A Disappointing Museum and Blue Cheese Mushroom Risotto

Last weekend E and I went to the newly reopened Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Sultanahmet. This museum has been closed for renovation since before E&M visited me the summer of 2013 (which incidentally is also the summer I was fired from a not-to-be-named DC-based organization somewhat famous for misappropriating American tax dollars). We've been waiting impatiently for this museum to reopen and a rainy Sunday seemed a great day to visit.

The museum, which sits at the far end of the Hippodrome was a little hard to reach. When we arrived in Sultanahmet the entire are was crowded with people there for both a bike marathon and I suppose to hear the Prime Minister who was there making a speech ahead of the June elections.

We finally made our way into the museum and I waited with my dripping umbrella while E bought her ticket. My Muzekart gets me in free and, after our visit I am so glad I did not have to spend 20TL on the entrance fee.

I love sundried tomatoes

It was so disappointing! The building itself is somewhat interesting and I enjoy an illuminated manuscript as much as the next person...but aside from a rather interesting coffin, a handful of moth-eaten rugs, and a few hairs from Mohammad's beard there's not much else in there. The collection covers only one floor. While it's a nice building it doesn't make up for the lack of content or information. It's not even like visiting the Native American Museum at the Smithsonian; really amazing architecture, best food court the Smithsonian has to offer...and that's about it.

Which wouldn't be so bad if there were at least some information. It's set up to take the visitor through the history of the area's peoples and their art. Information boards at the beginning of each age tell you that you will see examples of the art typical of the time. Typical how? An illuminated manuscript looks like an illuminated manuscript looks like an illuminated manuscript. Placards next to each item tell you only (in Turkish and English) that this is a Quran from the something period, or a cuzden* from a something period.

I think we left the museum with less information than we had going in.

You what is not disappointing? Risotto. Blue cheese. Mushrooms (except for shitake mushrooms to which I seem to be allergic). Except for Salmon Friday, dinner at E&M's, and eating out I pretty much live on pasta. It's just so easy. While I never made risotto in the States I often make it here, although usually I skip the Parmesan since it's so insanely expensive here. Of all the imported cheese here, blue cheese is oddly affordable. As is often the case with cooking and baking here, I decided to get a little creative with substitutes; and as long as I was adding blue cheese to the mix I might as well throw in some walnuts too.

I wasn't quite sure how well this would all turn out; between the blue cheese and deglazing with red wine which I've never done to risotto.I am happy to say that the blue cheese did not disappoint. Doing this again I would make a few changes though which are reflected below. Blue cheese is strong so I was a little shy about how much I used. Next time I would use the entire package. Also I need to stop being afraid of the truffle salt.

Paired with a spinach salad, a gorgeous Spanish red, and a terrace view of Istanbul my blue cheese mushroom risotto was lovely. It warmed up pretty well the next day too. In the end, a disappointing museum trip that ends with a lovely dinner is still a pretty good day.

*A cuzden is apparently a chapter or fragmented section from the Quran. We had to Google that.

Recipe

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon truffle oil (optional)
• 2 white or yellow onions, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic (crushed and/or chopped)
• 140 grams mushrooms, sliced
• 140 grams (3/4 Cup) risotto 
• 75 ml dry red wine
•  4 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 500 ml hot vegetable stock (or hot water)
• 100+ grams (baby) spinach
• 115 grams (1/2 Cup) walnuts, chopped
• 100 grams blue cheese
• salt
• black pepper
• truffle salt (optional)

1. Heat the oils in a deep sauce pan or pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and mushrooms and cook gently for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add risotto and stir until all the grains are covered in onion-garlic-mushroomy goodness. Pour in the wine and cook for another couple minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the wine is incorporated. 
3. Reduce heat to low. Add the sundried tomatoes and about 125 ml/4 fl ozs stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the stock in small batches until it's all absorbed and the risotto is creamy and tender.
4. Stir in the blue cheese and walnuts and season to taste. If you're using truffle salt don't be afraid of it. I never add enough. Once all that is incorporated, sprinkle the spinach over the risotto, cover, and cook for about 5 more minutes/until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the spinach and serve! Goes well with a spinach salad and/or some nicely rare meat. And more red wine. Always more red wine!

