Early this fall I received a voice mail from my mom warning that a friend "just got back from a cruise that stopped in Istanbul and she said the men were very aggressive, so watch out!"
Thanks, Mom, you were right-- the men here love me! Especially after two years in the Midwest with polite but passive boys it is a novel experience to encounter a culture where men are vocal, passionate, and unafraid of expressing their unrequited interest-at-first-sight.
That said, some are blatant about their intentions, yelling as I walk by, "Welcome! How may I get your money?"
Some try to ease my obvious stress at being a tourist with assurances of safety and protection, offering "Turkish Delight! It is not poisoned, see? Here, try!"
Others go for the flattery route and tell me how nice and beautiful I am. The owner of a honey shop lured me in with free sample spoonfuls telling me "It is sweet, just like you! Sweets for my sweet! Come, have some more!"
Clever ones feign interest in my background and reasons for travel so that I'm holding hot tea in the back of the shop and can't run away when they start making recommendations, like meat spice at a "special discount" because I am a new friend.
The most brilliant of them all said, "You look Turkish, where are you from?" He played right to my heart, somehow sensing my desire to be local, unhassled, and capable of bargaining. I was so flattered that I bought candied ginger at the displayed price and didn't even catch the flawed logic of his statement and question until after I had paid.
By the end of the day I had 20grams of candied ginger, 100grams of garam masala, 1kilo of dry chickpeas, and not 1 but 2 kilos of dried apricots. I have absolutely no recollection of buying the first kilo of apriocts, I just found it when putting the second into my bag, so I must have been blinded by the love.
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