Diplomat Sergei Koritsky, who has worked in Turkey for more than six years, asked himself: what do Turks know and think about Russia and Russians? “What are the first three words, phrases, associations that come to your mind when you hear about Russia?” Among Koritsky's interlocutors are entrepreneurs and waiters, taxi drivers and policemen, artists, students and many others. The answers he heard were both familiar and unexpected and interesting.
Moscow. Very cold. Tourists. Do tourists from Russia buy carpets? - Practically no ... - Do you want me to send photos by e-mail? — I don't have an email address. (Dogan Tudun, carpet shop clerk, 19 years old)
Aralov. Yesenin. Mamaev kurgan. — Why Aralov? - This is the first ambassador of Soviet Russia in Ankara. Along with Frunze and Voroshilov, he played an important role in the history of the Turkish Republic. Do you know Yesenin's poems? - "Goodbye, my friend, without a hand, without a word ...". When I was in Konstantinovo, I saw an autograph of this poem in the museum. Was very impressed. Have you been to Volgograd? - Of course. I was also on Mamaev Kurgan. This is the place where the history of the world was made. We must not forget the cruelty of Hitler's fascism and the heroism of Russian soldiers. — It's a bit unusual to see your UAZ on the streets of Antalya with the image of the "Guard" sign on the door. — I love this car. I also have a white Volga, greetings from the 1970s, but it is not running, it is standing in the hotel courtyard under palm trees. (Aziz Dincher, hotel director)
Vodka. Beautiful girls. Visa-free regime for Turks. - Have you ever been to Russia? No, but I really want to go. - Are you a musician? — Music is my hobby, I play in the bar in the evenings. And so I am a student, studying at the Faculty of Management of the Mediterranean University. (Mustafa Tümer, student, 26)
Moscow roads in five or six lanes. Pavel Bure. Maria Sharapova. — Roads in Moscow are really wide, but traffic jams remain… — Unfortunately, this is true, but still impressive. (Umit Gokdash, tennis coach, 41)
Literature. Rich story. Bargain. - Why bargain? Russians love to haggle. - Do you know anything from Russian literature? - I read Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" four times. (Bulent Yshik, manager of "coffee shop on wheels", 28 years old)
Snow (I came to Antalya from Germany three years ago, haven't seen snow since then, I miss it). Majestic historical buildings (never been to Russia, but I know). I also know that the Russian language is very difficult. — Why did you come from Germany to Antalya? Fate, perhaps. — Satisfied? - Highly. (Eda Su Sezer, bar waitress)
Friendly people. Democracy. Decency. Do Russians buy anything from you? — Yes, I have many buyers from Russia. (Atilla Bakhchivan, owner of a small shop, 60 years old)
Vodka. Beautiful girls… — More? — (in Russian) Go to boarding immediately. — ??? - I worked at the local airport for a long time, I will never forget these words. (Umit Chinar, 23 years old)
Lenin. Stalingrad. Gorbachev. What comes to mind when you think of Gorbachev? - His birthmark on his head always somehow reminded me of a map of the island of Cyprus. (Onder Felek, restaurant manager, 29)
Nazim Hikmet*. St. Petersburg. Dostoevsky. — Have you ever been to St. Petersburg? — Yes, this city made a big impression on me. And in general: three words for Russia are very few. (Dzhan Emidzhi, member of the dance group "Fire of Anatolia", 40 years old) *Nazim Hikmet is a famous Turkish poet, he lived and was buried in Moscow in the last years of his life and was buried.
