Five Minutes of Magic

I saw the man first.
He was in a long royal purple tunic with white pants.
A cult member, surely, I thought.

Then I rounded the corner
and saw another man in the same dress.
Ha! A cult convention.

Then I came up against the limits of my knowledge.
It couldn't be a cult.
There were so many of them.
Not just men. Whole families.
And so many beautiful women.

 

 Her sandals.

Those "I Dream of Jeannie" sandals!

 

Happy.
Joyous.
Crackling with energy.

I laughed at myself, recognizing my own American parochialness.
Don't we always compare new information to our old information?
I understood instantly these were a people I had never seen or met before.

One

exquisitely dressed woman

after another

poured out of the hotel.

"Where are you from?" I asked.
"Pakistan, he said. "We are here for a wedding."

The island of Jamaica

sent spectacular sunshine.

"Are you from Pakistan too?"
I asked a gorgeous young woman
dressed differently than the others.
"No, I'm from Jamaica." she said.

"Of course you are!" I thought,
marveling at Istanbul's constant ability
to make the ordinary encounter extraordinary.
I'm sure Jamaicans at Pakistani weddings are a common sight,
don't you think?

Do they have ring bearers

at Pakistani weddings?

I wondered.

A tween

in all of her finery.

I'll picture these lovely people

when I read a story about Pakistan

in the future.

 

I'll picture this little girl

in all of her bracelets

and veils.

The beautiful Pakistani women

blew me kisses

from the bus

as they left.

 

I hope they had a wonderful time.

The Woman in White

Twilight beckons on the Bosphorus

But the Woman in White is unmoved.

Recommended Reading for Thoughtful Americans: "The Limits of Power" by Andrew J. Bacevich

Andrew J. Bacevich

I have wanted to read the book "The Limits of Power" ever since hearing Andrew J. Bacevich at the Wisconsin Book Festival a few years back. An idea he expressed there that made my jaw drop was that America's empire building was the activity of citizens uninterested in reforming their own nation.

Referring to the work of United States theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (author of the serenity prayer), Bacevich felt expansionist militaristic activity represented almost an addict's way of denying the reality that there are "limits to power."

His book was just as compelling as the talk I had originally heard. I admired his ability to dissect American thinking from within America.

Bacevich urges readers not to look to their politicians with blame for their dependence on foreign oil, necessary military expansion to access it, and demands that the world conform to America's way of thinking. He argues the politicians have just sold Americans what they want to buy: a foreign policy based on grandiosity without the budget or wherewithal to achieve it.

“History will not judge kindly a people who find nothing amiss in the prospect of endless armed conflict so long as they themselves are spared the effects. Nor will it view with favor an electorate that delivers political power into the hands of leaders unable to envision any alternative to perpetual war.

Rather than insisting the world accommodate the United States, Americans need to reassert control over their own destiny, ending their condition of dependency and abandoning their imperial delusions. “ - page 13

I found this to be deeply inspiring, deeply patriotic reading. Bacevich asks Americans to ask more of themselves. Bacevich's book made me want to read everything else he has written. He has a new book soon to come out called "Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country."

 

"The Limits of Power" is part of a whole series of titles called "The American Empire Project" devoted to asking Americans to consider whether empire is the highest expression of the American idea. More titles can be found at www.americanempireproject.com

 

If you would like to hear an interview with Andrew J. Bacevich from when the book was published, click here for part one. To learn more about this public intellectual who attracts interest from both sides of the political aisle, click here. 

 

Andrew J. Bacevich believes Americans are still in denial and not ready to face that we are choosing a life of dependency on foreign oil and credit. He says there is nothing in the preamble to the Constitution to try and "remake the World in our image" and our perpetual war to 'spread freedom' actually detracts from freedom at home.

 

While Americans view our projection of military power as a strength, Bacevich actually argues our perpetual war is a way of delaying our acknowledgement that we have chosen to squander our power (and our moral authority, when we choose global preemptive war) for our generation and generations to come.

 

An example from the book of what Americans should be working on vs. what we are working on:

For the United States, abolishing nuclear weapons ought to be an urgent national security priority. So too should preserving our planet. These are the meta-challenges of our time. Addressing them promises to be the work of decades. Yet ridding the world of nuclear weapons is likely to prove far more plausible and achievable than ridding the world of evil [something Bush said he would do - an example of American foreign policy grandiosity]. Transforming humankind's relationship to the environment, which will affect the way people live their daily lives, can hardly prove more difficult than transforming the Greater Middle East, which requires changing the way a billion or more Muslims think. -page 178

What do you think? Is American engagement with the world attempting that which we can not pay for or even accomplish (eliminating evil, establishing Western democracy in countries that don't have it)? What's your view? How would America go about changing our priorities, especially when continuing with perpetual war and lack of reform benefits those in power?

