“Cooking” to me bridges the gap between culture and location, forever bonding people through eating. When you eat food, you are really tasting something that tells a story of history and family and recalls memories of certain moments in time.
It’s in this way I really discovered Istanbul, by tasting all it had to offer and loving every new piece of knowledge that was gained after each bite. Spending days traipsing through the city hunting for the best stuffed grape leaves (yaprak sarma), and braving the hot summer to eat fish sandwiches (balık ekmek) from my favorite vendor by the Bosphorus not only kept me full, but propelled me on my adventure to see all the city had to offer. It is in talking about food that I feel most comfortable to recount parts of my journey and tell my own story. I hope in sharing my experiences with you that you fall as deeply in love with the culture as I did.