Our friendly country. Sochi. Red Army. — Have you been to Sochi? - No, but I watched the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics. It was great. Why the Red Army? - I would like to see the performance of the Red Army Choir in Antalya. I also want to ask a question: do they shave with straight razors in hairdressing salons in Russia? (Sedat Gundogdu, hairdresser)
Kazan. Grey colour. Train. — Have you ever been to Kazan? - Not. Why gray color? — That's how I feel. Why a train? — About 30 years ago I watched a documentary about the Trans-Siberian Railway on Turkish television. I still remember. (Agyah Gargun, Antalya Harley-Davidson Club coordinator, 47 years old)
Hospitality. Mafia. Russian tourists - without them, our hotels and pockets would remain empty. — Did you go to Russia? - Twice, I lived in Moscow with friends, I really liked it. Did you see the Mafia there? - Not. (Bucky Kefes, taxi driver, 49)
Samara. Putin. Leningrad. Why Samara? — My son is an engineer, he worked in Samara for some time. (Selçuk Sodim, 72 years old)
Dynamo Moscow. Volleyball player Ekaterina Gamova. Happy men. Why do you think Russian men are happy? Because Russian women are beautiful. (Atilla Turkyilmaz, former physical education teacher, retired)
Kars*. Natural gas. Kremlin Palace . Why Kars? - I served there. They say that Kars is very similar to the old Russian cities. Even today there is a lot reminiscent of Russia. — Do you want to wish something to your Russian colleagues? - I would like to wish the police in Russia, and in other countries, patience. (Osman Bashtug, police officer, 43 years old) *Kars is a city in the north-east of Turkey, in 1878-1917 it was part of the Russian Empire.
Benevolent people. Hospitality. Red Square, which we really want to see. Do Russians come to your restaurant? — Yes, often, Russians are very fond of Turkish cuisine. (Muharrem and Sibel Iyioz, owners of the Beydagi restaurant)
We asked Turkish citizens a few questions about who is right and who is wrong in the incident with the Russian bomber.
So, our interlocutors answered the following questions:
1) Were the Turkish military right in their decision to shoot down the SU-24 aircraft?
4) How would you describe the reaction of Turkish society to the incident?
Here are the responses we received:
Hulya, 20, student from Samsun:
1) I believe that the Turkish authorities were right. Since Russia has violated Turkish airspace before.
Now there is no Daesh fighting in the region ( Arab. the name of ISIS - ed.), and the actions of the Russian bombers made no sense. Russia has joined forces with Assad for the same reasons as usual - to gain access to warm seas. But there is no terrorist threat in Syria, our fraternal people live there, so this is a very sensitive moment for us.
2) NATO has international influence, and Turkey wanted to inform NATO, since we are a member of the alliance, and this affects, among other things, the interests of NATO. Turkey wants support from NATO.
3) Putin's statement sounded very tough, but these problems will be solved. These are big dirty games, and the people here do not decide anything, we are just a faceless mass, we do not know much.
4) This is very hot news for us. There are a lot of Russians living in Turkey, and many more Russians come here as tourists. We are neighbors and we have a good relationship. I think that nothing will change in society - and I hope that political issues will be resolved through diplomacy.
Eylem, 18 years old, student, Istanbul:
1) Of course, a terrible and tragic thing happened, but there are some rules, instructions on how to act in such situations. We must study them before judging either side. Personally, I do not support any military action - I'm just trying to look at the situation through the eyes of politicians.
2) Of course, this is a normal reaction of the president. Common for such situations.
3) I don't know anything about it, so I don't want to answer.
4) Turkish society is very differentiated, however, in general, I do not think that anyone considered the actions of the Turkish military to be so wrong.
B., lawyer, 40 years old, Istanbul:
"Our bastards shot down the plane. Turkey is acting like an idiot. I would like Putin to give a lesson to our president. The United States is behind this. World War III is brewing."
Ekaterina Movsumova, publisher
Sergei Koritsky, who has worked as a diplomat in Turkey for more than six years, asked himself the question: what do Turks know and think about Russia and Russians? “What are the first three words, phrases, associations that come to your mind when you hear about Russia?” Among Koritsky's interlocutors are entrepreneurs and waiters, taxi drivers and policemen, artists, students and many others. The answers he heard were both familiar and unexpected and interesting.