The Grand Bazaar

Both Lauren and I have posted about Turkey. Lauren most recently when she was on R&R, and I a couple years ago (really just reread all of November and December 2010!!) so when I was in Istanbul last week for work I wondered if there was really anything left to post about? Of course there was. There always is. I think I may have touched only a little on the Spice and Grand Bazaars in one or two of my posts so this seems the perfect time to go a little more in depth.

But before we get there; just a little bit about the rest of my trip. I was there to spend money; that was the purpose of my work trip. And it's not as much fun as you might think. But because the purpose was to spend money, I stayed in one of the higher end hotels.

That is what $10,000 looks like

View from my hotel in Taksim

View of Taksim Square

Ahh lovely sunset

My hotel has no 13th floor. Just because it's not listed doesn't mean it's not there.

 

 
Despite the busy work schedule, I did get out a little. Thankfully, for me anyway, Turkey is secular enough that even during Ramadan restaurants and shops are open for business. Many places had set menus during iftar and large crowds gathered on the lawn in front of the Blue Mosque to celebrate picnic iftar every evening. I'm so glad I'm Catholic.

Public iftar in front of the Blue Mosque

Ramadan Krispy Kremes. Yes this happened.

So speaking of food...that's what most of my happy moments were about on this trip.

I don't even know what this was but it was yummy.

Turkey has the best baklava

Burek = true happiness

But back to the bazaar! I maintain that you really shouldn't ever buy anything in the Grand Bazaar-that better prices can be had just about anywhere else in the city; but it sure is fun to walk around. Basically, if you want it, they've got it.

So tempted by these hand painted bottles.

Who doesn't want a bejeweled elephant?!

Godiva...because I guess the Grand Bazaar is the best place for it?

The Grand Bazaar is theoretically sectioned off by ware. In some cases that's true like the few streets that are all about leather goods and the street that houses Godiva is where all the really pricey gold is; but really everything just gets a little jumbled up.

Of course Turkish delights everywhere.

What is salad spice anyway?

Better at the Spice Bazaar but they're here too.

Textiles of all sorts, from scarves to bellydance costumes and jeans are everywhere. Mostly scarves though. There are SO MANY scarves.

The inevitable scarves.

Boots made out of muppets. Best guess.

Pretty!!!

I'm determined that I will move to Turkey one day and furnish my place entirely out of things I find at the market. All the lamps and mosaiced candle holders make me drool. They're just so shiny and pretty!

Want the blue ones!

Those three big ones are like twice the size of my head.

Although I think using Turkish ceramics for everything might be a little cumbersome...not to mention wildly expensive.

Betting none of this is micorwavable.

Hand painted awesomeness

And naturally I will need separate Turkish tea and coffee sets. Because...well why wouldn't I? It's a proven fact that drinking out of elaborate vessels makes things taste better.

The bazaar itself is just fun to look at. The high arched ceilings, painted arches, windows, and sloping floors, and cafes give this maze-like market place something of a magical feel.

One of the fountains that still provide the market with water.

The everything shops often have hidden gems.

Like I said, don't buy here...but walk around and enjoy!

Hooters China: A Post LONG Overdue

So Moglie did such a good job these past few months writing about our trip to China last November, that I felt little need to blog about my experiences there, or my trips to London and Zambia that followed. She's been reminding me that I still need blog about the trip, and at the very least post about our trip to Hooters in Shanghai.

So, what would motivate us to visit a beacon of American "culture and cuisine" in the megalopolis of modernity Far East?

One word: MarfDirt (Hi Marf!).

Knowing that he is a big fan of Hooters Restaurants in the US, we wanted to send him something special from our trip to China, we thought we'd get him a Hooters Passport stamp and t-shirt.

Well, finding this place wasn't exactly easy. Even though it opened in late 2004, it seemed like many people didn't really know that it was there at all. It's quite a long walk from the train station, and you really have to know where you're going. The restaurant is located inside a pretty big shopping mall. It took us a while to figure out how to get to the restaurant, but along the way we found Dairy Queen, and took the opportunity to each have a cone for our efforts. It must've done the trick, because it wasn't long before we found the place!



