Ike,
I know the song, too!
:o
I just dont know all the lyrics!
Thanks for answering my question, Watermelon Man, I’m glad to hear that ice-cream is still around!
I’ve been to many cities in North America, Europe and Asia and so far I still think that Istanbul is the the loveliest city I have ever seen. It has all the cool elements of a big city plus all the beauty of a holiday resort. There is a true meeting of East and West in Istanbul…
Merhaba, ne oluyor?
Penny, we definitely share the same view about Istanbul!!
Olentzero!
Selam, nasilsin?
Have you actually been to this part of the world?
Closest I’ve been is St. Petersburg, Russia. If I ever go, I’m going to have to learn more Turkish. Only things I know are besides “Hi, what’s happening?” are:
“Devrim ezilenlerin $ölenidir”, “Yarim litre süt lütfen”, and “Dünya Günü”.
Enough to get me nutrition on a semi-regular basis and to get me kicked out of the country as a dangerous radical. 
{{{{Watermelon Man}}}}
Well, it’s about time you started a thread like this! I’m VERY upset with you, though, dear because it’s been ages since I’ve had an email from you. You haven’t been nearly slutty enough lately to keep me happy. And I’m still waiting for that jewelry you’re supposed to send me. 
As far as a question for you, hmmm. Okay, I used to know a Turkish woman. She made me some very delicious Turkish coffee and told me that after I finished drinking it, she’d read the coffee grounds for me. Of course I chickened out and washed the cup, rather than let her read the grounds. She looked a little offended by my chickening out. Anyway, what can you tell me about this process of reading Turkish coffee grounds to tell the future, or any other folkloric traditions Turkish folks have?
Another question, what’s it like for Turkish women living in Turkey. Do they go around wearing veils, are marriages arranged and stuff, or is Turkey a more democratic society? I realize this may be a really stupid question, but I don’t know anything about Turkey. I’m really interested in gender relations in this country and other countries. Maybe Mrs. Watermelon Man could be tempted to join in the discussion.
Okay, Sweetie, I’ll leave you alone now. Email me when you get a chance.
How nice to have you post in a thread I have started!!..
Umm… the jewellery I will give you is not ready yet. I have commissioned a bunch of the counrie’s prominent jewellers to create the world’s sexiest bellychain ever…And then I will give it to you after I get the promise of pics… 
The coffee reading is fun in a big way. YOu look at the weird shapes let on the cofee cup, and read the future of the person who drank that coffee…
Some people take it seriously, but hey…It can also be a hilarious experience!
Regarding the women’s social situation: There is no veil in the country. Only some ignorant women coming from fundamentalist families cover themselves in black cloth. Of course there are some not-so-ignorant fundamentalist women too. THey are dressed in a modern wy, except they cover their head witha scarf, and not show one hair.
Gender relations is a bit confusing. Rural and urban life is very different from each other. In the urban areas things are quite western. Pre-marital sex is not a “foreign” concept anymore. Things have changed immensely in the last 20 years. In fact my problem is that it changed just a little bit too late for me to fully enjoy! :rolleyes:
Sweetie, you’re just as charming as ever. The world’s sexiest bellychain for little ol’ me, and all I have to do is promise to send you a little ol’ picture? Hmmm. Well, you’re on, then. I’ll send you one as soon as I can find a decent one, Sugar. I don’t have a digital camera yet, but I think I’ve got a picture scanned somewhere.
Thanks for answering my questions about the coffee reading. If you don’t mind my asking, have you ever had your coffee grounds read, and if so, what was the prediction, Sweetie? If not, I’d sure like to read your coffee grounds. [giggle]
Thank you for answering my question about gender relations, but now I have even more questions.
1.) I’m sorry you missed the window of opportunity to enjoy the changes, but what was it that sparked these changes in the last 20 years?
2.) What is up with women wanting to cover their hair? Is it to keep the dust out, or are they scared some dude’s going to put his hands in their hair, or what?
3.) Do women hold positions of power in Turkish government on the state, local, or national level?
4.) Okay, onto other topics, what are some traditional Turkish foods and drinks, and what’s your favorite dish and drink?