Moscow. Very cold. Tourists. - Do tourists from Russia buy carpets? - Practically no ... - Do you want me to send photos by e-mail? - I don't have an email address. (Dogan Tudun, carpet shop clerk, 19 years old)
Aralov. Yesenin. Mamaev kurgan. - Why Aralov? - This is the first ambassador of Soviet Russia in Ankara. Along with Frunze and Voroshilov, he played an important role in the history of the Turkish Republic. Do you know Yesenin's poems? - "Goodbye, my friend, without a hand, without a word ...". When I was in Konstantinovo, I saw an autograph of this poem in the museum. Was very impressed. - Have you been to Volgograd? - Of course. I was also on Mamaev Kurgan. This is the place where the history of the world was made. We must not forget the cruelty of Hitler's fascism and the heroism of Russian soldiers. - It's a bit unusual to see your UAZ on the streets of Antalya with the image of the "Guard" sign on the door. - I love this car. I also have a white Volga, greetings from the 1970s, but it is not running, it is standing in the hotel courtyard under palm trees. (Aziz Dincher, hotel director)
Vodka. Beautiful girls. Visa-free regime for Turks. - Have you ever been to Russia? - No, but I really want to go. - Are you a musician? - Music is my hobby, I play in the bar in the evenings. And so I am a student, studying at the Faculty of Management of the Mediterranean University. (Mustafa Tümer, student, 26)
Moscow roads in five or six lanes. Pavel Bure. Maria Sharapova. - Roads in Moscow are really wide, but traffic jams remain... - Unfortunately, this is true, but it's still impressive. (Umit Gokdash, tennis coach, 41)
Literature. Rich story. Bargain. - Why bargain? - like to bargain. - Do you know anything from Russian literature? - I read Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" four times. (Bulent Yshik, coffee shop manager, 28)
Snow (I came to Antalya from Germany three years ago, haven't seen snow since then, I miss it). Majestic historical buildings (never been to Russia, but I know). I also know that the Russian language is very difficult. - Why did you come from Germany to Antalya? - Fate, perhaps. - Satisfied? - Highly. (Eda Su Sezer, bar waitress)
Friendly people. Democracy. Decency. - Do Russians buy anything from you? - Yes, I have many buyers from Russia. (Atilla Bakhchivan, owner of a small shop, 60 years old)
My girlfriend. Vodka. Cold climate. - And here is your girlfriend? - She herself is from Georgia, but she speaks Russian. - Do you work somewhere? - Not yet, at the end of the year I'm going to serve in the gendarmerie. (Yusuf Durmush)
Vodka. Beautiful girls ... - More? - (in Russian) Go to boarding immediately. - ??? - I worked at the local airport for a long time, I will never forget these words. (Umit Chinar, 23 years old)
Lenin. Stalingrad. Gorbachev. - What comes to mind when you remember Gorbachev? - For some reason, his birthmark on his head always reminded me of a map of the island of Cyprus. (Onder Felek, restaurant manager, 29)
Nazim Hikmet*. St. Petersburg. Dostoevsky. - Have you ever been to St. Petersburg? - Yes, this city made a big impression on me. And in general: three words for Russia are very few. (Jan Emidzhi, member of the dance group "Fire of Anatolia", 40 years old) *Nazim Hikmet - a famous Turkish poet, lived and was buried in Moscow in the last years of his life and was buried.
Our friendly country. Sochi. Red Army. - Have you been to Sochi? - No, but I watched the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics. It was great. - Why the Red Army? - I would like to see the performance of the Red Army Choir in Antalya. I also want to ask a question: do they shave with straight razors in hairdressing salons in Russia? (Sedat Gundogdu, hairdresser)
Kazan. Grey colour. Train. - Have you ever been to Kazan? - Not. - Why gray color? - That's how I feel. - Why a train? - About 30 years ago I watched a documentary about the Trans-Siberian Railway on Turkish television. I still remember. (Agyah Gargun, Antalya Harley-Davidson Club coordinator, 47 years old)
Hospitality. Mafia. Russian tourists - without them, our hotels and pockets would remain empty. - Did you go to Russia? - Twice, I lived in Moscow with friends, I really liked it. Have you seen the mafia there? - Not. (Bucky Kefes, taxi driver, 49)
Samara. Putin. Leningrad. - Why Samara? - My son is an engineer, he worked in Samara for some time. (Selçuk Sodim, 72 years old)
Dynamo Moscow. Volleyball player Ekaterina Gamova. Happy men. Why do you think Russian men are happy? - Because Russian women are beautiful. (Atilla Turkyilmaz, former physical education teacher, retired)
Kars*. Natural gas. Kremlin Palace. - Why Kars? - I served there. They say that Kars is very similar to the old Russian cities. Even today there is a lot reminiscent of Russia. - Do you want to wish something to your Russian colleagues? - I would like to wish the police in Russia, and in other countries, patience. (Osman Bashtug, police officer, 43 years old) *Kars is a city in the north-east of Turkey, in 1878–1917 it was part of the Russian Empire.
