other Turkic Groups: by Keyimu Aihemaitijiang
March
TBA . Turkish Night with Döner
Stay up-to-date with the latest community news, events and interesting topics from our members
Open Book
Community News
The Wedding Bells for İlkim and Serdar
Written by Mİne Özalp
Our dearest İlkim and Serdar were another couple who joined
their lives this summer. On September 22nd, the newly-weds
were joined by their family and about 85 guests at a very nicely
decorated clubhouse in Ann Arbor to celebrate their very
special day. The beautiful bride İlkim looked so happy and
elegant in her off-white color dress and gorgeous flowers as
they walked into the place and danced to the song “Swing” by
Dean Martin. Serdar was very handsome.
The food was plenty and very delicious and the music was
very entertaining. We all danced to Turkish music and to some
Latin salsa and merengue until the late hours of the night.
I am very happy to be a part of İlkim and Serdar’s special
day. We wish you two a very happy life together…
Pinar and Brett’s Special Day
August 19th, a beautiful summer day,
our very own Pinar and Brett joined
their hands and lives in marriage in
ever so beautiful Gross Point War
Memorial over looking the Lake St.
Clair. But nothing was more beautiful
than Pinar. Very gracefully she walked
into the room where Brett was waiting
for her…
And a few moments later, they
were pronounced husband and wife.
The guests were clapping and cheering
when Brett was repeating the wedding
wows in Turkish after Yüksel, as if Turkish was his native
Schedule of Events
Written by Mİne Özalp
tongue. That brought tears to my
eyes…
After the wedding ceremony, we
walked into the reception hall which
was very elegantly decorated all in
white.
Pinar and Brett’s families were
both present, dancing and celebrating
this very special day with all of us.
Beautiful newly weds, great company,
elegant place and good music, it was a
day never to be forgotten not only for
Pinar and Brett but for all of us who
were there to witness their very special day.
open book
Bir Kır Partisi mi, Kina Gecesi mi?
Gunesli bir gun hayal edin, gol kenarinda! Yemyesil bir
bahce, bir de beyaz guzel ev kondurun kenarina. Sari, mor
balonlar hafif esen ruzgarda dans etmeye baslasin muzik
olmasa da. Bu mekan Mehtap’in bahcesi
olsun. Masalar tasinsin Zeynel ve
Mete’nin yardimlari, Ozlem ve Mine’nin
direktifleriyle… Haydaa! Bu masalar
yetmez di mi Birsel’cim. Eee ne yapacaz?
Costco! Costco! Mehtap torba var mi?
Mehtap makas var mi? Mehtap seloteyp
var mi? Mehtap sen en iyisi yukarda
dur, bizim aklimiza hersey teker teker
geliyor, sen yukardan bize ativer. Sari
ortuler, eflatun mumlar, hersey “picture
perfect” olmali sevgili Ebru’muz icin.
Eyvah kizlar, 15 dakikaya herkes burda olacak, kosun
giyinelim. Ebru’nun misafirlerine bu halde mi cikacagiz.
Hatunlar kosuda.
Ebru’nun patronu Kati cok tatli ve sophisticated bir kadin..
Ebru beni tanistirirken “ice-breaker” cumleyi kullaniyor,
nerdeyse tum dunyayi gezdi. Kadin demez mi, Bolivya’ya
gittin mi? Hah iste sistim. Rezil oldum, rezil! Ebru hemen
imdada yetisiyor ama Peru’ya gitti, sayilir. Patron’la Hindistan
sohbetine giriyorum, soyle pis boyle pis, birde arkama bakinca
ne goreyim. Hintli Priya. Cok da hos bir hatun. Oh iste
acarmisin ceneni! Bir daha rezil olursun boyle! Korkumdan
butun gece Priya’ya tek kelime etmiyorum, gene Ebru yetisyor
Written by Mehpare Gençyüz
imdadima, “canim bilmiyor mu sanki ulkesini”.
Yemekler yeniliyor, yabancilar Turk dansi hakkinda
bilgilendiriliyor. Simdi sira kultur dersinde. Kina merasimi
basliyor. Birsel artik kina toreninin
kitabini yazacak, bu isi gozu kapali
yapiyor. Mine adimlar nasildi? Ozlem
sen onden git, daha iyi beceriyorsun.
Priya’ya da bak sen, kinayi karmayi,
desenli kina yapmayi herkesden iyi
bilirmis meger. Beyza cok akilli, hemen
koluna kina tattoo yaptiriyor. Damat
Ron’in ablasi Karen ve kucuk kizi Alli
de geleneksel Turk kiyafetlerini giyiyor.
Ebru’nun kiyafeti ise ozel. Birsel’in
150 senelik bindallisi. Isiklar sonuyor.
