Fire in the Boat!
It's pretty cool to see a fire
in a boat, and that's what you
see down by the quai
in Istanbul's Eminönü district
on the Golden
Horn as the boatmen prepare balık-ekmek (fish & bread)—grilled
fish sandwiches.
I'll bet these boats have been
here, selling sandwiches, for
centuries. They'd
catch fish in the Bosphorus at
night, then cruise here to sell
them—although they have
never been this elaborate before,
with gilt trim and electric lights.
Light the grill, clean and fillet
the fish, cook 'em up, cut a
loaf of fresh Turkish sourdough
bread in half, slice it lengthwise,
slide the fillet in, salt and
serve. They're delicious, and
they cost only TL4. More...
Look carefully and you'll see
the man in the boat handing a
fish sandwich to a customer.
Meanwhile, Bosphorus shearwater
gulls circulate, ever hopeful
they'll get one...for free.
By the way, the name on the
boat is Deniz Yıldızı,
"Star of the Sea." |