Benevolent people. Hospitality. Red Square, which we really want to see. - Do Russians come to your restaurant? - Yes, often, Russians are very fond of Turkish cuisine. (Muharrem and Sibel Iyioz, owners of the Beydagi restaurant)
Moscow. St. Petersburg ... - The third word? - (in Russian) "Come on!" (Buse Gundogan, member of the dance group "Fire of Anatolia")
Great country. Art. Freedom. - In your opinion, in Russia, people of art are free in their work? - I have many friends in Russia - artists, sculptors. I know that in their work they feel free. I will add separately: Russian sculptors are the best in the world. - Behind - is this your portrait? - Self-portrait. (Savash Altai, artist, 59 years old)
Russians are our friends. Snow. Nuclear power. - Why did you name nuclear energy? - The Russians are building the first nuclear power plant in Turkey. - Where are you from? - From Trabzon. (Ali Shahinkaya, cafe manager, 37)
Rich culture. St. Petersburg. Along with the US and the UK, the leading power in the world. (Ramazan Zerdali, restaurant worker, 25 years old)
Siberia. Borsch. The Kiev's cutlets. - Of these dishes, what do you cook most often in Turkey? - Sometimes we arrange a “Russian evening” in a restaurant, then we definitely cook Kiev cutlets. (Erkan Ashchi, 31 years old, Erdem Aryci, 32 years old, chefs)
Our good neighbor. Great civilization. The country I would like to visit. (Talat Aktash, sea taxi captain, 44 years old)
Slavic cuisine is widely known all over the world. The range of dishes of Slavic cuisine is very diverse, and its popularity in Turkey is growing.
Slavic cuisine is original and original. No country in the world has such a wide range of vegetable, meat, fish and other cold appetizers, first, second, sweet dishes, culinary products.
Residents of Turkey treat everything new with great care, and our cuisine is no exception. Turkey, our dishes amaze with their unusualness, which is worth only okroshka or, for example, borscht. The unusual appearance of our dishes alarms the Turks, but when they try them, they are delighted. Although they do not understand some Slavic dishes and even consider them strange.
What kind of dishes do Turks like, and which ones are better not to cook for Turkish friends and relatives?
Soups and borscht
No other national cuisine has such a variety of soups. From ancient times to the present day, a rich assortment of first courses and dressing soups (shchi, borscht, pickles), saltworts has been preserved. There are more than 60 types of cabbage soup alone in Slavic cuisine. Residents of Turkey have a real love for our borscht. Many, having tasted real borscht, are looking for restaurants with Russian cuisine, and take their friends and relatives there.
But with okroshka, the Turks did not succeed in love. Vegetables filled with kvass cause great bewilderment among the majority - why pour a salad? They do not understand cabbage soup either, especially the traditional sour ones.
Salads
Slavic salads are a separate topic for discussion, representatives of Turkey, who have visited, for example, Russia, consider them to be some amazing achievement of national cuisine. Turks like many salads. For example, the same Olivier. In Turkey, it can be seen as an ingredient in Turkish fast food, as a cold appetizer in restaurants, etc. The Turks call Olivier "Russian" salad. Outwardly and even internally, it looks like the original, but still it is not Olivier. But they are clearly not happy with the vinaigrette. First of all, their appearance confuses them. If you still manage to feed a Turkish guest with it, the first thing he will ask will be: “boiled vegetables?”, And then he may ask why they were chopped so finely. Many residents of Turkey also do not like herring under a fur coat. This dish, a must for the holiday table in Russia, is almost impossible to get Turk to try. First of all, because of the presence of "raw" fish in their understanding.
