Convenience
American convenience stores could learn something from the Turks.
In the States, these so-called convenience stores offer over priced, over processed, chemically laden foods that can cause a myriad of health problems after time. It's virtually impossible to find fresh produce or even a healthy snack in one of these places (or even some supermarkets). Hot dogs have been cooking all day on the heated rollers; who knows where the meat came from? "Freshly baked" donuts sitting in the warm glow of a glass case await your soft fingers to put them into your hungry mouth. Where's the oven? Maybe in the store (not bloody likely), maybe in town (it's a possibility), or even in the next state (most probable). What does freshly baked mean? Fresh from a mix? Fresh from storage? Fresh from the donut factory? Even the granola bars that are available are hardly what I would call healthy. If I made granola bars at home that turned out half as crunchy as the store bought ones, I would make a mental note to take them out of the oven a little earlier next time.
These places were not designed with everyone in mind. Only if you have a car and don't care what you eat, then yes, these places are a God-send. I can't tell you how many times I haven't found a safe place to lock my bike and couldn't find a healthy snack in one of these shacks.
The Turkish idea of convenience is truly convenient. Convenient stores are several in every neighborhood (without a gas station). I walk past 6 of them on my way down the hill from my apartment, a walk that takes less than three minutes. They usually sell fresh cheese, butter, an assortment of fresh and organic fruit and vegetables, water, milk, jelly, and lots of other things. They also have some prepackaged junk food, but it doesn't dominate the shelf space like in the States. People know the shopkeepers and probably call them on the phone and tell them what they want. The shopkeeper then brings the goods outside of the proper apartment building where a basket on a rope is waiting. He places the stuff in there and the customer pulls the basket up, unloads, and then lets down the money. How convenient is that? You don't even have to leave your home! If I didn't live on the ground floor, I would arrange something like this.
Another convenience are the cart merchants. Carts are everywhere and anywhere. Some guys walk around, yell/singing their advertisement to the neighborhood. There is one guy who comes through mine buying and selling old metal things: screws, sheets, cans, buckets, rods, wires, frames of all sorts, folding things, and anything else you could think of. Others station themselves randomly (or maybe they have a pattern that I have yet to notice) and stand at an intersection, yell-singing what they are selling and how much it costs. When you walk past them, I hear, "Buoy-roon besh yooz-besh yooz besh-yooz!" or some other price.
Not all of them sing. There is a guy with a fish cart that I sometimes see on my way to work that stands there chatting with his friends or simply waits quietly, cutting the fish or adjusting the buckets of water to keep his fish moist.
Sometimes guys will have a pick-up truck bed full of just one thing like oranges, large bags of onions, potatoes or apples, park somewhere that is convenient and yell out his price. They must be really good deals because they always have people crowding around them. Selling stuff out of the back of station wagons is also common, though rather than food these guys sell clothing items like pajamas, kids clothes, or shoes.
The people working the carts and vehicles are tough to the weather. Last week there was a guy outside my office selling mandarins. It was bitter cold and at one point it started snowing. Instead of packing up, he put up an umbrella. The mandarins looked yummy from the fourth floor, so I went down and bought 1.5 kilos for 2 million lira (just over $1.40).
I wonder how much of an affect wanting to join the European Union will have on the cart merchants. Will they have to jump through more hoops in the law to get permits? Will the fish merchant have to have inspections by the health department? Maybe he already does, I don't know. Many people walk from the villages to Trabzon with a huge wicker basket strapped to their back full of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits, or carcasses. What will they do?
Some Turks feel joining the EU is a dream that will never be fulfilled, while many others feel it is in a realm of possibility. I was reading last week that Ukraine also wants try their chances at joining, causing the founding EU countries to reconsider where their borders will end. Ten new countries joined last May, many of them agriculturally centered and financially poor, like Turkey. If Turkey joined today, the EU would be in a state of panic because that would cause a major power shift. Turkey has the largest population of any European country (around 60 million) and would then be the ruling majority.
Change is inevitable. Whatever the fate of the cart merchants and Turkey, things will "get different" (to quote my aunt). There will be benefits and consequences. My hope is that Turkey will still have a strong culture and identity, and--call me a dreamer--won't embrace the McDonaldization of the West with open arms.