Paparazi Metenin flaslari suratimizda patliyor ve kina konvoyu
misafirlerin onune cikiyor. Bangir bangir “yuksek yuksek
tepelere ev kurmasinlar caliyor”. Ebru locaya kuruluyor.
Aglatmak icin cimdiklemeye gerek yok, o zaten agliyor. Gelin
elini acmiyor diyor, Birsel. Kayinvalide gelenekleri nerden
bilsin, durtuklemek gerekiyor. Ne kadar vericem diyor. Ne
verirsen diyoruz. Sonunda kina yapiliyor. Bakin Ebru ne
yapiyor, gidip kayinvalidesinin elini opuyor. Aferin be Ebru!
Ben bile unutmusum bu gelenegimizi…
Bir kina daha boyle geciyor… Sevgiyle, arkadaslikla
dostlukla…
Mi-Hut Café Opening
Mi-Hut is a cozy and neat café in a busy location in Ypsilanti
on Pearl street. Behice and Hakan are running the place and
will keep the traditional American sandwich varieties, muffin
and coffee selections as well as Turkish dishes. Available for
group reservations with Turkish music, tavla, TV and League
İftar Dinner
Written by Erol Ahmed
Keeping tradition alive, our TACAM members gather together
for an İftar Dinner during the month of Ramadan. This holy
month indirectly brings friends in sharing meals together and
enjoying each other’s compnay.
Written by Asli Yaşin
Matches. Special Mediterranean menu on request with Meze
and Zeytinyağlı dishes. Student discounts and much, much
More. The regular café hours: 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, 124 Pearl
Street Ypsilanti, MI 48197, Next to BW3.
India Presentation
Written by Erol Ahmed
On September 24th friends of the Turkish community gathered
to watch the live presentation on Metin and Mehpare’s travels
through India and Nepal, which the Anatolian Voice covered last
quarter’s issue in Travelling India and Nepal.
Open Book
open book
a Musical Extravaganza - Yeni Türkü
Written by Mehtap Aksoy
N
ovember 3, 2006, Friday night was a great night for TACAM
and all music lovers in Michigan. TACAM board of directors and
Yeni Türkü event committee worked very hard to bring this event
to all Turkish music fans. This event was costly but at the same
time it was the most profitable event in recent history of TACAM.
I personally like to thank Yeni Türkü event committee one more time and
especially to Ogun Arslan.
Last two months, we have been getting calls every evening, regarding changing
schedules of the group, music systems, locations, tickets, sponsors, hotel
arrangements, budget, etc. On the other side of the
phone there were many people. Most of the time, it was
Yeni Türkü marks one of
Ogun making comments, explaining decisions, asking
TACAM’s most profitable
questions, going over the progress or simply just talking
events
about the event. Serkan was sending e-mails daily
regarding the ticket design, program book, ticket prices.
Meanwhile Didem is directing financials and making
sure that we will not be in the red once the event is over.
Zeynel is in daily communication with all of them and
making his quick comments in a hurry and then ten
minutes later saying “let me call him or her back — say
I did not mean it”. Burak, Hülya, Onur and Özlem, the
other members of the committee were working very hard in the background to
bring more sponsors while Cihangir is posting daily mails to bring more attention
to this event. At the end, we had the event successfully completed with over 240
people attending.
Many thanks to all our sponsors with special thanks to gold sponsors,
especially Dr. Ahmet Karaca for his generous contribution to encourage the
committee to move forward with this project. I would like to thank Turkish
Canadian Cultural Association of Windsor, Café Zola and of course all of our
guests who were dancing all evening.
Yeni Türkü was very happy with the entire organization. They mentioned
many times that the organization in Michigan was far better than other sites.
As you will see in the following picture even our youngsters were keeping them
company at the back stage making sure they have all their needs.
It was also great night for me personally to see many friends after a long time.
I hope to see all of them again in our next event. I have talked to many people
who said the same thing. They met their friends and also made new friends. Let’s
keep this spirit going and come together again to meet new faces and see old
friends at the same time.
“
Open Book
open book
Republic Day Gala - Cumhuriyet Bayramı
“
Written by Mehpare Gençyüz
Let’s be one!
Let’s be heard as one voice!
W
e celebrated our “Republic Day” at
Greenfield Manor on Oct 21st. The hall,
food, the organization of the night and our
TACAM team who put this event together
were wonderful.
We explained the Republic and Atatürk to Ron (Ebru’s
husband - the honorary Turk). We said that he was like
George Washington, just to give an example from American
history. Instead we learned from Ron. He said that we
couldn’t compare him to Washington. Washington didn’t
abolish an existing regime and didn’t fight against so many
enemies. Ron, you don’t need a lecture from us. Obviously,
you are very sophisticated and well-aware of Turkish history.
Thanks for being so interested in our history.
I still have a dream, though.