5.) What do folks do for fun in Turkey?
6.) Does Turkey have traditional dances? If so, what are they?
7.) What are some good books that I can read so that I can learn more about the culture of Turkey?
If I, as a white American, wanted to visit the beautiful city of Istanbul, would I face any significant prejudice from the locals? Is there anything in particular I should know? Would it be very different for men and women?
Okay, really weird question: when I was about seven years old, my cousin was stationed in Turkey with the Air Force. When he was telling me about his experiences there, I vaguely remember him mentioning a popular Turkish belief that people were reincarnated as cats after they died. I accepted that at the time, but now that I know a little more about Islam - what’s going on there? Is this just a case of childhood false memory syndrome or what?
Where did the name “Turkey” or “Turk” come from?
Jill
You asked some very interesting questions that require some long essays. I promise to enswer them in a day or two, when I have the time!
But dear, I can’t wait to see your pic, cuz that may help me come up with some ideas for the design of the bellychain.
King Of spain,
Have no worries about the prejudice issue. Turkey is not practically a Middle Eastern country, as far as popular approach to the world’s events are concerned. There is no general prejudice against Americans. And American tourists, and expats are not unusual here. YOu would be having the same feelings you would have in Greece, Spain or Italy.
As for being reincarnated as a cat: This is the first time I hear it, so it may actually be a false memory, but I don’t know. There used to be 3 US Air Force bases in Turkey. Now I think there are two of them, all quite far away from Istanbul. There could have been a current popular belief in the immediate region of the base your friend workd in at that time. Who knows?
Jill, you know what?
You have asked a question that I never even wondered about.
It is one of these things that you take for granted somehow, and not look for the meaning behind it, probably because it is there the moment you were born, and you grow up with the identity. I will have to look into it.
THe Turks have been around , especially in Central Asia for ages, in fact the Turkish history is probably as old as Chinese history, so the roots of the name “Turk” may be very blurred.
Let me see if I can find something somewhere.
I don’t have a question, specifically, but I’d be interested in hearing your viewpoint about Turkey’s human rights record and the hunger strikers. As you know the EU is putting a lot of pressure on your government to reform, but how much pressure is coming from within?
Thanks.
Turkey is named after the creator of the modern Turkish State, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
This is quite a nice summary of the modern history:
*London_Calling, you don’t seriously believe that the country was named after the man, do you? I mean, Turkey had been known as Turkey for centuries. The Ottoman State had been known as Devlet-i Aliye-i Osmaniye; when they got the republic, it was renamed Türkiye as the Turkish form of the name Turkey or La Turquie. Both the man and the country were named after the people who inhabit it.
For the origin of the name we have to go back to An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-Thirteenth Century Turkish by Sir Gerard Clauson (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972). On page 542, we read:
Clauson himself doubts that this word is the source of the ethnonym, but IMHO it works for me. Clauson points out that “the original form of the ethnonym was Türkü” but he gives no etymology for it. On the next page we find the term tirig meaning ‘living, alive; life’. This may have some connection to the verb tur- ‘to stand’; I speculate these two words may be connected with türk ‘vigorous’ but I can’t say for sure. In modern Turkish this same verb -dur used as a suffix means ‘is’ (compare the Latin verb stare ‘to stand; to be’).
Oh dear. Watermelon Man, I’m sorry if I got carried away with the questions. I have a difficult time restraining myself sometimes. [giggle] Take as much time as you need, Sweetie. I appreciate whatever insight you can give me.
King of spain’s “white American” question made me wonder something. The few Turks I have met were as white as I am (and believe me, I am very white). Do Turks consider themselves white? Do they racially categorize people the same way we Westerners do?
Also, do most Turks still learn the Arabic alphabet, or has the older literature just been transliterated in Roman characters?
Finally, do you think Turks and Kurds can peacefully co-exist in the long run?
Oops.
I don’t know a lot about Turkey or Turkish people in particular, I just had a vague idea of Middle Easterners in my head, and I just assumed…and, well, you know what happens when we assume.
I apologize for my ignorance.
favorite kool aid flavor?