International Fast Foods
Monday 11/16/2009 5:38 AM
We had some sort of server meltdown last week, but we only lost one post on international fast foods in the mix. I'll try to recreate a shortened version of it here. The day after we came back from Cappadocia, we made it to The Pudding Shop in Istanbul, an iconic diner/fast food joint on the main drag in Sultanahmet:
This place was established in the late 1950s and for a decade or two was the only/primary information spot for foreigners looking to travel further into Turkey. It was a popular meeting spot with a bulletin board to leave messages for people, find people to share rides or other travel expenses with, and for at least a few years, was the only place to arrange transportation to the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Now, of course, there are taxis and dolmuses and trams and ferries to get you across, and the Pudding Shop is more of a tourist attraction but we had lunch there anyway. Though we almost didn't: when we walked in, it looked like it was a cafeteria-style restaurant where you go through the line to fill a tray with food and then find a place to sit. But the place was packed and it looked like we'd have trouble finding a spot after we got through the line. Just as we started talking about whether we should come back later, a waiter pulled a free table we hadn't noticed before in front of us and told us to wait while he got chairs. In less than a minute, we were sitting with menus in our hands. When he came back to take our order, I asked him what some of the items were and he led us over to this buffet, told us what each thing was and let us pick out what we wanted.
Within another minute or two, we had hot, delicious food (spinach pie, grilled tomatoes and meatballs, and stuffed peppers) in front of us. While we were eating, I noticed the take out menu:
I don't understand why such healthy food can't be so easily available at the major fast food joints in the States. Is it only because we can't drive and eat stuffed zucchini at the same time? Yes, there are french fries with the chicken sish combo, but look: there are only six! And this is a good thing, especially when you have grilled tomatoes and paprika on the plate too!
On the other hand, in the original post, I also included what I hope is an unfortunate translation on a grill sign across the street from the bus station in Belgrade (the sixth option from the bottom ... no pun intended):
Oh, and I almost forgot that I'd tagged this photo onto the original post: the art Alex created out of his breakfast on our last morning in Istanbul (yes, it was prettier than it was tasty ... oh, how I miss the Village Inn omelets):
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