Ahhhhhhh, the siesta. After a day walking through the Old Town of Istanbul, which including seeing two mosques and waiting through noon prayers and the sermon (it was a bit like an Easter Sunday, for those in the know), as well as browsing the Grand Bazaar and fending off retailers (one asked me as I passed "Why you no talk to Turkish? Do you no talk to your horses?"), I was ready to nap and prepare for the evening at the 5 Kat. And the hostel owns the same sheets I do back home (from a thrift store of course--they are my faves).Thank you, Gretchen, for reminding me of the wonders of napping.
If any of you can come up with an interpretation of "Do you no talk to your horses?", I would love to hear it. Here is the story. Vendors, translators, brothers of vendors and translators approach you at every turn. So you learn to put on a tough face and walk ahead without acknowledging the attention--good, bad, or otherwise (though I have not experienced much of the bad or otherwise, yet). You have to leave behind your female, United States' smile.
I am walking through the park toward the Blue Mosque when this guy shouts at me to get my attention. He is selling something, but I keep walking. He says, as every man does here, "Where you from?" I keep walking. He says, "You no talk to Turkish?" I make the mistake of thinking that I have offended him and turn to respond, but I can only come up with a "you're a douche" look on my face. He responds, "What, you no talk to your horses?" I walk on and go about my day, though I am still afraid of having been rude. He's essentially called me a racist (or enthnicist, if you will...and you will).
That was yesterday. TODAY, I am crossing the Aya Sofia when this same guy calls out to me, "I know you. Why you no talk to Turks?" I keep walking because inevitably he will tell me that my friendship is more important to him than my business (as he passes me a travel brochure for his friend's agency). He jumps through the crowd, which at Aya Sofia is bountiful, to greet me on the other side of the walk. "You no talk to your horses?"
If any of you can explain what it means to NOT talk to your horses and what that has to do with talking to men in Istanbul, I will buy you a beer. I will probably buy you a beer anyway ;)
By the way, here is the hostel I am staying at. It is wonderful and cheap, and I will tell everyone about it. http://www.istanbulhostel.net/
5 comments:
Maybe he just thinks your horses look sad and lonely.
Hey Fonda! I am enjoying your pics and blog ... and am enjoying that you are enjoying your trip!
re: not talking to horses ... ? perhaps some weird mis-interpretation/re-translation of "not looking a gift horse in the mouth" ... though I don't know what the context would be of the guy thinking he should use such a phrase. I dunno ... that just popped into my head when I read what he said.
so, anytime beer and horses come up (and of course, thats super often,)i am reminded of that country song that goes
"We’ll all meet back at the local saloon
We’ll raise up our glasses against evil forces Singing whiskey for my men, beer for my horses."
the best reason this song has nothing to do with your experience with the guy in Istanbul is that the song was written by willie nelson (who is great) BUT also, by toby keith, who is an ass (of "it aint rape if ya know 'er" fame via SNL) so we should really just dismiss it. :)
so, bottom line, you wont be buying me a beer for helping you out with this one. its really just free association time. :)
or maybe, its like, some servitude thing where he thinks you are being pretentious or stuck up--like he is at least as good as your horse, so you should talk to him, too. i mean, even in the song, the horses dont get whiskey (thats for humans (well, men anyway,) but at least they get beer--not as good as hard liquor, but its something. does that make sense, or am i drunk?
I love reading these entries, I dont feel so far away from you when I can hear your voice from the page. Love you.
ellie
I am sure you are right that he thought I was stuck up and that I was treating him like a horse. I have realized that there is a balance to be struck. Some say that you should ignore all attention, that it will be taken as a yes to whatever it is the person is selling. BUt I have found that if I smile and say "no thank you," AND keep walking, people will turn to find someone else. I think that I get it a bit less because I look Turkish, even in my Chacos. The blondes have the worst time.
I am glad you are enjoying the posts. Buy Teresa a beer for the idea. :) I love you, too.
You no talk to your *hosts*? That's the best I can do. Would make sense, he might think of all tourists as guests. People are generally VERY hospitable in the Mediterranean and Middle East, much more so than just about anywhere else. And they take their hospitality very seriously.
(Drat, all out of stereotypes now.)
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