Turkish men and their sweets

Just another quick observation about Turkish men (besides being affectionate with other men), is that they love their sweets!  At midnight while sitting at the dessert cafe with my mom, a group of men were indulging in an array of sweets at the table behind me.  There's a definite dessert and cafe culture in Istanbul that is not observed in the US.

OK, now on to Israel!

Affectionate Turkish men. Encore.

I followed these two presumably straight guys for a solid 10 minutes as they walked arm-in-arm.  Kinda cute but also kinda uncomfortable. 

Dogan: our new friend!

We got totally lost this morning walking to Topkapi Palace so we stopped to ask this man for directions.  Dogan is his name ("g" is silent) and he was the nicest man ever!  With very little English, Dogan personally escorted us to the bus station, BOUGHT US BUS TICKETS, put us onto the bus, and jumped off while saying, "Be safe!"  Oh wait, that sounds kinda scary now I'm re-telling this story.  Seriously, it was a very nice gesture and we were safe and sound.

During our awkward walk to the bus stop, Dogan told us that he's a painter, knows Russian, has today off from work, and used to work at the US Embassy in South Africa.  He also showed us his driver's license for the correct spelling of his name so I can find him on Facebook.  I have yet to find him on Facebook :(

Dogan's interesting career transformations reminded me of the people I met in Italy last year, specifically the guy who went from being a professor to a dentist (or was it the other way around?).  I'm so fascinated by this because my tango teacher is Turkish and he wasn't always a tango teacher, or a dancer.  I admire these European and European-influenced countries for constantly reinventing and transforming themselves; tapping into all their capabilities.

The funny part of the story is we left Dogan feeling a little saddened that we didn't get to know him better.  After a 6 hour touristy visit, we found ourselves in between the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar squinting our eyes trying to find a street sign when all of a sudden, I get a tap on my shoulder with a "Hello?  Hello!"  It was Dogan!  It was fate.  We had a nice chat and a final picture. 

It was a perfect moment in Istanbul that I will never forget.  But if I do run into Dogan again...my mom might expect grand babies.

Turkish men are affectionate...with each other

If you know me, you know that I love observing dating, sex, relationships, and friendships.  I've discovered that Turkish men are quite affectionate with each other.  I don't see as many couples holding hands or canoodling, but I do see a lot of men with arms around each other and air kiss greeting each other.  In a purely platonic way.  The two men pictured below are linked arm-in-arm, and it's not an uncommon sight. 

I'm all for some male-on-male action, but I am curious as to why the affections aren't as emphasized with coed relationships.  I wonder if it has to do with the Islamic religion that dominates this country combined with the patriarchal society.  I know there has been a lot of gender modernization in this country in that last century, but it does not go without noticed that approximately 30% of the women are still covered.  Not something I'm used to seeing, but I do sense some gender changes similar to what went on (and has been going on) in China for the past decade. 

In the meantime, it's nice to find bromance taken to a whole new level!

Streets of Istanbul

Istanbul is definitely clean mixed with a little fancy schmancy.  Similar to Italy, I like how the old is intertwined in with the new.  There's a lot of people roaming the streets today as it's the last day of their Holiday.  There's also a definite divide between the Asia side and the Europe side of the city.  Locals mostly live on the Asia side, where the streets are hopping and you get a definite city feel.  The Europe side, where our hotel is, is very tourist-based, obviously suited for the business traveler.  The streets are empty at night and restaurants have signs with "too much" English, if you know what I mean.  I feel like whenever I see anything that says, "Best Turkish Food," it reminds me of the Sabarro's in NY that claim to have the "Best NY Pizza."  In which case we all know, they should go F themselves.

Some superficial observations: the women are beautiful and the men are not as much.  Although both sexes possess strong, dark features such as prominent eyebrows and piercing eyes, the women look much sexier.  Maybe it's a product of their makeup and the way they dress, but I would say Turkish women are by far more attractive than Turkish men.  I also find it amusing that all Turkish men have the same male pattern baldness including a noticeable receding hairline and a slight "withered lawn" look a the crown of the head.  I tried taking some pics but was getting all kinds of dirty looks.

And speaking of looks, Turkish men like to stare and they can be very aggressive in their mannerisms.  I was already forewarned about this so it was not a total shock when guys were literally staring at me and my mom, loudly proclaiming: "China!  Japan!  Singapore!  Ching chong ching."  It's ignorance and partially cultural, but it does irk me since this country claims to be part Asian.

P.S: can someone explain to me why the man in the pedestrian crossing sign is wearing a hat?