I've since read articles that say you need a reservation to get a table if you plan on coming in before 10pm. I guess that now that it'd been 4 years since the opening, it's no longer the case-- we walked into a sleepy restaurant practically overstaffed with tiny, scantily-clad Chinese girls in tiny orange running shorts, and flesh-toned pantyhose (those things must be a nightmare in the summer!).

We were ushered to a table almost immediately by the seriously friendly waitresses. We peruse the menu, and really it's pretty Hooters-standard, and we know why everyone goes to Hooters in the first place: WINGS! That was exactly what I wanted to eat, buffalo wings and a coke.

While we were eating, we noticed that there was one other person in the restaurant. The waitresses started serenading him with the repertoire of "hooters favorites." I managed to catch them on film, so check it out.



When they saw that I was recording their song to another patron, they quickly filed over to serenade Moglie and I with one of my favorite old-time songs:



China's Hooters girls really love their jobs! And while they may not "measure up" to your typical American Hooters Girl, these girls bring the dedication and pride in their work that the Chinese are known for...you just don't find that among many Americans in the service industry anymore. In one article I read , the waitresses really enjoy what they do, and look at it as an opportunity to practice their English, meet people, and earn tips when normally tip-making is not allowed. When the restaurant first opened, 80 of 1,000 applicants were selected. Apparently Hooters China prides itself on finding beautiful, open-minded Chinese girls to put in their tiny tanks and shorts. At first, many people were concerned about the dress code, arguing that it was too scant for Chinese taste. Although looking out onto the streets and in the clubs of Shanghai, you'll see many more women wearing even less than the Hooters girls in Shanghai.

When we finished our meal there, I took a picture with a few the girls before buying Adam's t-shirt. I think that finding this restaurant was really one of my favorite (and surprising!) parts of Shanghai (besides the pearls, and the hostel, and the shopping, and everything else I liked about it), really it just adds to the list of reasons why Shanghai was one of my favorites.

La Traviata

The Moglie and I got season tickets for the WNO this year and on Saturday night went for the very first opening night of the season, La Traviata. Now, if you read the review in the Washington Post you may be less inclined to get tickets; however, the performance was far better than what the Post allowed.

In my less than humble opinion the soprano, tenor, and baritone were all marvelous. Not only could they all sing and sing well (poo to you Post), they could actually act! I've seen other WNO operas in which the acting and the singing have not been good (*cough cough* La Boheme except Vittorio *cough cough*)so I say kudos to these people. I am not, despite my own acclamations, a learned judge of opera or vocal talent...but having grown up with a classically trained opera signing mother who listened to this very opera so often when we were kids that I'll bet my siblings and I can recite it...I do ok with the judging. And generally I am not kind.

I've also heard some accusations (not just from the Post) that the WNO is playing things "safe" by doing traditional settings for La Traviata. So? I mean seriously, so? Is it really now necessary to take every bit of classical something and modernize it? Does that honestly help us better relate to the story? Is a director therefore uncreative if he chooses to do something traditionally? Personally for me no. Rather I often find the modernizations,"creativity", and "innovations" distracting. But that is just my personal taste. La Traviata is an archetypal story that works in any era and any setting so if you're setting it for the critics then I guess make them aliens and set the opera on Mars. Heck, they made a movie out of in the 30's with Greta Garbo so aliens might work just fine. However, maybe being traditional is the new creative. The WNO isn't the only theatre going back to tradition this season and I for one am looking forward to it.

In any case, the WNO has set up a fantastic season this year and I think they opened it brilliantly on Saturday. For me this production of La Traviata is not only possibly the best opera I have ever seen, but also meant the most to me. Go see it. You will enjoy it.

p.s. Despite the movement to get people to go to the theatre and not be afraid of it by encouraging audience members to remember that at one time it was pop culture and dress how they like and wear jeans etc..Don't. I will hunt you down if I find out you've gone to the opera in jeans.