2nd Annual Orlando Turkish Festival



American and Turkish flags waving together.


This past Sunday John and I went downtown to check out the Orlando Turkish Festival. I had heard great things about the one last year and as soon as I saw a billboard for this year's I made note! So glad I did. What fun! As you can imagine, this is right up our alley. There is absolutely nothing better than walking around a market, surrounded by doner kebab and baklava. It's my heaven. 

The event was put on by the Nile Foundation and they did quite a good job. Things ran rather smoothly, although a bit behind schedule. This no longer bothers us, as when we are at an event put on by Turks we expect to set our watches to Arab time. It's nice once you get used to it.



Women selling hijabs and other head scarf accessories.


I had heard of the Nile Foundation before, and was always curious about what they do. Turns out they do some pretty awesome stuff here in Orlando to promote friendship and understanding between Americans and Turks. They have three major departments: education, culture, and humanitarian works. They put on many activities throughout the year, from dialogue dinners to Turkish language classes and field trips to women's Turkish cooking classes. That's right- COOKING CLASSES! I can't wait to get my paws into that!



Blue Star Troupe performing a dance from the Romani people.


The festival was gathered around a large ampitheater where music and dance was performed. We got to hear some really wonderful traditional Turkish music with instruments like the oud and kanun. It was a really simple set up with two men, two instruments and a huge stage. They sounded great and I couldn't believe the way the musicians hands flew over that kanun. Wow! 

The folk dance troupe is called Bluestar Dance and they shared a variety of traditional dances from different groups of people living in Turkey. It was quite different than dances from the region I had seen before. I assume because they were traditional dances, and not just my friends messing around dancing in their apartment to similar tunes. They danced beautifully and always with a smile. That's an A+ in my book as when I dance I usually, without thinking, bite my lower lip and look ridiculous.

After the dancing they did a door-prize drawing for a Turkish rug and a porcelain Turkish dish. We had our names in the bucket, but didn't win. I blame the kids they got to volunteer who just picked names off the top...dig in there kids!!! We didn't win but one old American guy that won the porcelain dish comes to mind. When asked by the emcee "how are you enjoying the festival?" he responded, "well, we had our reservations about coming, of course, but it has been an ok time." He had "reservations, of course?" They should have taken that beautiful dish away from mister racist and given it to Mrs. Hannah!

Oh well, maybe next year.

Carving the doner kebab.

After the shows we moved on to the many food tents. There was food from Turkish restaurants all around town serving up their best fare for the festival-goers. Us being some of them, we took it upon ourselves to peruse the options a number of times, running into our friend Seljuk at one of them, and asking about how business is going for the day. It was a great time to have a little conversation with complete strangers, something that's 10 times easier to do with Turks than it is to do with Americans. As we stopped by one of the tents the men saw that we had a camera and asked if we could snap a picture. Of course...



The guys from Anatolia Restaurant.

We finally settled on a doner kebab wrap and some baklava after being told repeatedly by a Turkish man we met in line that the price they were asking was way over-priced. He was right, it was over-priced. But sometimes you just need to splurge to complete your experience. And $4 for 3 little squares of baklava totally completed my experience! (And totally drained us of any remaining cash.)



My wonderful John, doner in hand, trying to avoid heat exhaustion.


The festival was a success and hopefully a really great chance for the community to learn more about Turkish tradition, food, and culture. I know we learned a lot! We wish we could have stayed longer, but after just 2 short hours our clothes were soaked with sweat and we were ready to head home and jump in a pool. I can't believe that Florida picked this weekend of all weekends to finally jump up into the 90s. If it had been a bit cooler we probably could have enjoyed the festival for another hour or so longer.

On the walk back to our car we found a great sign in the grass. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day, and had us laughing for about a block...

The grass is "resting?"

Do you have cultural festivals in your area? Have you ever been?

Oranges and Cinnamon

This is so simple I can't even call it a recipe. It's really more of a suggestion, or a tip. When I was overseas in Morocco I was often served this dish as a snack or after lunch dessert. It is so cool and refreshing, especially in the hot Moroccan villages. The first time it was served I thought it was the strangest idea. But the flavor convinced me that strange was actually brilliant!

Next time you need a pretty and healthy snack to serve that's one step above "here, I chopped up some fruit for you" try quartering an orange, or peeling it and slicing it up so they look like pretty flowers. Arranged them on a plate and sprinkle well with cinnamon. Serve while cool.

On another note, the lovely lady of My Beautiful Life has been so sweet to give me the one lovely blog award. Thank you so much, it was just the encouragement I needed as I continue to push and grow this space into one that shows the real me.

It states that I need to link back (done), tell 7 things about myself, and award 15 other awesome bloggers and alert them so they can claim their award. 

Here's 7 things about me. Give me a shout down in those comments if you can relate at all!

