He just met an elder Turkish guy for lunch and the same guy gave him some gifts.
I opened the package and I found 5 small souvenirs from Turkey. First, there was a fan with the Turkish flag printed on it then was one very tiny "nazar boncuk" for a newborn baby and another decorative one for the doorway. In Turkish superstition, nazar boncuk is a little magic stone that said to be protecting one from the evil eye. It is like an amulet or talisman. For babies, they clip a tinnie winnie boncuk together with a small piece of gold to a baby for protection. My babe said, his mom will give me gold for Askim to use.
The next two souvenir items were refrigerator magnets made out of ceramic and tile. Painted on them was the Bosphorus Bridge. Also called the First Bosphorus Bridge, it is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait. The same bridge is connecting Ortaköy, European side, and Beylerbeyi, Asian side of Turkey.The sixth and last item we got was a box of Turkish delight or "lokum". It is a confection made from starch and sugar. My babe said, they can be very sweet and people usually eat them in the belief that it increases sexual desire. In short, Turkish delight is aphrodisiac!
I tasted some and what was it like? Hmmm.. They have soft, jelly-like and sometimes sticky consistency. They look like small cubes that are dusted with powdered sugar and dessicated coconut in a box. They also contain small nut pieces of pistachio and walnuts.I actually tasted the same Filipino candy before, but I am not sure what it is called. It has the same starchy and sticky consistency matching a sweet flavor, but without nuts. Anyway, I know we have the same candy here. I am sure.
