Salty Lemons

Tarihi Eminönü Balik Ekmek (floating fish boats) as seen from Galata Köprüsü (Galata Bridge)
Istanbul, Turkey from my 2011 archive

fried fish sandwich with onion and lettuce (fish species unknown), price - 5TL
Istanbul, Turkey from my 2011 archive

pickled cabbage and cucumbers, price - 1.5TL
Istanbul, Turkey from my 2011 archive

cook preparing deep fried hamsi (anchovies)
Istanbul, Turkey from my 2011 archive

fish menu
Istanbul, Turkey from my 2011 archive

deep fried hamsi (anchovies) served with onion, lettuce, lemon, price - 6TL
Istanbul, Turkey from my 2011 archive

September 16, 2011

Fish

The Swede and I wandered around the ancient streets of Sultanahmet (yes, we are in Istanbul, Turkey!), confused, sleep deprived, and in culture shock, in search of hot food. We came to the Galata Bridge on the Golden Horn and spotted bright lights and throngs of people. We headed towards them. Then came the wonderful scent of fish.

Spurred by hunger and a recollection of an Anthony Bourdain episode that I halfheartedly watched before departing, I sprang into action. I blurted to The Swede, "I remember this, I know how to do this, give me some money." I observed a paper sign with a number on it, handed a man standing in front of a docked boat 10 Turkish lira and held up the number two with my fingers. He took my money, walked a few steps towards a man frying fish on the boat, received one sandwich, then another, then he handed them to me.

We quickly found seats on tiny wooden stools at an equally tiny table supplied with salt and lemon juice as condiments. We bought a plastic cup filled with cabbage and cucumbers pickled in beet juice (?) from a man walking around with a tray and chomped away. We were hungry, the sandwich was large, the fish was fresh, and it was cheap. We were happy. During the course of the 20 minutes we sat consuming our sandwiches, children endlessly tried to sell us candy. I assumed it was gum because it reminded me of children in Mexico that try to sell "chicle" to foreigners. But that is an assumption based on prior experiences, so next time I will buy some to find out what type of candy they are really selling.

On the other side of the Galata Bridge, we found a fish market selling fresh fish to take home and for consumption on the spot. Still hungry and still curious, we bought a portion of deep fried hamsi (anchovies). The fryer had a well in the middle with a wide brim where the fish was laid when it was ready. Again, it was a large portion, the fish was fresh, it was cheap, and we were happy. The hamsi had a more distinct character and was slightly salty. The Swede and I both agreed that we preferred the hamsi to the fish sandwich based on taste alone. Having taken our hamsi to-go, we headed towards the tram to find our way back to our hotel. Along the way, a small kitten ran out from under a bush towards us. It was a cute little thing with one eye. We gave it two pieces of our fish, and it contently ate them, completely ignoring the masses of people 50 times its size that passed, some stopping to take photos.

In Istanbul, there are a greater number of stray cats than stray dogs, but plenty of both. I have observed the people being very loving towards the strays, stopping to pet them, feed them, and you will find bowls of water and food laid out on stoops. I have yet to spot any rodents. Perhaps New York City needs a controlled number of strays to patrol its streets and subways. And it could definitely use some boats selling fresh fish along its shores.

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