Turks holding Turkish flags put tears into my eyes
again. I stood up. Why didn’t we all? Why didn’t we all go
on the stage together and hug each other and celebrate our
most wonderful bayram. Please, next time, let’s unite, hold
our flags together and sing our Cumhuriyet Marşı altogether.
Let’s be one! Let’s be heard as one voice! Can we make my
dream come true next time?
Ne Mutlu Türküm Diyene!
Open Book
open book
27th Annual ATAA Convention
T
Written by Beyza Sarioğlu
2005-2007 TACAM Vice-President
“
he ATAA convention is the leading
annual conference on Turkey organized
by a Turkish-American organization.
This year the theme of the convention
was “Building Bridges to Strengthen
Relations.” The convention took place
between November 9th-11th, at the
Shereton National Hotel in Washington
DC. A large group of Turkish-Americans went to Washington
from Detroit for the convention.
Although the convention started on Thursday, we joined
the group on Friday. That evening we attended Gençay
Kasapcı Exhibit with wonderful paintings that incorporated
modern art with traditional symbols like the evil eye, then
we went to the Ambassador’s Reception that was held at the
Turkish embassy. After the reception we all went to a Turkish
restaurant for a feast.
Saturday morning we attended various panels organized
by ATAA, which brings together high profile guests from
all around the US as well as Turkey. Saturday afternoon,
most of us went to Georgetown for some shopping and more
Turkish food. We even found some Turkish hairdressers
to get ready for the evening. On Saturday evening we all
attended Convention Gala and Republic Day Ball. Eight of
the ten TACAM Board members were present at the Gala.
One of the past TACAM presidents, Leylâ Ahmed, and the
Honorary Consulate General of Michigan, Nurten Ural,
where also there. Nurten will take over the ATAA presidency
Open Book
Congratulations,
Madame President.
from Vural Cengiz. On behalf of TACAM, I would like to say
“Congratulations, Madame President. We are very proud of
you and are 100% behind you.”
At the gala, TACAM was awarded with the ATAA
friendship award along with Turkish American organizations
in Washington and Chicago. As the TACAM board, we
have established new contacts within Turkish-American
Organization networks and met wonderful new friends.
After all, we did build bridges to strengthen relations. We
will continue to share best practices. Thank you ATAA for
organizing such a wonderful event.
It was very encouraging to see all Turkish American
Organizations from all over the country united under the
ATAA umbrella. United we stand!
Learn about Turkish Culture
Here is reproduced a comical folk tale from the collection of Nasrettin Hoca
The Cat
and the Liver
After the Hoca got the recipe for liver from his friend, he bought some liver and because he liked it very much,
he wanted to eat it often. But everytime when he brought livers he couldn’t eat them, because his wife said
that the cat took the liver and fled away. One day the Hoca became angry and said:
“Woman, I brought liver! Where is it?”
“Oh,” said his wife “the silly cat took it and fled away.”
At the same time the cat was in the room. The Hoca caught it and weighted the cat. Then he said:
“That is exactly two kilos. And the liver which I brought was also two kilos. Now tell me: If that is the liver
where is my cat; if that is the cat, then I want my liver.”
A New Turkish Store in Ann Arbor
Nothing like walking on the streets of America as a Turk and
seeing a store with a Turkish name. It brings a breeze from the
homeland. If you were in Georgetown near Washington DC,
you sure would run into a Turkish hair salon, or in Paterson,
New Jersey, it would be a Turkish restaurant.
Not quite to that level may be, but Ann Arbor Michigan is
one of the lucky cities to have Turkish entrepreneurs: Ayşe’s
Café, Café Zola, Ionnia, and now a new clothing store called
Moda Blue.
Our very own Diana and Ali Benli opened a new store
called Moda Blue on August 26, 2006, in Nickels Arcade in
downtown Ann Arbor, right across from another Turkish store
Ionnia, owned by İlkim and Serdar. Nickels Arcade is an indoor
walkway between Maynard and State Streets, and is home to
some of Ann Arbor’s upscale clothing and specialty shops. The
ornate stonework and tiled floor, the atrium-style ceiling, the
potted plants at store entrances and the tall columns at the State
Turkish Classes for Children
Our Turkish classes started in October at Ural Interiors at 11am. Please
call 248.763.9544 or email@tacam.org to register Now. TACAM is
proud to bring an exciting Turkish School to the children of our
community. Classes will be held in a dynamic environment to make
learning the Turkish language, culture and heritage fun and long
Written by Mİne Özalp
Street end of the arcade exude an atmosphere of antiquity.
During the store’s grand opening, my dear friend Diana
and Ali were very excited to have materialized a dream of
theirs. Their new store was not only full of beautiful Turkish
clothing, but they were also circled by their family and many
friends. I could not stop myself from shopping. I felt like I was
in a store in İstanbul. The same taste, same fashion; I highly
recommend that you make a trip to their store… You will love
it.
of Note
lasting. Tell all your friends who have kids between the ages of 3 and 11
about this great news. The children will love coming to the classes and
the parents will be overjoyed by their progress. It’s not too late to join
in!
