I have always wanted to go to Greece and Turkey. This was my chance. I am a big yogurt lover. I eat yogurt and love it. I found out that Greeks and Turks are big yogurt eaters. So I said this summer I will explore Greece and Turkey. Because of the time limit and the expensive air fares I limited my trip to Athens and Istanbul. After a 12 hour taxi- airplane-taxi trip I arrived at my hotel in Athens. It had a view of the Parthenon which was amazing. I left my bags in the room and hit the streets. Athens is a dirty city by US and European standards. The buildings are old and not well taken care of. But the food is good. In the five days I was in Athens I went to as many restaurants I can and ate as much as I could. Musakka, Gyro (giro), Dolmas and drank lots of alcohol (alkol) Uozo and Raki. Now its was time to test my yogurt tasting innerman. I started finding the biggest supermarkets and buying as many different yogurts as possible. Yogurt is a Turkish originated word that is used all around the world. It is said that Turks have invented yogurt while trying to prevent milk from going bad. Since Greeks and Turks have lived together for over 500 years they have all shared cuisines. Yogurt making has become common and dinner tables always have yogurt. So how was the Greek yogurts. They were good. But really good. So the only place left was Itsanbul to see which yogurt is better Greek or Turkish. I was excited.
I land in Istanbul and check into a nice hotel in the Sultanahmet district. It was a mainly touristic area in close proximity to major attractions. I got to see St. Sophia Church, Blue Mosque, The Grand Bazaar. This is the area of the Old Constantinople. The city is cleaner than Athens but the buildings are as old, may be older. I couldn't hold my self anymore and started to indulge in the local cuisines. Istanbul has lot to offer on street foods. Gyro sandviches, open buffets with Mediterranean dishes are all apart of daily life. Then it suddenly hit me. Where is the Yogurt? Then I asked for a large supermarket. I walk in and there they were. Over twenty brands of yogurt. They even had the western yogurts such as Danone and Activia. I browsed and browsed and the brands were; Pinar, Danone, Tikvesli, Coban, Eker, Sek and many more. First I said let me buy the ones that are popular. I called an attendant and asked for help. The language barrier was huge. I said Yogurt and looking at my Touristic Face the attendant pointed Danone fruit yogurts. I kept saying Popular, so that he would tell me which ones are the most popular items. It was hard to communicate. Then I said I had to try all. I bought one of each and ran to my hotel room. With my spare spoon I started digging in to the Yogurts from Heaven. My god! These yogurts were really from Heaven. Whats that crap that we eat back in the US they call Yogurt. Its nowhere near these faboulous indulgence. Even Danone tasted much much better than anywhere else. These Turks really know their yogurt I said to myself. After a few pounds of plain yogurt I had to get some alcohol. I walked down to the reception and asked the guy " Alcohol". He said "ALKOL" with question marks in his eyes. Then he pointed to the pharmacy across. He thought I meant rubbing alcohol. That was funny. I said Raki, Uozo. He said AHHHHH. Then he wrote down Beyoglu district. This was a place with restaurants and bars. So I get in the taxi and give him the paper. He kept saying Protesto, Protesto. Apparently there was a protest in the Beyoglu district and the roads have been blocked by police. So he left me at Taksim which is walk distance from Beyoglu. The main street was full of shops. Side streets were full of bars, restaurants and caffees. I finally sat down and gulped a beer followed by Turkish Raki. One thing about yogurt is it makes you sleepy. After 3 drinks I had to go to my hotel room and passed out.
As a conclusion Greece and Turkey are worth visiting. They have very tasteful cuisines. Yogurt is the best in all the world.
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Yogurt Recipes