Jellied and fat
To the Turkish nation, the very idea of meat jelly seems very strange. It is almost impossible to explain why the broth with meat is specially cooled to a jelly-like state. And even just trying this dish is decided, unfortunately, not many. Salo I think it's not worth discussing at all. After all, Turkey is a Muslim country and it is simply a sin for them to eat such an animal as a pig. They consider the pig to be a very dirty animal.
Pickles
The usual pickled cucumbers and tomatoes often cause inexplicable delight among the Turks. In Turkey, pickles are also very popular, where they are called Tursu and are most often vegetable mixtures in brine.
Julia Christodulova
Diplomat Sergei Koritsky, who has worked in Turkey for more than six years, asked himself: what do Turks know and think about Russia and Russians?
For a month, an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is also an amateur photographer, photographed the inhabitants of Antalya and asked them the same question:
“What are the first three words, phrases, associations that come to your mind when you hear about Russia?”
Among Koritsky's interlocutors are entrepreneurs and waiters, taxi drivers and policemen, artists, students and many others. The answers he heard were both familiar and unexpected and interesting.
Dogan Tudun, carpet shop clerk, 19 years old:
Moscow. Very cold. Tourists. - Do tourists from Russia buy carpets? - Practically no ... - Do you want me to send photos by e-mail? - I don't have an email address.
Mustafa Tümer, student, 26 years old:
Vodka. Beautiful girls. Visa-free regime for Turks. - Have you ever been to Russia? - No, but I really want to go. - Are you a musician? - Music is my hobby, I play in the bar in the evenings. And so I am a student, studying at the Faculty of Management of the Mediterranean University.
Umit Gokdash, tennis coach, 41:
Moscow roads in five or six lanes. Pavel Bure. Maria Sharapova. - Roads in Moscow are really wide, but traffic jams remain... - Unfortunately, this is true, but it's still impressive.
Bulent Yshik, manager of "coffee shop on wheels", 28 years old:
Literature. Rich story. Bargain. - Why bargain? - Russians like to bargain. - Do you know anything from Russian literature? - I read Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" four times.
Eda Su Sezer, bar waitress:
Snow (I came to Antalya from Germany three years ago, haven't seen snow since then, I miss it). Majestic historical buildings (never been to Russia, but I know). I also know that the Russian language is very difficult. - Why did you come from Germany to Antalya? - Fate, perhaps. - Satisfied? - Highly.
Atilla Bakhchivan, owner of a small shop, 60 years old:
Friendly people. Democracy. Decency. - Do Russians buy anything from you? - Yes, I have many buyers from Russia.
Yusuf Durmush:
Vodka. Beautiful girls ... - More? - (in Russian) Go to boarding immediately. - ??? - I worked at the local airport for a long time, I will never forget these words.
Onder Felek, restaurant manager, 29:
Lenin. Stalingrad. Gorbachev. - What comes to mind when you remember Gorbachev? - For some reason, his birthmark on his head always reminded me of a map of the island of Cyprus.
Can Emidzhi, member of the dance group "Fire of Anatolia", 40 years old:
Nazim Hikmet*. St. Petersburg. Dostoevsky. - Have you ever been to St. Petersburg? - Yes, this city made a big impression on me. And in general: three words for Russia are very few. *Nazim Hikmet - a famous Turkish poet, lived and was buried in Moscow in the last years of his life.
Sedat Gundogdu, hairdresser:
Our friendly country. Sochi. Red Army. - Have you been to Sochi? - No, but I watched the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics. It was great. - Why the Red Army? - I would like to see the performance of the Red Army Choir in Antalya. I also want to ask a question: do they shave with straight razors in hairdressing salons in Russia?