 

 

 

You may also be interested these other posts:

 

Understanding Iran: The Power of One Graphic Novel called "Persepolis"

 

"The Restoration of Order: The Normalization of Czechoslovakia" by Milan Simecka

 

 

Dinner on the Bosphorus at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski's Bosphorus Grill

I love experiences that heighten the senses. It was with great anticipation that I accepted an invitation to dine at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski's Bosphorus Grill. It's not everyday that one is invited to dine where sultans did, in an Ottoman palace setting, no less.

Earlier this year, I had had my first hammam in Istanbul at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski. Knowing the excellence that the Kempinski Hotel group brought to the operation of their properties, I knew that dinner at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski would be just as divine.

Outside the actual palace,

the gates for arriving water craft

gave a hint of the Bosphorus beauty to come.

Spectacular flowers

greet guests on entry to the hotel:

roses, orchids, lilies, and my favorite:

hydrangeas

I glanced up above the reception desk

to appreciate for a moment

the way one would arrive

at the Çırağan Palace

back in Ottoman times.

 The stately Laledan restaurant

where the weekly Sunday brunch is held.

I would pass through Laledan on my way to the

outdoor Bosphorus grill.

Every inch of the grounds

contribute to relaxing guests.

 

Palm trees and salvia create a

destination entrance

to the Bosphorus Grill.

My hostesses:

Lara and Ciler,

two dynamic young professional

Turkish women who are

superb stewards of the hotel's legacy.

 Lara and Ciler

recommended we try

a Turkish wine from

Bozcadda Island.

 

Corvus Corvus

came from

a high-tech boutique winery

started by an Istanbul architect

and his wife.

They had left everything

to move to the island

and had begun to make wine.

 How romantic.

Children would love the Bosphorus Grill

because the boats come extra close

to see the Palace and the property.

Sezai Erdoğan

is the first Turkish

Executive Chef

at Çırağan Palace Kempinski

in Istanbul,

a pioneering achievement.

Aferin!

 

He is in charge of all the restaurant

and banquet kitchens

within the hotel.

 

Soon after Chef Erdoğan

came by to wish us a good meal,

 Mother Nature added to the evening's enjoyment

by rolling in a mighty thunderstorm

 from the Black Sea:

The storm was so much fun to experience!

The storm came quickly

from the Black Sea,

changed the skies over the Bosphorus

and poured down rain,

and just as quickly,

moved on to the Marmara Sea

at the other end of the Bosphorus.

When the rain stopped,

we went to the banquet area to peek

at what was on offer.

Turkey has extraordinary fruits

during the summer season,

especially Adana watermelon,

fresh melons, apricots, and pears.

 

Notice too, the large Medjool dates

which are

traditionally used to break

a Ramazan fast

due to the amount of sweet, filling, flesh

found in a single date.

That's important for those who have been fasting

since before sunrise.

Eating one date immediately

upon the end of a day's fast

removes the edge of hunger.

 There was a beautiful salad bar.

I resisted.

When in Turkey,

why have salad,

when Turkish chefs

prepare sumptuous mezes

to offer a bit of this and a bit of that?

Oh, and here they are.

Choices upon choices.

Green chicken curry with bamboo shoot

and cashew nut

Sautéed oyster mushrooms with fresh herbs

Grilled baby fennel with carrots

Ratatouille with basil

My final selection of mezes.

Believe me, it was hard to choose.

Looking at the bottom left,

have you even seen smoked salmon and strawberries

paired like that?

That was an idea new to me -

and what a delicious combination.

It was Smoked salmon and avocado salad

with strawberry and balsamic sauce.

 

An eggplant meze up front

because Turkish chefs

know how to make eggplant sing.

This was a Soya marinated,

baked eggplant salad with and fried onions.

 

Fennel comfit with root vegetables,

cinnamon, and star anise

because somehow the Europeans have kept the secret

of how delicious fennel is to themselves.

America has yet to discover fennel

in a big way.

 

Purslane salad with yogurt, garlic and peanuts

(not only is it a delicious salad green,

purslane is a very healthy super food),

also sweet potato salad

 with beef bacon and fresh herbs.

 

Potatoes gratin with truffles -

what satisfying comfort food.

 

The star of the plate was that tiny oven-roasted pear

with ricotta cheese and balsamic dressing.

Wow, it was fantastic.

 After our meze course,

we went back to the grill.

There were roasted lambs and chickens

and vegetables.

Chef d'parti Ibrahim Ünalan demonstrated

how he puts the naan on the side of the oven wall

with his naan mitt -

a detail kids would love

to watch performed

while they peer into the naan oven.

I had never seen this before.

So this is how naan is cooked!

There were so many meats

to choose from for a custom grill.

I choose two delicate lamb chops.

