Mary_CIP

Demet's uncle jammin'

For my cultural immersion project I was invited over to my Turkish friend Demet’s house for a traditional dinner. Her uncles had come in from Turkey and were staying for the month. This was there welcoming dinner, and it was quite a feast. Although Demet is not a devote Muslim, she said her uncles were, and that they probably won’t shake my hand when I meet them, which I thought was interesting. It seemed the women were busy at work preparing the meal while the men conversed in the foyer. As a guest I was allowed to relax, but I felt more comfortable helping the ladies out (not to mention I can’t speak Turkish). The meal was delicious, it seemed like there were endless amounts of courses, hummus, yogurt, rice, meat, lentil soup, these awesome little sweet doe balls, etc. I was beyond stuffed. Everyone was very considerate and kind and I felt very welcomed. The uncles had brought some of the families favorites back from Turkey with them. One of which was a case of fermented carrot juice (it’s as nasty as it sounds). One of Demet’s uncles brought a traditional Turkish instrument (like a guitar) and played for us; it made beautiful music. Overall, it was a new, interesting, and fun experience.