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A Waterfall - (şelale) - near Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia |
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The Manisa Spor Kebab House BrochureAround ManisaThe Manisa Spor Kebab House is situated opposite the Main Post Office (PTT) in the center of Manisa. When I first started visiting it in 1979 it was just another "greasy spoon" serving for the local workers. Of course we must realize that most people eat lunch out in Turkey - office workers, factory workers, business men, street cleaners - it is all part of normal Turkish daily life. This particular kebab house has grown to be the most famous which serves Manisa Kebab (the local meat dish) and it is still being run by the owner who you can see standing proudly outside the establishment in the picture below. It was about the Millennium Year of 2000 when he broke out of the top league of "greasy spoons" and totally revamped and modernized his lokanta (cafe) to what is shown in the brochure - and now they even open on Sundays! The Manisa Spor Kebab Saloon - Manisa (Turkey)
Two of the dishes on Offer
It is Lunch Time - Öğle yemeğiIn fact we used to go here for lunch from our factory in Manisa and the boys who were serving us then are the well matured waiters who are still there to this day, half a lifetime has passed us all by. One always gets a personal welcome when visiting and only the best will do for their customers - and the class of food served is of the finest quality. The Local Office and Shop Girls lunching out.
The Chefs Work on Your Order Personally.Here we can see the chefs working away at their orders. All the various types of kebabs have been pre-prepared and when you order you can point to what you require and it is freshly cooked " in front of your very eyes " One can also see the creamed butter cooling in the display cabinet. In the old days it was always added to a Manisa Kebab on serving - but of course in these (health conscious) days our time honoured and long serving waiters will always ask you if you want this addition to your meal. Personally I always - "go for it!" Lunch - Turkish Style!
vazgeç-il-mez See explanation of this Participle The Best Kebab in TownThese Buttered Manisa Kebabs are served with Ayran (a watered yoghurt drink) which is provided at table in 1 litre carafes - but you only pay for the amount that you consume. The kebabs are served up on top of stone baked pitta bread which is specially made and cooked for each order. The whole meal includes a seasonal salad, this may be grated carrot and purple cabbage in winter or spring onion with radishes in summer. Of course no meal in Manisa is complete without the famous Manisa Tomatoes, where they can grow to almost the size of an orange and still taste like tomatoes used to in the old days. Don't forget the Ayran and the Pide (Pitta) Bread
In the above examples we can clearly see the use of -dir meaning is (definitely) as "an advice" to the customer
The Author and Friends
It is a long time since I first sat in the Manisa Spor Salonu in the late 1970's.. But I learned a lot about Turkish life and customs while in Manisa and its cafes.. Here I am with my then Turkish secretary Ayşe Hamım who now has her husband and big son to bring her along.. JG - May 2006 |
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If you ever manage to visit Manisa and drop in at the Manisa Spor Kebap Salonu, you are sure of a warm Turkish Welcome, and if you look around carefully at the photographs on show - then you will find one of the Manisa Turkish author somewhere amongst them. This is one of the places in which I learned a lot of Turkish when I was just beginning to understand it all.