It was a hard choice, because the

pistachio-marinated beef tenderloin

also called out to me.

For those who preferred fish for their grill course,

there was mackerel, and salmon, and prawns

and many other fresh, top-quality choices.

Beef tenderloin

I can get back home,

but lamb done Ottoman-style

is not so easily found

in America.

I made the right choice!

 

 

Our final selection of the evening

was dessert.

What choices!

 Chef Ibrahim shows off

five different kinds of

homemade baklava.

 I think I'll have to try one

 of those small chocolate mousses

in the bottom right corner.

More tortes, cakes, and puddings.

Homemade mango sorbet

accompanied with chocolate mousse

and seasonal summer fruits.

What a beautiful finish to

a lovely dinner

at Çırağan Palace Kempinski's

Bosphorus Grill.

 

To see the entire menu

and price list,

click here.

 

 

 

You may also be interested in:

 

My first Hammam at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel, Part One

 

My first Hammam at the Çırağan Palace Kempenski Hotel, Part Two

 

Yes, Empty Nest Expat is on Facebook. You can follow me there!

 

 

 

Enjoying Istanbul Waffles

Every city has its famous street food. Istanbul is no different. I don't know how I made it three years without ever tasting one of Istanbul's famous waffles, but somehow I had. It was time to rectify that.

My friend Barb and I had met Internations friends for an afternoon exploring Istanbul's haunted mansion and first art museum in a working office.  After we finished, it was time for a treat. We adjourned to Barb's neighborhood, Bebek, and got in line for waffles (except the girl who was fasting for Ramazan - what discipline!).

There is always a line.

Waffles are beloved in Istanbul.

I admired this Turkish Dad

out making a memory

with his kids.

 We were right behind them

in line.

A waffle maker has to be

even more patient than

a Subway sandwich artist,

because there are even more toppings!

 

First goes on the base cream.

Here are some of your choices:

Nutella, Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate,

Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate,

Caramel, Strawberry, Pistachio,

Banana, and Coconut.

 

I chose Pistachio and White Chocolate.

 Then there is all the fruit.

I chose bananas, cherries,

strawberries, and kiwi.

That was pretty tame

given all of the

candied and fresh options.

 

 

 One last sprinkling

of chopped pistachios.

What I didn't expect

was how warm it would be.

I thought it would have lost its warmth

by the time he assembled it all, but no.

 

One delicious warm, gooey bite after another.

I am not waiting three more years to have another.

An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part Three

After enjoying a beautiful meal in the Borusan Contemporary museum café, and going up to the 10th floor to see the beautiful view of the Bosphorus from the very top turret in Istanbul's haunted mansion, it was time to explore the art in Turkey's very first office art museum.

This was 1/4 of a Jim Dine painting

with four similar panels.

The color was fantastic.

Every office was full of the most spectacular

coffee table art books.

I could lose myself for hours

just in the books.

These binoculars were in the corner office

so I assume the office belonged to the chairman.

Below, his minimalistic desk.

Someone correct me, if I have this misidentified.

 Color of all hues

uplifted my spirit.

Do they do the same to you?

 

I thought the collection focus

of color repetition

was brilliant.

 The beautiful salon or living room

off of the corner office

had a whimsical, jazzy artwork on the ceiling.

An endearing personal touch.

How could kids resist

even the beauty of this elevator shaft?

What memories this place would create

in the minds of the staff's children.

 

One of the most fun videos in the collection

was in the stairwell.

It showed the furniture and dishes

of a home living room

sliding back and forth on the floor

as a house

was slowly rocked back and forth.

 

I could imagine a child

standing in front of it for hours

and giggling nonstop at the fun of it.

 

To access videos from the collection, click here.

"Eyeballs" inspired by George Orwell.

 Love it!

One of the few Istanbul-specific photography pieces.

The Hagia Sophia in snow.

The wishing tree
Staff and the public
left their wishes.

I didn't even notice the white "profile"

when I saw this neon art up close.

It was only when I got home and

saw this photo taken from across the room

that I saw it was more than abstract.

 "21 Books"

by a Korean artist

 The quality of building materials

was an unending delight.

I marveled at the precise heft of this door.

Love this blue.

How children must want to run their hands

continually over this piece

just to explore the symmetry, color, and sound of it.

All this art makes one feel like a child!

 We waved goodbye to the museum guides
through the "haunted" grillwork.

Perili Köşk at dusk.
"Goodbye Haunted Mansion!
You were an absolute delight."

Imagine opening up your work office to random people every weekend. I found this to be a very generous act by Borusan Holding Co.

Thank you for sharing your gorgeous art with the public. To the folks at Borusan Contemporary, I say, "your generosity is yet another example of why Turkish hospitality is the best in the world."

You might also enjoy:

An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part One

An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part Two

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