Agah Gargun, Antalya Harley-Davidson Club coordinator, 47 years old:
Kazan. Grey colour. Train. - Have you ever been to Kazan? - Not. - Why gray color? - That's how I feel. - Why a train? - About 30 years ago I watched a documentary about the Trans-Siberian Railway on Turkish television. I still remember.
Bucky Kefes, taxi driver, 49:
Hospitality. Mafia. Russian tourists - without them, our hotels and pockets would remain empty. - Did you go to Russia? - Twice, I lived in Moscow with friends, I really liked it. Have you seen the mafia there? - Not.
Selcuk Sodim, 72 years old:
Samara. Putin. Leningrad. - Why Samara? - My son is an engineer, he worked in Samara for some time.
Atilla Türkyilmaz, former physical education teacher, retired:
- Dynamo Moscow. Volleyball player Ekaterina Gamova. Happy men. Why do you think Russian men are happy? - Because Russian women are beautiful.
Osman Bashtug, police officer, 43 years old:
Kars*. Natural gas. Kremlin Palace. - Why Kars? - I served there. They say that Kars is very similar to the old Russian cities. Even today there is a lot reminiscent of Russia. - Do you want to wish something to your Russian colleagues? - I would like to wish the police in Russia, and in other countries, patience. *Kars is a city in the north-east of Turkey, in 1878–1917 it was part of the Russian Empire.
Muharrem and Sibel Iyioz, owners of the Beydagi restaurant:
Benevolent people. Hospitality. Red Square, which we really want to see. - Do Russians come to your restaurant? - Yes, often, Russians are very fond of Turkish cuisine.
Buse Gundogan, member of the dance group "Fire of Anatolia":
Moscow. St. Petersburg ... - The third word? - (in Russian) "Come on!"
Savash Altay, artist, 59 years old:
Great country. Art. Freedom. - In your opinion, in Russia, people of art are free in their work? - I have many friends in Russia - artists, sculptors. I know that in their work they feel free. I will add separately: Russian sculptors are the best in the world. - Behind - is this your portrait? - Self-portrait.
Aziz Dincher, hotel director:
Aralov. Yesenin. Mamaev kurgan. - Why Aralov? - This is the first ambassador of Soviet Russia in Ankara. Along with Frunze and Voroshilov, he played an important role in the history of the Turkish Republic. Do you know Yesenin's poems? - "Goodbye, my friend, without a hand, without a word ...". When I was in Konstantinovo, I saw an autograph of this poem in the museum. Was very impressed. - Have you been to Volgograd? - Of course. I was also on Mamaev Kurgan. This is the place where the history of the world was made. We must not forget the cruelty of Hitler's fascism and the heroism of Russian soldiers. - It's a bit unusual to see your UAZ on the streets of Antalya with the image of the "Guard" sign on the door. - I love this car. I also have a white Volga, greetings from the 1970s, but it is not running, it is standing in the hotel courtyard under palm trees.
Ali Shahinkaya, cafe manager, 37 years old:
Russians are our friends. Snow. Nuclear power. - Why did you name nuclear energy? - The Russians are building the first nuclear power plant in Turkey. - Where are you from? - From Trabzon.
Ramazan Zerdali, restaurant worker, 25 years old:
Rich culture. St. Petersburg. Along with the US and the UK, the leading power in the world.
Erkan Ashchi, 31 years old, Erdem Aryci, 32 years old, chefs:
Siberia. Borsch. The Kiev's cutlets. - Of these dishes, what do you cook most often in Turkey? - Sometimes we arrange a “Russian evening” in a restaurant, then we definitely cook Kiev cutlets.
Talat Aktash, sea taxi captain, 44 years old:
Our good neighbor. Great civilization. The country I would like to visit.
This is where our story ends, but I would like to emphasize that in addition to the beauty of a Russian woman, about whom the Turks willingly admire for hours, since they consider themselves "experts", they also have a good understanding of the history of the two peoples, love our poetry, and respect to Russian-Turkish projects.