Open Book
open book
TACAM Celebrates Zafer Bayramı
TACAM celebrated another Zafer Bayramı with its members and friends. The clown was a great fun for the kids. He made all
kinds of animals with balloons for the kids. Our very own cotton candy chef created treats for both kids and adults for the bayram.
Adults enjoyed the treat as much as the kids. Friends gathered under the tent in the yard and had a Turkish breakfast with simit
and beyaz peynir. Thanks to everyone for their effort and time. It’s always good to be among friends, especially on these important
days.
TEXT by Mehpare Gençyüz
10
Open Book
]ARTICLES
THE
summer - fall
12
“”
What results is a two-day celebrationof the land
where aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers
children and friends gather in any way possible
to create the sweat elixir of
a trip to the countryside
Pekmez
making • PEKMEZ
13
TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY EROL AHMED
P
ekmez begins from just a small seed, the seed of the
Mahmut pear family. These trees dot the landscape in Uzuntarla,
the countryside village only an hour southeast of İstanbul and fifteen minutes
from İzmit. The house of my grandfather in Uzuntarla is lucky enough to have around
five fully mature trees: each branch is teeming with pears that pull the tree closer to the
ground. It is then around mid-July, when the days are becoming hotter and longer, that these
mature trees offer their golden, red hued pears for picking. What results, is a two-day celebration
of the land, where aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, children and friends gather in any way possible — and
throughout the night — to create the sweat elixir of Pekmez.
When my family and I first arrived in Uzuntarla and after we
were finished with our hellos, the conversation quickly and
unassumingly turned to Pekmez, because for me, my stay in
Uzuntarla was never complete if this pear-molasses was not
made. And my friends and relatives in Turkey were just as
eager to start gathering the pears before they fell to the ground
and rotted. We then began on July eleventh just days after the
wedding that brought us back to Turkey of Tanya and Güngör
Akay. What follows is an account of the steps, pitfalls and
pleasures in making Pekmez.
Pekmez is more normally
thought of as grape molasses and
is sold as such; however, any fruit
could possibly be used ranging from
sweet grape to sour plum (erik). As
mentioned previously, we used the
pears from the Mahmut pear trees.
They have a very sweet taste and a
thin skin, which allows them to be
devoured in two bites. Their seeds
are barely noticeable and when
the pears reach ripeness they turn
yellow with blotches of soft red.
You hear them dropping constantly
on the ground throughout the
day. Honeybees also seem to be
an admirer of these fruits and if you do not pick them up off
the ground the bees and rotten pears will soon conquer your
garden.
At any rate, to begin first lay a large tarp underneath a tree
teaming with ripe fruit, then find yourself a young lad willing to
climb barefoot, thirty- to fifty-feet in the air to jump and shake
like an ape to force these pears to the ground. Then usually the
men gather and sort out the fallen branches, leaves and fruit and
carry over just the fruit to the women. Now I must admit there
was quite a large number of earwigs crawling about the tarp,
which I found disgusting. Personal fears aside, these pears are
carried over to be washed and cut.
In a large cauldron, (which you will need two of) the pears are
immersed in water and the small twigs and leaves float to the top.
Very rotten pears are discarded. Then, the stems and bottoms of
the pears are cut off, the remaining cut-pears are divided into
fourths and finally the seeds are removed. These two steps of
14
Feature Articles
collecting and cutting consume a good part of the morning and
afternoon but allows for everyone to get outside and see each
other. We then place the pears back into the cauldron with just
enough water to prevent burning. We placed this over very long
branches of wood that are slowly slid underneath the cauldron
as the wood is consumed. For another few hours, the pears
slowly boil and give off their juices: the water becomes a light
caramel color and the pears become extremely soft. We decided
that during this time that a light meal of sucuk, fresh bread and
tea would be just right and we all
ate and went about the day’s other
events.
In my opinion, this next step
requires patience and good armstrength, for when the pear-broth
is sufficiently boiled, it must be
squeezed to separate pear-mass
from pear-juice. Again, find
yourself a strong women and set
up a station of an inclined wooden
board tilting into a large washbasin
to collect the falling juices. We used
sanitized nylon-weave bags that
were woven to allow liquid to pass
through but not solid. My aunts told
me that cheesecloth could also be
used, which in Turkey is referred to as tülbent, so named for the
head-covering worn by women at funerals. As they squeeze and
vigorously press this bag of cooked pears, what remains is pearjuice and posa, which is the pear-mass that is thrown away. At
this point it is perplexing to see hours of work culminate into a
pile of pear-mush and pear-juice.