1. I think how people care for their hands and nails tells a lot about them. That is why they are one of the first things I notice when I meet someone new.

2. My all-time biggest pet peeve is people in customer service positions that feel that it is not in their job description to serve you.

3. I drive a 1996 Honda Civic. Duct tape is holding the visors together. I will keep it until it dies.

4. One of my favorite bands is the Bee Gees. I always forget this, until they come on the radio and I'm screaming with excitement.

5. I had my first kiss at age 13 with a boy named Thomas Will. After seeing a movie in the theater I ran up to him, kissed him, and ran out of the theater.

6. I didn't own an iPod until 1.5 years ago. 

7. I like to try and belly dance when I'm home alone and no one will see me.


Award 15 other bloggers. I most certainly will! I've met some awesome people along the way. Check out the following lovely ladies and be sure to show them some blog love!

Amy -  Amy Around the Corner
Brenna - This Battered Suitcase
Stephanie - The Merry Way
Ashley - Coming Undone and Falling Together
Leslie - Fresh Out of Lemons
Cindy - Big Mama Hollers
Jillian - Coffee, Light and Sweet
Oneika - Oneika the Traveller
Vanessa - Her + Him
Vivien - The Eclectic Life
Rebecca - Dear Friend
Courtney - My So-Called Denver
Kayla - Hope is Coming
Christine - Travelling Canadian
Rachel - Heart of Light

Thanks again My Beautiful Life. You're too kind.

Friday Night Shenanigans

Today is the 6 month anniversary of the day I said "I do" to my wonderful husband, John. We're in this thing for the long haul and we love celebrating the time we've spent together. Marriage is something to be celebrated! We had a P.F. Chang's gift card lying around and decided we'd go out to dinner as pre-half-anniversary date night last night. (That and I was way too tired to cook.)

The dinner was good fun and we enjoyed our conversation and few laughs over silly pictures taken with an  over-sized Chinese steed. We had every intention of also using a gift card we had for Regal...but 8:30 pm came too soon and I feared I would fall asleep half way through a flick. I know that's a bit lame, but that's marriage. If you've found a way to be married and still stay cool, kudos...I'm still working on it. :)  Anywho, we got home and had a ton more fun messing with the camera until we finally conked out for the night. Check out these cool shots!

What kind of shenanigans are you getting into this weekend?

"Oh I Really Shouldn't" Ice Cream Pie

It's really not fair what I've done to you guys this week. The White Texas Sheet Cake was "bad" enough, but this...this is just plain evil. But evil never tasted so good. My mother, health conscious as she was, only made this pie on special occasions when she knew that at least 10 people would be around to consume it. She never made it to keep around the house and eat. And for good reason...

As someone who believes in healthy living, I have to recommend that this be shared. But as someone who also believes in indulging in the good food of life, I have to tell you that a couple huge large reasonable pieces of this pie will not kill you. Quite the opposite actually, you'll really be living!

This pie has 3 simple ingredients, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, and you guessed it- rice krispy treat crust! I make my hot fudge from scratch, and though I would love to share it with you, I would be breaking a vow I took long ago to keep it in the family. This recipe from Smitten Kitchen looks really good as a substitute or you could buy a jar of your favorite hot fudge from the store. Try this!

"Oh, I Really Shouldn't" Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 stick margarine
8 cups Rice Krispies
1 bag mini marshmallows
1-2 jars hot fudge sauce (depending on size)
1/2 gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream

Directions:
In a large pot melt the butter over med-high heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Add rice krispies and stir until mixed. Butter a 13x9 pan and add 3/4 of the rice krispy treats into the pan and push them into the pan and up the sides to make a crust. Place in freezer and let cool for 30 minutes. Eat extra krispy treats while you wait.

Heat up 1 cup of the fudge sauce. Spread on the crust evenly (to seal the crust from the wet ice cream) and freeze for another 30 minutes.

Scoop the entire 1/2 gallon of ice cream into the pan and spread evenly. Heat up remaining fudge sauce, place in bag, cut corner, and drizzle over pie.

The Good, Bad, and Downright Ugly

It's Thursday, folks! Can you believe it? Even though I couldn't be more relieved that tomorrow is the last day of the work week I'm still blown away that it all happened so fast. Every week engages me in a "shock and awe." By Friday night I'm sitting on the couch like a zombie, the previous days having blown my week to bits, leaving me sitting there with cookie crumbs on my chest, staring at the wall saying "what in the heck happened this week?"

Usually I try to spend time in my garden after getting home each day. This slows me down, helps me relax and brings my blood pressure to a managable level before I go into the kitchen to cook dinner. If I don't relax I make a mess, burn stuff, and snap at my husband. It's awful really.

