One of my favorite things is pistachio ice cream; however, I have always been saddened by American ice cream producers’ apparent need to always put the actual nuts in the ice cream. I just do not enjoy crunchy things in my ice cream (I think it’s more of a consistency thing than anything else as I generally like pistachios – just not in my ice cream). Here is Istanbul, not only do they have nut-free pistachio ice cream, they have the Neapolitan of the gods. Yes, forget the strawberry and replace it with pistachio. This three-flavored delicacy has been making frequent field trips out of the freezer to come visit my mouth over the last few days.
In other food-related news, my beloved Tombik place may, I repeat may, have found a competitor. Just down the street, the opposite direction from where I’m staying, there is a chicken döner place that offers up delicious sandwiches for half the price of a tombik (a whopping 75 cents US or so). They feature crunchier bread and a higher concentration of pickles, leaving me to question the intensity of my devotion to the venerated Tombik. Those of you how know me well know that this can only mean one thing. Yes, I will simply have to buy both in one evening and have them side-by-side to make a final decision. I will not, of course, give up either in favor of the other, as variety is the spice of life - even though both are extremely similar foods. Such an epic food showdown, very much worthy of a half-hour segment on Food Network, will be thoroughly documented, fear not, in both photographic and verbal form. I also think that such an event would hardly be complete without some ice cream to wash it down.
As I’m sure you noticed, my attempts to write about more profound topics in a more critical manner have hardly progressed as I’m back in my rut gushing about food and little else; however, that probably does go to show you how much time I spend thinking about food….
Speaking of food, I made another great food discovery this weekend. Saturday during a grocery outing, I spied a block of cheese. Considerably cheaper than many of the other neighboring blocks, but still a splurge at the price of 3 or 4 Tombiks, I just couldn’t help myself. In was in my buggy faster than you can “moo,” and there was not turning back. I expected it to be like the other similar-looking white cheeses I’d had in Turkey. Oh was I wrong. This cheese could be the creamiest cheese that I have ever had. Think cheesecake creamy. Think TCBY’s white chocolate mousse creamy. Yeah…. It’s some creamy stuff. Though it lacks a strong flavor, it went excellently in the pasta salad I made. I would have taken a picture for you, but I was hungry and then I ate it all. I will, however, probably make some more this evening in which case, I’ll immortalize its creation for you all.
Though I have failed to provide you with photographs of my feeding frenzy, I do have some additional photos of Istanbul to leave you with. My final fortuitous find of the weekend was a great bridge that I walked with some new friends, which offered some stunning views of the city at dusk.
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