This juice is put back into the cauldron and placed once again
on the fire: here is where the craft of making Pekmez is most
important for it requires careful attention, patience and years of
trial-and-error-experience, unlike in the large food factories,
where the previous steps are usually rolled into two. What
you get is a mystery juice of whatever was so unlucky as to be
caught in the machine at the time of pressing. But our Pekmez is
completely handmade. It is becoming evening and most of us are
having dinner. My two aunts (Shangül Yenge and Hülya Teyze)
who organized this whole affair were left with this responsibility.
This second boiling of the pear-juice can last easily from six to
ten hours and as I recall pear-juice was still cooking well into
the night. These two were working from morning until dawm.
After many hours of boiling, a foam — similar to that on
top of Turkish coffee — will form and must be removed with a
ladle that has holes since if the foam is left behind it will turn
the Pekmez bitter. At this point, we were reaching the most
crucial point, that is, determining when to take the pearjuice-turned-Pekmez off the fire. Like preparing caramels
and candies, a difference of even a few minutes can determine
whether we ended up with sweat Pekmez or hard sugar. If
cooked too long it will be useless and if taken off the fire too
soon, the Pekmez will be thin and spoil. In Uzuntarla, they
took a white plate and dropped some of the cooking Pekmez
on the plate to check for color (in this case a dark caramel),
smell, thickness and taste. I have no idea what the specifics are
nor do I know the temperature of the Pekmez: one could only
learn from experience.
And it is finished! Almost, the Pekmez must then be divided
into clean jars and allowed to cool. The jars cannot be sealed
until completely cool. Apparently, it is very difficult dividing
the Pekmez and this is where social obligations and balances
are made. Everyone contributes a little bit more and less and
in the highly connected atmosphere of the village, it was very
interesting to see this finer, personal point take place in the
middle of the night as I watched my aunts debate over who will
receive how much Pekmez.
Lastly, after everyone has rested, gather some fresh
bread, spread kaymak on it and drizzle yesterday’s Pekmez
on top. Enjoy this with a glass of warm tea and your friends
and family that helped create this special treat. A treat that
was once common in the past as “poor man’s sugar,” but
wonderfully exceptional today. And this is how one goes about
not just making Pekmez but experiencing the pleasures of the
everyday.
Feature Articles
15
opposite page, top to bottom
My father and Aydın Amca discuss what all that pear mush
is in the cauldron, which we can see in the first-stage
of cooking in the center top picture. Hülya Yenge gazes
patiently at this consuming project. Aunts, mothers and
wives gather for some talk and some pear cleaning. Berkan
Ağabey in the bottomost picture carries firewood, while his
mother Shengül Yenge empties the cauldron at the end of
the first cooking.
This page, top to bottom
The men gather to collect the pears from the ground and
trees using simply a tarp and ladders. Sühelya Teyze and her
neighbor laugh heartily while pears in the lower right are
being dumped for the first cooking.
16
Feature Articles
Feature Articles
17
travelling Vancouver
Travelling Vancou-
18
Overlooking endless pine forests, a narrow bridge, suspended in mid-air, guides travellers to higher ground.
TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEHPARE Gençyüz
C
arsamba gUnU Mete’nin yeni isi kesinlesince, persembe
hemen Travelocity.com’dayiz, cumada ucakda. Ver elini
Vancouver. Eski patronum Brad, mail’ini yanlis mi okudum yoksa yarin
Vancouver’a mi gidiyorsunuz diye soruyor. Biz boyle hop orda, hop burda, hop
kapi arkasinda olmayi seviyoruz. Is arkadasim Krystina soruyor, gideceginiz yerleri nasil
seciyorsunuz? Esden dosttan soruyoruz, tavsiyelerine kulak veriyoruz.
Vancouver oldukca Avrupai bir sehir. Herkes sokaklarda
yuruyor, lokantalar, cafeler masalarini sokaklara kurmus,
musteriler bir masadan digerine laf atip dunya meselelerini
konusuyor. Taksi soforlerine Turkuz diyince, Istanbul
diyor bilmis bilmis. Guney Afrikali olanin kizi gecen sene
Istanbul’a gitmis bile, ne haber?
Vancouver’un cogunu Istanbul’un Asya tarafina, Bagdat
caddesine benzetiyoruz, apartmanlari, alt katlarindaki
dukkanlari, lokantalari ve cafeleri ile.
Vancouver’in havaalanina iner inmez
bayiliyoruz. Totem direklerini koymuslar,
dogayi canladirmislar, selaleler, agaclar,
kizilderili desenleri cizmisler. Ne guzel
derken derken gumrukden gececegimiz
bolgeye geliyoruz, o da ne? Gumruk
kuyrugunda ben diyeyim 1000, siz deyin
2000 kisi. Hic abartmiyorum, tum Alaska
cruise’culari siralanmis. Amanin, ne
yapacagiz? Bekle babam bekle, haci olacagiz
baska caresi yok.