This week I've had no time to be out there. John has been watering them all week, but yesterday I had just enough time before heading out of the house again to give things a quick water and snap these shots. Guys, my garden is looking good in a lot of ways, and like utter crap in others. Let's celebrate the good first....


Gerbera Daisies


Aren't they pretty? These grow without me having to do anything at all. I water them, sometimes sing them a song and leave it at that. They definitely aren't florist quality, but I like their imperfections and the little family of them that has sprouted up. They are so cute because, opposite of sunflowers, they bow down to the sun when it gets to hot. I used to think they were wilting, but they are sturdy as can be. They just turn their little heads down to protect their faces from sunburn. :)


Orchid

 My orchid is also doing well. All the buds have opened up and they are quite happy anywhere I put them. It's so much fun to watch the buds open up. As soon as one starts to break open you are guaranteed a new flower by the end of the day. I wish I had a little video camera set up to see it all happen. This plant is one of my favorites, and I love how long each flower is lasting. Thanks for the awesome plant, Mom!

Now, let's talk about the runts of the litter. The ones that are really getting my goat. The orchid above looks perfectly healthy, does it not? Well, let's take a closer look...

Ahh! An unhealthy leaf! I don't even know what this means. I have my suspicion on John, who while trying to do good in watering them allowed the water to go into the leaves. I mean, he had no way of knowing that doing so could result in rot. Bless his little cotton socks. What do you guys think? Are there any orchid experts out there? Is the plant rotting, or is it just getting too much sun?



Yucky-looking bibb lettuce


Here's my other "bad apple." It is really my fault. We had a week of awful storms here in Florida last week. We saw winds coming in at 70 mph. That's almost hurricane force! I pulled them under the hangover, but neglected to bring them inside where they would be completely unbothered by the wind. All the leaves are soggy and droopy, even after a week in the sun. I'm not sure there is any salvaging it. What do you think? I'm so bummed because it was just about ready for eating.


I like to garden, but how do you cool down after a long day?

An Interview With an Expat: Japan

 

Japanese Cherry Blossoms, or "sakura"*

 I met my dear friend Becky in the fall of 2006 and in no time we were best friends. One year later she accepted a teaching position in Nagoya, Japan. We were all quite sad to see her go, but knew that the opportunity would allow her to grow as a person and serve the world in a way she hadn’t been able to before. She left in August 2007 to teach at an international Christian school for one year. One year turned into three and in the fall of 2010 she journeyed back home to Florida to pursue a teaching career here.


This past week I talked her into sitting down to talk with me about her time living in Japan. I am so excited to share her insights into Japanese culture and her experiences living as a single woman overseas. I can’t express how endlessly proud I am of her, and this post will not do justice to the amazing woman she’s become throughout these last few years.




Becky at Nagoya Castle

 Why Japan?

Why not Japan? Well, the organization I was a part of (NICS) had 20 schools in 16 countries. I guess I could have gone anywhere. But honestly, Japan was the first school that got back to me and without knowing much about Japanese culture, I went. I went more because of the relationship I had built with the people at the school rather than for a love for the country. But I fell in love quickly with the country and the culture…and the cakes. Their cakes are so good.


What was your biggest cultural shock?

The complex system of throwing trash away. There’s a receptacle for everything- food, plastic, paper, cardboard and so on. They are very environmentally conscious, which is great. It was also a culture shock coming back and seeing how we, as Americans, throw so much away. It was so wasteful!


Also the public transportation system was a pleasant surprise. It ran with absolute efficiency and was quick and easy (well, once you learned the routes.)
The most difficult shock was probably the language. I struggled even making the right sounds. The streets were covered in characters I couldn’t piece together to comprehend. I felt like I was in kindergarten all over again.

Tokyo Subway Map

What is your favorite thing about Japanese culture?

Hospitality and customer service. It didn’t matter where I was, a convenience store or a fancy restaurant, the level of customer service was always the same. If you were at the grocery store, two people in line behind each other was enough for the store to open another register. They were always ready and willing to help you, and always happy to have you in their shop.

I also loved the juxtaposition of old culture and new technology. In Tokyo you have Meiji-Jingu - a beautiful old Shinto shrine overflowing with cultural relevance. Across the street from the shrine is Harajuku- the epicenter of Tokyo fashion. I makes me look back at how young America is and how much we need to hold on to our background and cherish our cultural background too. It inspired me to go see our national monuments when I got back home so I wouldn’t lose my history.

Fushimi Inari Shrine- Kyoto

What is the biggest lesson you learned from the people?

Efficiency. The Japanese use every second of every day. They work hard and even in the inbetween times of getting to and from are used to read or sleep or catch up on work. So I guess, my biggest lesson was how to take a 20 minute subway nap (*chuckles*). I learned to be efficient in meeting with people and of course even efficient in my trash with all the recycling. At first it was a major inconvenience. But now I struggle doing it any other way. I also relearned how to ride a bike and how to use a squatty!




