America in Istanbul

Last Thursday, I went with my friend Nick to do a little shopping in the Old City area (the section of Istanbul with the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and other popular tourist destinations). Both of us felt like we didn’t bring enough clothes to Istanbul, so we were determined to find a cheap new wardrobe.

There are a few ways to get to the Old City from where we live. We were concerned about traffic, so we chose the route that involves a pretty good amount of walking. We took a bus and the metro to Taksim—an area littered with shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs—and then set out on foot.

We checked out a few stores around Taksim, but didn’t find anything too interesting—that is, until we stumbled upon a huge mall (six floors!) that claimed to house a Krispy Kreme. Krispy Kreme glazed donuts are one of my favorite things in the whole world (as long as I don’t think about their nutritional value). There isn't a Krispy Kreme near me at home, so I rarely get to treat myself. It was just as good as I remembered.

After getting mildly lost and skirting through some pretty sketchy side streets, Nick and I found our way to some cheap clothes shops. As you would expect from any self-respectable group of street salesmen, there were plenty of good knockoffs of expensive American brands; I purchased a nice Ralph Lauren sweater for 15 TL (about $8).

My haul for the day was one soccer jersey, a button-down, and three sweaters. What was the one thing I had said I didn’t need any more of? Sweaters. So, successful shopping trip? Definitely. Did I get anything I actually needed? Not even kind of—my goal was to find a few t-shirts, a pair of shoes, and some pants.

On our way back to the metro, Nick and I saw a crowd of people gathered around a street corner. As we got closer, we saw two Native Americans dressed in full traditional outfits (or at least the stereotypical garb) playing flutes and dancing. It seemed so out of place in the middle of an urban, Middle Eastern environment, especially with a mosque right across the street. I didn’t know what to make of it.

We continued on our way, and since Nick and I were both hungry from a long day of walking we scanned the area for a restaurant that looked good, yet affordable. We passed up a few very questionable-looking köfte (Turkish meatball) places. Then we both saw Pizza Hut and decided we couldn’t resist—neither of us had had a real pizza since we came here. It was a weak moment, but the pizza tasted so good.

After getting home I was thinking over my day. It occurred to me that I’m in Istanbul, yet the four highlights of my day were Krispy Kreme, Ralph Lauren, Native Americans, and Pizza Hut—there is definitely something wrong with that. But the more I thought about it, I realized that it was just comforting to have a taste of home. As much as I love living here, it’s not easy being away from your own culture for so long. Every now and then you just need a good ol’ fashioned American experience.

Maybe next time I should try to attain that from something besides Pizza Hut and Krispy Kreme. At least for my arteries’ sakes.