Holiday Adrasan Summer 2010 – Part 3

Arikanda River Garden – Nights

To continue on the holiday and particularly Arikanda River Garden theme . . . .

There are a number of good places to eat in the bay. I think probably the best is the Arikanda, the food is good and the atmosphere is great but it is the staff that really make it. Vahit, Felamez (must try and get this spelling right!), Akif , Mehmet and all their brothers and relatives are great fun and eager to please. Tables are set on wooden platforms in the river, joined by wooden walkways. The river water is very cold and, therefore, helps to cool down the otherwise hot summer evenings. You can also throw pieces of bread into the river whilst eating and feed the fish, eels and terrapins.

Above: late night at The Arikanda River Garden

The Arikanda make fabulous Pide bread , a type of flat bread, in their traditional stone pide oven. Great big plates of this bread, freshly made and hot are served to all customers along with ‘dips’ at the start of every meal and it is free! In my local restaurants in England one has to order and pay for bread with a meal. However, I do wonder if by serving this tasty starter free, the Arikanda are not doing themselves out of selling more food as the Pide is very filling!

Above: Pide!

The family are from the Kurdish region of Eastern Turkey and love their traditional culture including Kurdish music and particularly dancing! Mehmet (one of the brothers) has learnt to play the Saz – a sort of mandolin / guitar – although he never has a full set of strings! Once Mehmet has finished his kitchen work, it takes very little persuasion for him to join us with his Saz, in fact, the whole family will join us and whilst Mehmet plays and sings the others will play drums, join in the singing and dance.

Above: Mehmet plays the Saz and sings

Above: The family join in

Above: After-dinner entertainment

As I said above, the family that run the Arikanda are Kurdish. I don’t know enough about Turkish and Kurdish history and politics to make any comment on what does seem to be a divide in Turkish society. However, what I find truly amazing is how much the young lads at the Arikanda really love their culture. It seems quite strange in my eyes to see teenagers who look exactly like UK teenagers be so obviously in love with their traditional music and dance. Whilst staying in Adrasan I read Jeremy Paxman’s book ‘The English’. In the book he debates why the English, as opposed to the Scots, Irish and most other countries, do not have any real national music, dance, dress or other cultural identity. He concludes that the English, having not been conquered for a thousand years and having once been the most powerful nation in the world have no need to be concerned with ‘national identity’ in the form of music etc and do not even have an English national anthem. He reasons that national identity is more likely to be of importance amongst people who find their way of life under threat. For myself, I feel I have no need for nationalism and do not even particularly like the waving of the Cross of St. George which I still associate with far-right politics. Jeremy Paxman’s reasoning does seem to apply though, very well to the Kurdish people.