The Shinkansen- "Bullet Train"


How did Japan challenge your worldview?

I think the biggest challenge was learning not to find something “weird” but “different.” At first, when I would try something new I would say, “that’s weird.” My roommate, who grew up in Japan, pointed out this faulty thinking and let me know it offended her. I realized that things weren’t “weird,” they were different. And different isn’t wrong it’s just different than I was used to. There is always a reason behind why a culture does things differently. I try not to impose my ideas on how things should be done on other people and even after three years there are some things I still can’t understand.


What is your most embarrassing cultural faux pas?

I taught 4th graders. My kids spoke English fluently and one day I was telling them the popular American story of the Three Little Pigs. I got to the part where the pigs say “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.” The whole class erupted with laughter. Apparently “chin chin” in Japanese means “asshole.” “Not by the hair on my asshole!” Now there’s a good line.

Also, the second week of my first year teaching I heard a truck outside playing “pop goes the weasel.” Instinctively I thought this was an ice cream truck and alerted my class that the ice cream truck was coming around. The whole class laughed and said, “Ms. Johnson, that’s the garbage truck!”



Becky dressed as a Samurai for her 4th grade class.


What were the barriers to understanding and relationship building?

Having to go back to kindergarten to learn a language with a whole new set of characters and sounds. Also, Japanese friends were interested in learning and practicing English. So I had little opportunity to practice my Japanese with locals because they only wanted to speak English.


Give me 1 or 2 things you wish every Japanese new about American community and/or culture.

I wish they didn’t assume that all of America is a Christian nation. This thinking leads to major issues. If you think an entire nation is Christian and then see TV shows of women who are loose or shows with unbelievable violence…if your view of America is 24…it’s a problem. And it’s simply not true. Many people I met think crime is rampant and bomb scares happen every day. It seemed most of what the average Japanese citizen understood about America was based on what they saw on TV. It’s not the best example.



Tokyo Skyline


Give me 1 or 2 things you with ever American understood about Japanese community and/or culture.

I did NOT eat sushi every day. And NO, that’s not all there is to eat. The Japanese people love food and love experimenting with food from other cultures, too. Also, though technology is advanced there, it is not advanced in the same way. People always say to me, “Oh, I bet they had this in Japan years ago.” But that’s not always true. They could care less about HDtv or Blu-Ray. They care more about what you can DO with technology than the entertainment value it can have. They’ve used technology to increase efficiency, and as I’ve mentioned, they care so much about that.


Anything else you want the world wide web to know?

I’m not an expert on Japanese culture. Until the very end I knew I was an outsider and think it’s important not to assume I know something. Learning from the people is the most important thing. Having and open mind, observing, and asking “why?” is imperative. We have to learn from one another. And we have to be open to trying new things. Did I ever think I would eat squid or octopus raw? No. Did it happen? Yes.

Also...as the people of Japan recover from the tragedy that has struck their nation, please keep them in your prayers. They are a lost country in need of so much at this time. If you feel led to give, and have not yet done so, please do!

*All photos are via Becky Johnson

Dare You Not to Dance, Pt. 3

Every now and then I like to share some new music with you folks. In keeping with the cultural theme of this blog, a lot of it is International. And of course I can't help but throw in a few English songs that I'm digging at the moment...just for kicks. I really think that music has a way of letting us experience culture from right where we are. It brings the world to our doorstep and right into our ears. As a whole, America has done a really bad job incorporating sounds from around the world into our everyday tunes. I'm on a mission to change that...



Cuando Me Enamoro by Enrique Iglesias and Juan Luis Guerra

Comme des enfants by Coeur de Pirate





Mundian Tu Bach Ke by Panjabi MC



Temple of Love, feat. Ofra Haza by Sisters of Mercy



L.E.S. Artistes by Santogold



White Texas Sheet Cake

I got this recipe from my step-mom, Cindy, who got it from a co-worker when she worked at Disney here in Orlando. Thank goodness for co-workers who bring in tasty treats. I know I would have very little in my dessert arsenal if it weren't for them. Anyways, this is one of the first recipes Cindy made for us and it is now a favorite in my house. John loves this cake. He couldn't deem it his favorite. But he did say that out of the "oh my gosh this is so bad for me" category of desserts, it wins.

I can't make any statements about the health or lackthereof in this cake. John and I like to say that because it contains pecans it should be eaten at least twice a day to maximize health potential. But we're the king and queen of rationalization...so...

White Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bakiing powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl and add butter/water mixture, beat until smooth. Add sour cream and almond extract. Beat eggs and add to mixture. Pour batter into a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting directions:
Bring butter and milk to a boil. Remove from heat and beat into sugar. Add almond extract. Mix until smooth and frost cake while still warm. Sprinkle top with nuts, if desired.