Turkish Coffee

In the wake of international headlines on Sofagate between Turkey and the European Union, Turkish Coffee hosts discuss the image of Turkey and Turks, taking their cues from history, literature and the current political affairs.

In this podcast, Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan discuss the Turkish image, starting from an 11th-century letter from Byzantine Emperor Alexius Commenus to today^s Sofagate, from references to Turks in Shakespeare to the soft power of the Turkish TV series.

References:

Tamburlaine, Christopher Marlowe

Astraea Redux, John Dryden

Macbeth, William Shakespeare

Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli

Mozart and the Wolf Gang, Antony Burgess

Turkish Embassy Letters, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

Aziyadeh, Pierre Loti

Doğuştan Kadıncıl (Born Feminine), Refik Halit Karay

Nazlan and Aygen take up the role of 'enişte' (brother-in-law or uncle-by-marriage) in Turkish socio-culture. They look at the famous brothers-in-law, as well as prejudices, proverbs and cheeky references to foreign eniştes. 

References:

Enişte Risalesi, Tanıl Bora and Mustafa Çiftçi

Thanks to @fukozrecords for the music.

As restaurants around Turkey and the world tentatively open their doors, albeit with distancing and hygiene rules, Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan look at the past, present and future of eating out. Which empire was the first one to discover the delights of eating out - Roman or Chinese? In the Ottoman Empire, what did you do if you wanted a taste of the Sultan’s food? If you are in Turkey, where would you go to clinch a political or financial deal? And to tie to the last Turkish Coffee podcast, which came first – coffeehouses or taverns?

References:

The Restaurant: 2,000 years of dining out, William Sitwell

Dining Out: A Global History of Restaurants, Katie Rawson and Elliott Shore

Iktidarların Sofrası (The Rulers' Table) Artun Ünsal

Accompanied by their cups of Turkish coffee, Aygen and Nazlan discuss the history and heritage of the UNESCO-inscribed Turkish coffee, known alternatively as the "Mohammedan drink" or the "Devil's Cup." The two journos discuss how coffee became common in the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and moved on to Europe through smugglers, janissaries, ambassadors, and, surprisingly, a butler from Izmir.

References:

George Steiner, The Idea of Europe

Stewart Lee Allen, Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee

Jonathan Morris, Coffee - A Global History

Nina Luttinger, The Coffee Book

Lonely Planet's Globa Coffee Tour

Catherine Tucker, Coffee Culture

Thanks to @Fukozrecords for the jingle

On the eve of March 8 International Women's Day, Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan discuss sexism and gender-based discrimination in politics, language and laws as well as how women fight back.From anti-abortion laws in Poland to Turkish ruling party's deputies questioning the honor of women who said they were strip-searched, the two journos look at the grim picture of women's plight around the world.Special thanks to @Fukozrecords for the jingle

Inspired by Turkey's unveiling of the 10-year Space Programme, Aygen Aytac and Nazlan Ertan dwell on dystopia and utopia, with examples from news, literature and global trends. The two journos keep the listeners guessing on what is fact and what is fiction: searching natural resources in space; live-in marriage counsellors to ensure that a family has three kids ASAP; attempts to privatize judiciary; Turkish poets moving to Australia collectively to create a 'Green Country' or women finding their rights taken away overnight.

References:

George Orwell, "1984"

Aldous Huxley, "Brave New World"

Suzanne Collins, "Hunger Games"

Margaret Atwood, "The Handmaid's Tale"

Amin Maalouf, "First Century After Beatrice,"

Sophie MacIntosh, "Blue Pill"

Tevfik Fikret, "Yeşil Yurt" (Green Country, poem)

Ziya Gökalp, "Kızıl Elma" (Red Apple, book of poetry)

Oya Baydar, "Çöplüğün Generali" (The General of Garbage)

Oya Baydar, "Köpekli Çocuklar Gecesi" (The Night of Children with Dogs)

Tahsin Yücel, "Gökdelen" (Skyscaper)

Kerem Işık, "Islıklı Karnaval," (The Failed Carnaval)

... and the films and series "Star Trek," "Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam" (The Man who Saved the World), Avatar, Black Mirror, Snowpiercer

Following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for a new constitution, Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan discuss the search for justice since the times of Justitia, the Roman Goddess of Justice, and Kutadgu Bilig, 11th-century book to guide Turkish rulers. Discussing a wide range of issues from UN's 2021 focus on digital inequality to Turkey's long-standing judicial problems, the two journalists draw inspirations from theorists, mythology, literature and day-time TV.Special thanks to  Geline Fuko Studio (@fukozrecords on Instagram) for original musicEach week during Turkish Coffee, Nazlan and Aygen discuss socio-economic issues in Turkey, as well as lifestyles, cultural peculiarities, arts and literature.-John Rawls, A Theory of Justice

-Yaşar Kemal, Mehmet My Hawk

-Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

-Ben Elton, Blind Faith

As we approach Turkey's first Valentine's Day under lockdown, Aygen and Nazlan discuss whether people will still want to celebrate the day and how they will do it. The Interior Ministry has said that it would exceptionally allow flower deliveries over the weekend, providing a bit of hope for the pandemic-hit florists. Building up to the big day, newspapers give recipes for restaurant-class dinners at home and chatrooms in the popular new app Clubhouse invite singles to meet up. But for Nazlan and Aygen, nothing beats the love letters of the famous and the infamous, from Nazım Hikmet to Herman Hesse.

Special thanks to Geline Fuko Studio (@Fukozrecords) for the music.

References:

Nazım Hikmet: Piraye’ye Mektuplar

Orhan Veli Kanık: Yalnız Seni Arıyorum

Abidin Dino: Sensiz Herşey Renksiz

Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West: Love Letters 

Nizami: Layla and Majnun

Hermann Hesse: Siddharta

Hermann Hesse: Wandering Notes and Sketches

Alexander Pope: Love Letters of Great Man by Ursula Doyle

Nedim: Amor Vincit Omnia by Kemal Sılay

 Dorothy Parker: The Collected Dorothy Parker

Aygen and Nazlan discuss food history, waste, trends and the future of food in the face of the steep hike in food prices, unemployment in the food sector due to Covid-19 and the rich local cuisine.

 How has the rise in food prices changed Turkish people’s eating? What is the impact of the pandemic in our food yearnings? How have poor boy's meals of the past become the posh dishes of today? And can anyone – from Turks to Africans to Middle Eastern people – agree on the origins of their favorite dish?

Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan discuss the joys of travel, dodgy places and good food.

References:

''Invitation to the Voyage” by Charles Baudelaire

“The Desert and the Sown” by Gertrude Bell

“The Great Railway Bazaar” by Paul Theroux

“Bodrum Every Night” by Selim İlerı

“The Mythology Dictionary” by Azra Erhat

“Seyahatname” by Evliya Çelebi

“Iliad” by Homer

''Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert