Unexpected Things to Expect when Wandering in Istanbul

Unidentifiable Food

While there is a lot of delicious food in Istanbul, especially street food, there were the occasional times of WTF am I eating. I don’t think of myself as a particularly picky eater and am pretty adventurous about trying out new things, but I struggled in Turkey. A lot of things would look familiar but come in a brightly colored sauce that would not taste as pretty as it looked. So if ever you’re at a buffet style dinner in Turkey and are thinking to yourself “this all looks beautiful,” proceed with caution.

Raki

The national alcoholic beverage of Turkey is an experience in and of itself. It is a must try but probably won’t try again sort of a situation. It tasted very much of licorice and is very strong alcohol wise. You definitely need to have a taste for this or it’ll be a struggle to finish the glass. I think I’ll stick with wine, thanks.