Gastown’a yuruyoruz. Sabahin 4’unden
beri ayaktayiz, Vancouver saatiyle saat aksam
5 olmus, karnimiz zil caliyor. Masalarini
disariya koymus Water Street café’de enfes bir
somon yiyoruz. Demek somon dondurulmadan
pisirilince boyle pembe ve lezzetli oluyormus,
yumulalim Mete. Café’nin karsisinda da dunyada
tek ornegi kalmis, meshur buharla calisan saat.
I k i ton agirliginda bu saat ara ara Westminister nameleri
caliyor. Her ne kadar cok eski gozukse de, 1977 yapimi.
Gastown adi, odunculara bar isletmeye baslayan Gassy
Jack Deighton’dan geliyor. 1876’larda bu bolgeye Gassy’nin
kasabasi denirmis. Gastown Vancouver’in ilk resmi
ismiymis. Gastown Arnavut kaldirimlari ve Viktoryan stili
evleriyle gorulmeye deger bir bolge.
Otele donup pencereden marinayi, ve ilerideki cruise
gemilerinin yanastigi gemi rihtimini seyrediyoruz.
Sabah hummali gezi plani basliyor. Once hop on
hop off bus tour’una katiliyoruz, su iki katli Ingiliz
otobuslerinden ama cok da hosumuza gitmiyor. Once alt
katta oturuyoruz. Tur sirketi alt katin camlarini sirketin
logosuyla boyadigindan disarisi pek secilmiyor. Ama biz
sehri gormeye tura cikmisiz. Ne mantik degil mi? Yukarisi
bosalir bosalmaz, hemen zipliyoruz, neyse yukarisi daha
zevkli.
Orjinali 1889’da insaa edilmis Capilano Bridge’e
gidiyoruz, altindan bir nehir gecen 300 ft (70m)
yuksekliginde celik halatlarca tutturulmus 1333 kisiyi
tasiyabilen 140 m uzunlugunda bir kopru burasi. Bismillah
basliyorum yurumeye. Chitchen Itza’dan sonra bende
yukseklik korkusu basladi, ama “yapabilirim yapablirim”
telkiniyle yurumeye basliyorum. Millet saka olsun diye
zipliyor koprude, aliyor mu bir korku, zaten kolay midem
bulanip basim doner, yok Mete devam edemeyecegim.
Mete hastalandigimi anlamiyor israrda. Sonunda bir
muddet oturup midemin normale donmesini beklememiz
gerekiyor.
Grousse Mountain bir dahaki duragimiz. Teleferikle
cikiyoruz 4100 ft yuksekligindeki daga. Bu da Mete’nin ilki.
Yukarida oduncularin, odun kesme, duz direklere tirmanma
yarislarini seyrediyoruz. Yuksek agaclari kesebilmek icin
once agaca derin centik aciyorlar kalinca bir tahta parcasini
arasina geciriyorlar onun ustune basip biraz daha yukari
bir centik daha acip bu sefer baska bir tahta parcasini
yukaridaki centige geciriyorlar, boyle boyle agacin tepesine
erisiyorlar.
Ogle yemegi icin secimimiz gene somon tabiiki.
Arkasindan cukulatali muzlu kreple kendimize ziyafet
cekiyoruz.
Vancouver “Hollywood North” diye aniliyor. Yol
kenarlarinda renkli ok gorurseniz bilin ki oralarda bir
film cekiliyor. Polis de cok yardimci. Trafigi durduruyor.
Simsiyaha boyanmis, plakasi olmayan arabanin tepesindeki
video kamerayla arkadan gelen arabayi kayda aliyorlar.
Deniz ucaklari Vancouver’in biraz disini gezdiriyor.
Bir saatlik bir tur aliyoruz. Eger Vancouver’a giderseniz,
mutlaka ama mutlaka yapin derim. Bizim Ege sahilleri
gibi, bir suru minik ada, yarimada, daglar, yesillik, yatlar,
muhtesem evler. Deniz daglarin arasina girmis, kimi yerde
gol gibi gozukuyor, kimi yerde nehir. Inanilmaz guzel.
Sahiller boyunca kesilmis agaclar bekliyor, sonra o agaclari
kare kare iplerin icine hapsediyorlar, bir mavnada bu 2030 kareden olusan agaclari cekip goturuyor. Ucakdan
balina bile goruyoruz. Inis ve kalkis oldukca yumusak,
ben biraz ziplariz denizin ustunde diye tahmin ediyordum
ama oyle olmuyor. Mete bunun cok ozel bir dehaviland
ucak oldugunu soyluyor. Ayni tip ucagi Harrison Ford
kullaniyormus. Yakinlardaki ucak gosterisinden dolayi,
B-1B bombalama ucagi yanimizda geciyor. Deniz
kenarindaki oyster yetistirme ciftliklerini goruyoruz. Ucak
“skookumchuk” balikci kasabasina iniyor, cay ve ihtiyac
molasi icin. TC’de olsa hemen bir tavsan kani cay bulunur
ama burda yagli hamburger ve cola’dan baska birsey yok.
