Ann Burdick Remembers Turkish Sites and Flavors

Female: I currently had an opportunity to meet Ann, an American lawyer who married a Turkish man. They met in college and now reside in Manhattan.

Ann and her parents had an opportunity to visit Turkey and experience the culture firs hand while sampling authentic Turkish fair

Ann Burdick: My name is Ann Burdick and I am from upstate New York. I first went to Istanbul in 1996 and I've been going every year since year 2000. I've been travelling to Istanbul and the southern parts of Turkey. And I married a Turk in New York in 2004 and we had a wedding celebration in 2005. And I brought my family over at that time to visit Istanbul and southern parts of Turkey and kind of introduced to all the stories I've been telling them throughout the years, so that was a lot of fun.

I think I am the most impressed by and it was actually articulated a lot by my family and friends that came last year is how there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables that are prepared in very unique ways in Turkey. And before you even get to the main course, you’re basically filled with all the big starters. And the focus being on eggplants and lamb has introduced me a different type of a food than what I was used to eating. And now, it’s just become part of my natural diet.

One thing I know my father mentioned a lot from last year was how meal in Turkey is much more relaxed than it is here in the states that you almost feel especially in restaurants in New York, you get in and you get out but there’s a course of hand course of hand course and my father always though that that was the main course or there’d be another one yet to go.

I would say—I always get that when we go and it is eggplants cut off that you put on, on fresh bread so I said that would be my favorite meal. And there is everything that’s with tomatoes and beans is also something else that I’d require more of a taste for and fresh fish as well. It’s very rare that you can get some of the taste so good here as you can there, also calamari as well and not fried calamari, fresh grilled calamaris fantastic in Turkey. Frequently, we order chicken but I think I am more excited by the appetizers and desserts.