I learned how to play backgammon! Everyone plays it here while they're eating and drinking their coffee and smoking or whatever you can do while sitting in a cafe. And I learned something else, too--raki (this horrible horrible beverage) is just not a happy thing to put in your body. It's anise-flavored liquor that you dilute with water until it turns this gross milky color, and all of the Turkish people I have met love it. It's like the gooey butter cake of Istanbul. So I decided to try raki at this cocktail party we had for the international students, and it wasn't terrible. It wasn't good (at all) but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever had. (Then again, I've accidentally drunk sour milk before). I only had ONE drink and I drank maybe half of it. And somehow, in some terrible magic, I woke up with my head pounding and just feeling incredibly dehydrated. It's like a liquid hangover. Really. But don't tell anyone Turkish that, because they will get mad.
Lesson of the day or, really, lesson of the week: NO RAKI. It is just a sad, sad drink.
No comments:
Post a Comment