Ramble
Quest - Land of Tea and Tobacco.
For me, this is a good news/bad news story about Turkey. The good news is that almost everyone drinks pretty good tea and freely offers it when meeting. Tea is ubiquitous in many lands, but often you get sick of the quality of the lowest common denominator, the tea drunk by the hoi polloi. In India, this happens quickly, as the tea comes sickeningly sweet and with milk. China is much better, but even there you usually get cheap, twiggy, jasmine tea that eventually takes on a soapy aftertaste. Turkish tea is deep, reddish brown and almost always good.
It is usually served in small, tulip shaped glasses that must be delicately grasped by the rim to keep from burning your hands. The Turks put sugar in it, but this always comes on the side and, as George Orwell advised, really has no place in tea, which is supposed to be bitter. When I'm able to serve it myself, I can mix it to the proper strength from those clever Turkish tea dispensers. One faucet gives overly strong, dark brew, while the other gives hot water to mix in. The double tea kettle I purchased works the same way. The small, upper pot has the strong, red tea brew while the lower, larger pot has hot water to add.
During visits to salesmen (obligatory on tours, but OK as this is often the only place you can find a free restroom) or at the guesthouse, you are offered either tea, apple tea, or sometimes, orange tea. The latter two are chemical imitations that aren't terrible but are chosen only when I feel like I've had too much caffeine.
The bad news of this piece is that only in eastern European nations and parts of Russia have I encountered such high rates of smoking. Yes, some Asian countries, such as China, seem to have more male smokers, but far fewer female smokers. It often feels as if everyone around me is smoking.
Worse, these Turkish cigarettes really stink. I had one Turkish woman tell me that Turkish cigarettes were far better than American ones because they had fewer additives. Maybe so, but they still reek and seem exceedingly strong. Many places offer the narghile water pipes, known as hookah or hubble-bubble pipes in the West. While these aren't quite as disgusting, they certainly don't enhance the atmosphere.
I've heard several people tell me that they'd love to visit Turkey but didn't think they could stand all the smoking there. After my visit, I can say that their fears would probably be realized. I actually had to stop going into Internet cafes just because the air was so thick with smoke that it would make me ill.
Ah well, hold your breath as much as you can until you leave and enjoy your tea time.