Simdi merak ediyorsunuzdur, hani yuksekden
korkuyordun nasil bindin diye. Kenarlari ve cercevesi olan
bir yerdeysem yukseklik korkutmuyor ama acik havadaysam
Feature Articles
19
Vancouver offers an eclectic
offering of Native American
sites, natural canvases and
impressive cityscapes.
THIS PAGE Metin in front of
totem poles. Planes taking off
of the water gave an interesting flight experience.
OPPOSITE PAGE Aerial shots
of Vancouver reveal forested
islands. Mehpare tries to see
how her height compares to
that of the totem poles. Locals
sit on the shores of Vancouver
and enjoy life.
20
Feature Articles
VANCOUVER
British Columbia
c a n ada
from
the 11th to 14th
august 2006
Feature Articles
21
the Turkish Kitchen
Kabak Tatlisi
Squash Dessert
Malzemeler
1.5 Kilo Balkabağı • 3 lbs. Hubbard or Butternut Squash
1.5 su bardağı tozşeker • 11/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 kahve fincanı su • 1/4 cup water
1 adet karanfil • 1 whole clove
1.5 su bardağı çekilmiş ceviz • 11/2 cups chopped walnuts
Kabağı büyük bir bıçakla 2 santim kalınlığında ve 8 santim
uzunluğunda dilimleyiniz.
Cut and slice the squash into 2 cm thick and 8 cm long pieces
Poğaça
Kabuklarını soyüp yikayınız.
Remove the skin and wash
Sonra bir tencereye
muntazam sırayla dizip,
uzerine tozşekerini
serpip, suyunu, karanfilı
ilave ediniz.
Layer the squash slices into a pot and then add
the sugar and clove
Tencereyi sikica bir kapakla kapatip,
ağır ateşte, zaman zaman
tencereyi sağa sola sallayarak
45 dakika kaynatarak
pişiriniz.
Cover the pot securely
with a lid and cook on
high, moving the pot
left and right. Then
cook on low for about
45 minutes
İçi için Malzemeleri
Zeytin ezmesi veya peynir
Üzerine sürmek için bir
yumurta sarısı
Mayayı ılık suya ilave edip iyice
kabarması için bekleyin. Başka
bir yerde ılık süt ve şekeri bir kaşık
yardımıyla karıştırıp üzerine mayayı
ilave edin. 10 dakika daha bekleyin.
Ateşten alıp, aynı kabın içinde
soğuttuktan sonra servis
tabağına çikarıp diziniz.
Uzerine çekilmiş cevizi koyarak
servis yapınız.
Let the squash cool. Then put on a
service plate and sprinkle the ground
walnuts on top
Üzerine yumurtayı, sıvı yağı,
dereotunu, Piyale Un’u ve tuzu ilave
edip kulak memesi kıvamına gelinceye
kadar el yardımı ile yoğurun. Hamurun
üzerini nemli bezle örtüp mayalanması için
1 saat bekletin.(strech folyayla kaplayabilirsiniz.)
Sürenin sonunda ufak parçalar halinde kopararak
ortalarına zeytin ezmesi (ya da diğer malzemeleri) sürüp
yuvarlayın.
Afiyet olsun!
TEXT BY LEYLâ AHMED
22
Malzemeler
600 gr. (5 su bardağı) piyale un
300 ml. (1.5 su bardağı) ılık süt
10 gr. (1.5 çorba kaşığı) toz şeker
20 gr. (2 tatlı kaşığı) kuru maya 1 yumurta
175 ml. (1 su bardağı) sıvı yağ
Yarım demet dereotu
Bir tutam tuz
1 fincan ılık su (maya için). (Eğer instant maya
kullanacaksanız bu suyu kullanmaya
gerek yok.)
Üzerine 1 yumurta sarısı sürüp yağlanmış tepsiye dizin. (fırın
kağıdına koyarsanız tepsiyi yağlamanıza gerek kalmıyor.)
Önceden ısıtılmış 180 derece fırında 20 dakika pişirin.
NOT: isteğe bağlı olarak peynirli, kıymalı, patatesli içler
kullanabilirsiniz.
Cookbook committee would like your recipes for the upcoming cookbook. Contact Verda Gurol: 248.514.7835, verdagurol@hotmail.com
Anatolian
Erol Ahmed
2005-2007 TACAM Editor-in-Chief
RI
C
IO
MICHIGAN
EST. 1972
RA
L
ASS
AT
TU
L
With my own personal trip to Turkey this summer, I was most amazed that
within a span of only five years since my last visit so much had changed
in İstanbul and İzmit. The cities were more crowded and the streets and
households permeated the sense of global
meshing that is so common. And yet there
was a eerie historical lingering everywhere.
