Worth Missing Biscuits

Yesterday I went on a night walk- down the Galata bridge to Yeni Jami, or Yeni mosque, one of my favorite places. I enjoyed being there- apparently it was the mosques birthday (?) I think, I don’t really read Turkish, or speak it. But there was a big lit up sign that said 555 on it and was hanging between the minarets, so that could be an indicator of something… It’s a little overwhelming, like drowning to imagine all the history one stone in this place encases. I truly wish I could speak Turkish, I want to be able to have conversations with people in Turkish, to comprehend the glimpses of conversations that I hear. It makes me long for a Spanish speaker, or even an Italian/ Lingala speaking person... I guess I shall just have to study the language and pick it up as much as I can... Let me tell you a short story... On three different occasions I have been going to this one little shop for food and ordering an Afiyet Olsun. It seems to be a cheesy pastry like object that is vegetarian and quite scrumptious. I was always regaled with skeptical looks and completed my order with much pointing and saying cheese. I simply thought my Turkish pronunciation was off, as usual. Well, when the group and I were sitting outside this place last night, someone asked me what I usually ordered there. And when I replied with this he said, Really? Is that what you have been asking? And I pointed to the area of the window that right underneath my food which had Afiyet Ulson clearly written on it. Then I realized that this phrase was repeated all across the bottom of the window... When my friend finally paused in his laughter he told me that in Turkish Afiyet Olsun means, Bon Apetit.