In the States, these so-called convenience stores offer over priced, over processed, chemically laden foods that can cause a myriad of health problems after time. It's virtually impossible to find fresh produce or even a healthy snack in one of these places (or even some supermarkets). Hot dogs have been cooking all day on the heated rollers; who knows where the meat came from? "Freshly baked" donuts sitting in the warm glow of a glass case await your soft fingers to put them into your hungry mouth. Where's the oven? Maybe in the store (not bloody likely), maybe in town (it's a possibility), or even in the next state (most probable). What does freshly baked mean? Fresh from a mix? Fresh from storage? Fresh from the donut factory? Even the granola bars that are available are hardly what I would call healthy. If I made granola bars at home that turned out half as crunchy as the store bought ones, I would make a mental note to take them out of the oven a little earlier next time.
These places were not designed with everyone in mind. Only if you have a car and don't care what you eat, then yes, these places are a God-send. I can't tell you how many times I haven't found a safe place to lock my bike and couldn't find a healthy snack in one of these shacks.
The Turkish idea of convenience is truly convenient. Convenient stores are several in every neighborhood (without a gas station). I walk past 6 of them on my way down the hill from my apartment, a walk that takes less than three minutes. They usually sell fresh cheese, butter, an assortment of fresh and organic fruit and vegetables, water, milk, jelly, and lots of other things. They also have some prepackaged junk food, but it doesn't dominate the shelf space like in the States. People know the shopkeepers and probably call them on the phone and tell them what they want. The shopkeeper then brings the goods outside of the proper apartment building where a basket on a rope is waiting. He places the stuff in there and the customer pulls the basket up, unloads, and then lets down the money. How convenient is that? You don't even have to leave your home! If I didn't live on the ground floor, I would arrange something like this.
Another convenience are the cart merchants. Carts are everywhere and anywhere. Some guys walk around, yell/singing their advertisement to the neighborhood. There is one guy who comes through mine buying and selling old metal things: screws, sheets, cans, buckets, rods, wires, frames of all sorts, folding things, and anything else you could think of. Others station themselves randomly (or maybe they have a pattern that I have yet to notice) and stand at an intersection, yell-singing what they are selling and how much it costs. When you walk past them, I hear, "Buoy-roon besh yooz-besh yooz besh-yooz!" or some other price.
Not all of them sing. There is a guy with a fish cart that I sometimes see on my way to work that stands there chatting with his friends or simply waits quietly, cutting the fish or adjusting the buckets of water to keep his fish moist.
Sometimes guys will have a pick-up truck bed full of just one thing like oranges, large bags of onions, potatoes or apples, park somewhere that is convenient and yell out his price. They must be really good deals because they always have people crowding around them. Selling stuff out of the back of station wagons is also common, though rather than food these guys sell clothing items like pajamas, kids clothes, or shoes.
The people working the carts and vehicles are tough to the weather. Last week there was a guy outside my office selling mandarins. It was bitter cold and at one point it started snowing. Instead of packing up, he put up an umbrella. The mandarins looked yummy from the fourth floor, so I went down and bought 1.5 kilos for 2 million lira (just over $1.40).
I wonder how much of an affect wanting to join the European Union will have on the cart merchants. Will they have to jump through more hoops in the law to get permits? Will the fish merchant have to have inspections by the health department? Maybe he already does, I don't know. Many people walk from the villages to Trabzon with a huge wicker basket strapped to their back full of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits, or carcasses. What will they do?
Some Turks feel joining the EU is a dream that will never be fulfilled, while many others feel it is in a realm of possibility. I was reading last week that Ukraine also wants try their chances at joining, causing the founding EU countries to reconsider where their borders will end. Ten new countries joined last May, many of them agriculturally centered and financially poor, like Turkey. If Turkey joined today, the EU would be in a state of panic because that would cause a major power shift. Turkey has the largest population of any European country (around 60 million) and would then be the ruling majority.
Change is inevitable. Whatever the fate of the cart merchants and Turkey, things will "get different" (to quote my aunt). There will be benefits and consequences. My hope is that Turkey will still have a strong culture and identity, and--call me a dreamer--won't embrace the McDonaldization of the West with open arms.
posted by nicole @ 10:33 AM
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