Even though change was seen in the Shell
gas station and McDonald’s across the street
from the 100 year-old Sirkeci Train Station,
the fact that there was this station amidst
towering apartments and centuries-old
mosques, museums and palaces gave an air
of sometimes harmonious and sometimes
clashing feelings. And I wondered at what was
once the entrance gates and streets to a great Empire were now transformed
to gimmicky tourist spots and roadside cafés.
With this ever-present confusion and reevaluation, my trip to Uzuntarla
was a relief. For what we were doing — making Pekmez — was the ordinary;
yet for today, anything of this handmade nature become extraordinary. I
furiously photographed and annotated the entire process in hopes of
preserving this now “unique” craft. Even immersed within this supposed
“folk universe” all of us would return to our televisions and computers or
drive down to the city to catch the latest films.
And so I began to question what and why and who: what is changing,
why does it have to change and who responds to it? In this month’s
Anatolian Voice and in every issue, we create the hopes of preserving and
spreading Turkish culture and yet also chronicling the changes within our
own community. For we are even isolated from Turkey itself: I often here of
Turkish Americans who haven’t visited Turkey in years only to find that it
is they — isolated in another country — who possibly have preserved more
of “Turkish-ness” and customs than the natvive Turks themselves. These
cultural traits then seem to change and be lost in an ever faster pace.
We have Turks visiting distant places like Vancouver seeing the relics and
places of different peoples. Then back in Michigan there are weddings with
a very American structure but then an older Turk will insist on attaching
some money to the bride’s dress in traditional Turkish fashion. Even so, the
Turkish pop music often in the background shows off that perfect clash of
“East meets West” which is like the fusion created by our own community
here in Michigan.
And even though there is this façade of change, of changes in countries,
in peoples, in leaves; like the return of each season, we stay fundamentally
the same. Was Sirkeci not a new marvel of the industrial age: only to be
replaced by airplanes and high-speed trains?
AME
ISH
N
T
CU
C
hange is what fuels any type of growth. Our autumn issue then is
both a reminder of what has passed and what is changing, much like
the image of autumn change.
U
RK
AN
Editor’s Letter
OC
I
TACAM Governing Board 2006-2007
Executive Board of Directors
president > Mehtap Aksoy
vice-president > Beyza Sarıoğlu
secretary > Mine Özalp
treasurer > Didem Şeyhoğlu
past-president > Leylâ Ahmed
Board of Directors 2006-2007
Burak Akyalçin
Özlem Falkiewicz
Keyimu Aihemaitijiang
Birsel Küsefoğlu
Serkan Özdemir
Alternate Board of Directors
İlhan Berberoğlu
Board of Trustees
Emre Bülbül 2007
Rengin Üsmen 2007
Hülya Çakan 2007
Evelyn Sonbay 2008
Cihangir Taşdemir 2008
Ali Kayaalp 2008
Audit Committee
Voula Sonbay 2007
Asli Yaşin 2007
Halide Koçak 2008
Yesim Kayaalp 2008
ANATOLIAN VOICE 2006 Summer - Fall
EDITOR-In-Chief
Erol Ahmed
Contributors
Mehtap Aksoy, Mine Özalp, Mehpare Gençyüz, Beyza
Sarıoğlu, Erol Ahmed, Leylâ Ahmed
Published quarterly by
The Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan
P.O. Box 3552
Farmington Hills, MI 48333
phone / 248.348.4176
fax / 248.626.8279
anatolianvoice@tacam.org
Advertising rates per issue
Full page 125 USD
Half page 50 USD
Quarter Page 25 USD
contact TACAM for advertising details
www.tacam.org
Anatolian
23
Anatolian Voice / Summer - Fall / 2006 / volume 8 / issue 26
T h e Vo i c e o f t h e T u r k i s h A m e r i c a n C o mm u n i t y
the A NATOLIA N VOICE is a q uarterly
publication of the TURKISH A MERICA N
CULTUR AL ASSOCIATION of MICHIGA N
Classified
Moving Sale: sofa, love seat,
dining table set with 4 chairs,
desk with bookshelves and chair,
coffee table, end table, table
with 2 chairs, some pots and
plates, king size mattress, 3 side
tables with drawers and lamps,
3 dressers, bookcase, ironing
table and iron, microwave, coffee
maker, lamp, Epson printercopier and scanner, VCD player.
Contact: call 248.425.6578.
on the cover: complicated
intertwining ‘maritime’ motifs
scatter amongst floral medallions
in a sea of turquoise, red, yellow
and white. Turkish,.