Brenda Farrell | Turkey & Lifestyle Travel Specialist

I love Turkish food!  Not only because it tastes delicious but also because it is truly local.  Turkey is one of the few countries that can feed its entire population.

And, as Turkey becomes a more popular destination for North American travellers, so interest in Turkish cuisine is picking up and we are seeing more Turkish influences in local food stores, cafes and restaurants.

Several people have written to ask if I will be leading a culinary tour of Turkey in 2011.  Well … in answer to that question, I do have several meetings lined up in October with my contacts in different regions of Turkey to discuss possibilities.  I don’t believe that such an itinerary should just be about food, but I do believe that food is a looking glass into a culture and so it is important not to just taste food, but to also understand the origin and cultural relevance of ingredients and dishes.  And so, any itinerary will be designed with this and also the historic influence on the country’s cuisine.

If you would me to keep you informed on culinary tours of Turkey, please contact me.

Every day is laundry day in the Summer … because I can dry it outdoors!   I love watching our laundry blow in the wind!

I’m not sure if its my Italian heritage or the fact that in Britain, most homes have a washing line of sorts, but I love to use the fresh air to dry laundry and have a real aversion to using a tumble drier.  Even in the winter, other than for large items such as sheets, I prefer to hang laundry to dry on a wooden rack that lowers over my sink in the laundry room.  Large items will find their way into the drier in winter, when damp or cold conditions prevail outside,  but I just don’t get the same sense of satisfaction when I remove and fold them ready for ironing that I do when I remove sheets from the washing line.  The scent on outdoor-dried sheets can only be described as “fresh.”Most of my friends think I am nuts as they have grown up with tumble driers and using highly scented fabric softeners.  However, a couple have installed outdoor lines and have grown to love them!

Now, it seems the idea of line-drying laundry may be catching on more widely.  Today’s North Shore News had a great article about a “new” product that will help those living in condominiums and apartments to hang their laundry to dry outside.  There may be a few aesthetic roadblocks in terms of leasing agreements and strata byelaws but I hope that Hogan Wood will be successful in motivating more people to dry their laundry the environmentally-savvy way while saving energy and reducing living costs.

Istanbul, 2010 European Culture of Capital, will host world-famous Muslim Jazz musicians during Ramadan.

The festival, aptly name Jazz in Ramadan, will bring together Jazz and Muslim musicians during the holy month of Ramadan.

J azz in Ramadan will take place in Istanbul between 14-31 August in two beautiful historic Sultanahmet venues:  the courtyard of the Archeological Museum and the lovely gardens of Topkapi Palace will host eight concerts.

The festival, organized by Hakan Erdogan Production, aims to propose the idea that social peace comes first and foremost from the sharing artistic inspiration. The festival includes jazz musicians such as Ahmad Jamal, Anouar Brahem, Abdullah Ibrahim and Dhafer Youssef.

Other, popular jazz musicians from Turkey including Ilhan Ersahin and Aydin Esen will also participate in the event,.as will a group of classical Turkish musicians named after one of the most famous musician of the Ottoman era, Dede Efendi.

Food and beverages will be available during Iftar times at the concerts.

Festival program

14 August: Anouar Brahem Quartet / Archaeological Museum

17 August: Ahmad Jamal Quartet / Topkapi Palace

18 August: Dhafer Youssef Quartet / Archaelogical Museum

20 August: Dede Efendi Ensemble–Munip Utandi / Archaeological Museum

21 August: Ilhan Ersahin & Istanbul Sessions / Archaeological Museum

24 August: Abdullah Ibrahim Trio / Topkapi Palace

26 August: Aydin Esen Group / Archaeological Museum (Aydin Esen Plays For Ramadan)

31 August: Kudsi Erguner Ensemble–Islam Blues / Topkapi Palace

For more information visit www.jazzinramadan.com

“Today’s Zaman” reports a wedding rush in Turkey as couples line up to wed before the start of Ramadan.  Store owners throughout Turkey are said to be “happy” with pre-marriage sales and no wonder;  the size of the marriage market in Turkey has reached a whopping 6 billion TL (about $4,000,000 CAD)

Ramadan (also known as Ramadhan or Ramzan) is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is a period of prayer, fasting, charity-giving and self-accountability for Muslims.  It is believed that he first verses of the Koran (Qu’ran) were revealed to the Prophet Mohammad during the last third of Ramadan, making this an especially holy period for Muslims.

This year, Ramadan in Turkey is August 11 to September 9.  If you will be in Turkey during this time, you are respectfully reminded to smoke, eat and drink discreetly during daylight hours as many around you will have not eaten or let anything pass their lips from before sunrise.

I love being in Turkey during Ramadan and especially for the Bayram, which follows the month of fasting and comprises a ten day feast of celebration.  My favourite memory of Ramadan in Istanbul is watching the children, sitting with their families at tables in Sultanahmet Park, beside the Blue Mosque, savouring their soon-to-be meal.  You can feel the excitement in their eyes and the pride in their parents’ eyes as they wait for the call to prayer that announces sunset … and the start of feasting.

Enjoy Ramadan in Turkey, for it comes only once a year and you are fortunate to be able to experience it during your trip!

Home-grown San Marzano tomatoes ripening

If you know me, you will know why I have not been writing many posts for my blog lately.

It’s Summer and like the bumper-sticker says, I’d rather be … sowing, harvesting, tending, pruning, walking, meeting friends and generally enjoying the extra joy that comes to me each day from beautiful blue skies and sunshine.

Each morning, I enjoy my espresso while I catch up on emails and tend to client files.  Later, I catch up with the tasks and errands that we all have and (here’s the best part)  wherever I am and whatever I am doing, my clients are still able to reach me.  I was a willing victim of Apple’s brilliant marketing a couple of years back and switched my Blackberry for an iPhone and my notebook computer works almost anywhere and sits inside my handbag allowing me to contact company databases etc. in the drop of a hat.  My wireless account enables me to stay in touch with everybody;  family, friends and clients.

Years ago, my market research firm was agency of record for market research for BC Mobility (latterly Telus Mobility)  and I can remember talking to Autotel and Mobiltel Users about the introduction of cellular technology into Canada and their propensity to switch to the new technology.  I conducted focus groups with consumers who found the concept interesting, but difficult to fathom.  Well … some years later, and many research studies later, here we are – totally mobile wherever in the world we may be.  I like it.  It really talks to the sense of freedom that early adopters of the technology were anxious to experience.

I love wireless technology and how it facilitates individual expressions of freedom.  If you, on the other hand,  prefer to be “wired” for your communications, that’s fine too.  Just let me know so that I communicate with you in a way that is comfortable with you.

Enjoy your Summer, whatever you will be doing and remember I am just an email, phone call or tweet away!